Time To Book Your Stand & Book Your Bed With Only 8 Months To Go Until Irish Skipper Expo Returns To Galway
Over 80 companies now confirmed, with new bookings from Ireland, Sweden, the UK and India — and with hotel room blocks now open, the industry is being urged to book your stand and book your bed early
With just eight months to go, preparations are gathering pace for Irish Skipper Expo 2027, as the commercial fishing industry gets ready to return to Galway on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th May 2027. More than 80 companies are now confirmed to exhibit, continuing the strong response since the new Galway floorplan was launched on 5th August.
Following the initial priority period for existing and long-standing exhibitors, the floorplan has now been released to companies on the stand-by list, with further bookings continuing to come in ahead of its planned wider industry release later in September. The exhibitor line-up has continued to grow over the past week, with Paulona Seafoods from Ireland, Carapax Creels from Sweden, Polar Systems from the UK and Garware Technical Fibres from India among the latest companies to confirm their place in Galway. The latest bookings further strengthen the international mix already taking shape for the 2027 show.
While exhibitor demand remains strong, organisers are now encouraging the wider fishing industry to save the dates and start making plans for Galway — and that means sorting a bed as well as a stand.
Taking place at the High Performance Centre, Dexcom Stadium — home of Connacht Rugby — the Expo is just a short walk from Galway city centre, making it an ideal opportunity for visitors to spend two days at the show and enjoy everything Galway has to offer.
Book your bed
Special Expo rates have been arranged at five Galway hotels, all within easy reach of the venue on College Road.
The Galmont Hotel & Spa on Lough Atalia Road is one of the closest to the venue, around a ten minute walk to the stadium, sitting on the waterfront beside Ceannt Station and roughly ten minutes from the city centre. The Dean Galway on Prospect Hill is a similar walk to the show and about five minutes from Eyre Square, putting it right in the middle of things. The Victoria Hotel is on Eyre Square itself, in the heart of the city and about fifteen minutes on foot from the venue.
Slightly further out on the eastern side of the city, The Connacht Hotel on the Old Dublin Road holds the largest block of rooms and is a twenty minute walk or short drive from the venue, with a regular bus service into the centre. Radisson RED Galway at Crown Square in Mervue is the newest of the five and is a short drive or bus ride from both the stadium and the city centre.
Rates start from €160 per night and each hotel has its own booking reference code. In most cases the Expo rate is only available by phone or email — not through the hotel website — and unsold rooms will be released back to the hotels in the months before the show, some as early as March. Full rates, codes, booking contacts and cancellation terms are on the Expo accommodation page.
Sharon Boyle, Commercial Fishing Manager at The Skipper, said:
“With eight months to go, Irish Skipper Expo 2027 is really beginning to take shape. We now have over 80 companies confirmed and the response to our return to Galway has been extremely encouraging.
“Our message now to the wider industry is simple — book your stand and book your bed. Save Thursday 13th and Friday 14th May in your diary and start making your plans for Galway. We know many people will make a couple of days of it, so look at accommodation early and take advantage of the rates we have arranged. Those room blocks don’t stay open forever.
“There is still plenty more to announce over the coming months, but with the exhibitor list growing strongly and companies joining us from Ireland and further afield, we are looking forward to bringing the industry together again in Galway next May.”
First established in Galway in 2005, Irish Skipper Expo has been bringing fishermen, vessel owners, manufacturers, suppliers and service providers together for more than two decades. Following a period in Limerick, the 2027 event will see the Expo return to its original home. The show will provide two dedicated days for the commercial fishing industry to meet face-to-face, do business and see the latest products, services and developments from across the sector.
8 MONTHS TO GO — DON’T MISS OUT
Book your stand. Book your bed. Both are filling up fast.
Stands: Sharon Boyle, Show Director — sharon@maramedia.ie / +353 (0)86 840 1250 / +353 (0)74 954 8037
Beds: theskipper.ie/irish-skipper-expo/expo-accommodation
Dates: Thursday 13th & Friday 14th May 2027 — High Performance Centre, Dexcom Stadium, Galway
