If anyone wonders if this year’s International WorkBoat Show was a success, all you need to know is that the 2025 show is expanding. So, yes, this year’s show was an extremely successful one.
There was some concern that having the show in November this year might affect the number of attendees. That concern was misplaced as the numbers proved that the show hosted over 1,000 exhibitors and 14,000 attendees. The WorkBoat Show will return to its traditional first week of December slot on the calendar next year. The 2025 WorkBoat Show is scheduled for Dec. 3-5 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
"The WorkBoat Show continues to expand the horizons of maritime innovation, said Liz Plizga, president, Diversified Communications. "That innovation has been taken to the next level this year with over 200 companies that are new to the show, a revitalized conference program, and an exhibit floor with tools and technologies that highlight the true breadth of this sector. The event has become a catalyst for personal and professional development and really shows the transformative power of a trade show to push the boundaries of an entire industry."
Two new events this year — the Women in Maritime Luncheon and the Jones Act Breakfast — both sold out.
This year’s Conference Program drew large crowds to sessions on the Baltimore Key Bridge allision, the future of shipbuilding, vessel electrification, vessels of the future, and the U.S. dredging boom, among others.
Again this year, sessions involving the vessel needs of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Army were among the most popular. And this year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) got in on the act and attracted a big crowd.
On the first day of the show, the 2024 Boat of the Year, the 99'x41'x12' Cape Hatteras and Cape Canaveral Multicat dredge support vessels designed by Damen, owned by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, and built by Conrad Shipyard, were recognized and received awards.
