IFBSO, the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers, was founded in 1964 to help the development of boat shows and marine trade exhibitions worldwide. Today all existing member shows comply with the IFBSO Code of Excellence, ensuring that they meet the highest expectations of exhibitors and visitors. IFBSO offers a tiered membership for established marine leisure shows as well as a mentoring programme for new boat shows under its Candidate Member scheme. Recently IFBSO members have joined a fast-growing movement aimed at removing single-use plastics packaging from their events as well as becoming champions of spreading environmental awareness in an effort to tackle the global pollution crisis. IFBSO members recognise that boat show organisers are in a unique position to act as trail blazers for the industry and encourage initiatives to curb the pollution of the world’s oceans, lakes and waterways. Accordingly, IFBSO members are striving to use their boat shows as conduits to push measures in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals and run a campaign to communicate information on issues related to plastic pollution and increase the ecological awareness of participants and visitors at IFBSO member boat shows. This commitment will be included in the IFBSO Code of Excellence and the specially developed #ReThinkPlastic logo will signal the member shows’ commitment and highlight specific activities during the shows to the public. For further information visit the Federation website, www.ifbso.com, which brings together all the essential information - dates, size, contacts, coverage and much more - about leading boat shows and exhibitions across the globe. It aims to provide a single source of comparative data for the boating public and the trade, to help them make informed decisions about participating in or visiting these key showcases of the recreational marine industry.
