8th India Boat and Marine Show drops anchor in Kochi from Jan 29-31: All you need to know

Kerala is all set to host the eighth edition of the India Boat and Marine Show (IBMS) at the Bolgatty Palace Event Centre in Kochi, from January 29-31.

The three-day expo event features products, technical sessions, and services from more than 65 exhibitors, in addition to about 4,000 domestic business visitors from across the nation and a number of international buyers from the Maldives and the Middle East.

The upcoming IBMS event is expected to be a game changer for inland water transportation, leisure/rescue boating, and water sports tourism, and promises projects that will boost infrastructure, provide employment, and support MSMEs. It is also said to be the only one of its kind in the country that spans all three sectors.

Organised by Kochi-based Cruz Expos, this event has seen major interest from the tourism boards of states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh, as well as from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Kochi Water Metro Limited (KMWL), the Southern Naval Command, and the Kerala Maritime Board (KMB).

Various central government organisations, such as the National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC), the MSME ministry, and the South India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI), have also been involved behind the scenes.

“Boat building is a decentralised, resilient and remarkably inventive community, and the IBMS is the one place each year where those innovations, challenges and ideas take centre stage," said Joseph Kuriakose, Director, Cruz Expos, while announcing the event in Kochi.

Day two of the IBMS will also see a Vendor Development Programme (VDP) for MSMEs, that will see interactive B2B sessions from the ICG, the KMB, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), and more. It will also feature presentations from various state tourism boards on their development agenda in this sector.

Capitalising on Kerala's importance to the maritime industry, especially in the inland waterways and shipbuilding sectors, the expo aims to make India a local and global first-choice destination for cruising and inland water sports, in line with the 'Make in India' initiative and the country's larger maritime ambitions.