METS

Following a week-long trip to the Bavaria factory in Germany, I hopped on a plane for Amsterdam, bound for the Marine Equipments Trade Show (or METS, as it’s commonly referred).

I arrived in the afternoon, and spent the first evening having a look around the downtown area. This was my first time in Amsterdam, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the city. A couple of things became apparent; the majority of the locals use bikes as their primary mode of transportation, and there are canals which parallel almost every street. One wrong step and you’re either run over by a bicycle or swimming in the canal.

The METS is a 3-day long event which showcases over 1200 of the world’s marine industry suppliers – ranging from keel manufacturers to mast manufacturers, and everything in between. The trade show occupies eleven large halls in the RAI convention center, and the suppliers are arranged by country, rather than by product. This unique nationality arrangement makes advanced planning a necessity in order to avoid spending your day doubling back on your path as you work through the list of suppliers.

My schedule had me attending only the first two days of the show, although in hindsight I probably should have stayed for the full three days. About two weeks before the show, FYD sent an email out to our entire distribution list, letting people know I would be attending METS and would be available for meetings during my visit. Response to the mailer was surprisingly big and within days I had plenty of people contacting me to organize meetings. By the time the show started, I had meetings scheduled with suppliers, existing clients, potential clients, and old friends. In fact, my schedule became so full that I had very little time to see other suppliers I wasn’t already set up to meet with. The show was a great atmosphere for serious working meetings. Next year, I’ll have to go all three days and plan my route a bit better to make the most of this great show.

Chris Cochran