Reflecting the Right Tide – Irish Skipper Expo to take place on the 24th & 25th February 2023
The return of the Irish Skipper Expo was welcomed in the industry with open arms this year, with exhibitors and visitors thrilled to have the opportunity to get back to face-to-face interactions once again.
The new spacious venue in UL Sports Arena, allowed for visitors to move from stand to stand at their ease, with exhibitors noting that they had a greater opportunity to interact with people as a result.
George McCormick from GEMS Ltd said, “As a business venue, UL Arena was way ahead in my view. I was speaking to one visitor who said that if we had that crowd in Galway we wouldn’t have been able to move. An exhibition should be in one big room and not small, disjointed rooms. You all done great to get it over the line. I am looking forward to next year already.”
While the event marked a hopeful return to normality, the lingering effects of Covid 19, which had experienced a huge surge in cases leading up to the event, undoubtably made its mark on the attendance – a factor which will hopefully be in the shadows as we look into the future.
Those who visited the event were impressed with the quality of the stands and the new venue, with inshore fisherman Sean Carty from Donegal stating, “It was a great show with something for everyone. I enjoyed meeting people I hadn’t seen in a long while and made useful connections for the future.”
With many exhibitors and visitors citing influences such as tides, good weather and the pandemic as having impacted on the event, Mara Media have reviewed all feedback from the industry, and with the tides in mind, Friday 24th and Saturday 25th February 2023 promises to provide the perfect opportunity for everyone to attend.
We are also delighted to announce the return of the popular Show Reception on the Friday evening, bringing exhibitors and guests together in a social setting to enjoy a seafood reception and live music in the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel. With many exhibitors and visitors expressing that they missed the event this year, we look forward to organising the complimentary evening once again as a celebration of the Irish Fishing Industry.
The Irish Skipper Expo continues to uphold the ethos of ‘Your industry. Your show’, therefore we intend to use your feedback to make the 2023 show bigger and better than ever before.
Irish Skipper Expo 2023 – Friday 24th 10-6pm and Saturday 25th February 10-4pm in UL Sports Arena Limerick. The show seafood reception on Friday 24th at the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel.
Visitor Testimonials:
Robert Mc Cabe – Mayo
Much more than a show. Great access to multiple suppliers and agencies with expert advice and products on hand.
Niall Connolly – Louth
Good show. Good venue. Show cased our industry in a good Professional manner
Ben Mc Donagh – Galway
Enjoyed it, but it was different and bigger than when it used to be held I Galway.
Luke Aston – Clare
Enjoyed the show a lot. Great to be able to meet people after two years of just talking to them on the phone. Great show with all the information you could want.
Keelan Harte – Sligo
Well-spaced out as exhibitors had bigger stands and people were spread out more than any other shows
Kevin Sheehy – Kerry
Great show very well organised and a lot of effort put into making it such a great venue. Large selection of stalls was a great plus this year.
Maxine Crozier – Down
The Skipper Expo this year I thought was really well organised with a good layout and plenty of stands, the Arena was a good venue.
Exhibitor Testimonials
Peter Jones – Crown Marine Seats
Any fears concerning the move from Galway had disappeared within a couple of hours of the show opening. We had a steady stream of old and new faces on our stand. The set-up and break down procedure were also very well managed by the venue staff. An excellent show all round.
ROGER BETTS – UNION CHANDLERY LTD
Fantastic show, great to be back, really well laid out and great to see everyone under one roof. Book me in for next year 2023.
Brian Hegarty – ESB
Really enjoyed the event. Well done to The Skipper team on all the organising. Everything appeared very seamless. Big thanks to Sharon!
Jonathan Tyson – Tyson’s Ships Riggers Ltd
The Irish Skipper Expo in Limerick was a great success. After three years of covid, it was great to catch up face to face with all our customers old and new, we received lots of orders and positive enquiries, and it was nice to see new customers coming to the show as well as all our existing customers. All in all a very good show. See you in Limerick next year.
David Ash – Mantsbrite Marine Electronics
Great to be back after three years and catch up with friends and customers, new and old. Good results and well worth the effort.
Mike Ruane – Ruane Maritime
Ruane Maritime’s experience as an exhibitor was great. We were happy with quality visitors to our stand with enquiries, interactions and networking opportunities.
Ash Bradley – ASAP SUPPLIES
It was great to be back after two years, we have always found the Skipper Expo’s to be a fantastic platform to showcase our products and talk through projects with both new and existing customers.
Keith Stevenson – Harland and Wolff
Great to see Skipper Ireland in a more traditional exhibition setting. Many commented that it may not have been as busy, but I believe the new lay out allowed for more people and less crowded. It would also be great to have some sort of exhibitors evening, maybe on the Thursday or Friday with food and entertainment. Limerick City proved to be very spread out in terms of after event networking, so this would be a good option to bring everyone together.
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