Dubai International Boat Show 2024

The 2024 Dubai International Boat Show concluded on the 3^rd of March, a little over a month ago now, and it was a huge success for all parties involved, albeit a very intensive few days!

Going into the show, our main objective was to reestablish ourselves within the Middle Eastern market after an almost twenty-year absence, and we received lots of positive feedback!

Throughout the show at our MLL-118 stand, we took thirteen ship models, three architectural models, three plane models and five vehicular and miscellaneous models, in the hopes to display as much variety as possible, as well as showing off our craftsmanship! They were all hugely popular and garnered lots of interest from attendees and fellow maritime professionals alike.

We have been expanding our horizons in recent months in terms of custom models, branching out from solely maritime-based products and venturing into the world of aviation models. It’s incredibly complex, however, our extensive experience in the modelling industry has really allowed us to get off to a running start, and we’re loving the new opportunities that have presented themselves thanks to this!

DIBS was the perfect place to demonstrate and show off our new skills and variety, and this proved to be a fantastic decision as we made some key sales, generated new corporate leads and corresponded with co-exhibitors and visiting clientele. Dubai is such a central hub of the world, and so we received leads from companies based all over the world, including North America, Africa, Europe and elsewhere in the Middle East. Only 8% of the residents in the UAE are Emirates, and so it’s massively diverse and eclectic.

We also received enquiries for machine, plane, submarine, car, yacht and architectural models, and so the show was absolutely a worthwhile investment.

The models we took to display at stand MLL-118 are as follows:

1. Sailing Dhow
2. Bulk Carrier
3. Riva Aquarama
4. Endeavour Yacht
5. Airbus A350-900 Emirates
6. F16E Block 60 UAE Air Force
7. Cirrus SR22
8. Titanic Model Ship Kit
9. The Flying Dutchman
10. Amerigo Vespucci
11. Cruise Ship 1
12. Cruise Ship 2
13. Container
14. Gas Container
15. Forklift
16. Modern Yacht
17. LNG
18. Architectural Model
19. Prosperity FPSO
20. Spirit of Caledonia
21. INEOS Tanker
22. Mosque Model
23. Mosque Model 2 – Minaret
24. Cement Mixer

In the aim to showcase as much variety as possible, we tried not to focus on one particular area too heavily, and instead attempted to display our varying skillsets across multiple types of models.

As stated in the overview, a key objective for us going into DIBS 2024 was to reestablish ourselves within the Middle Eastern market, particularly the UAE. Dubai is a central hub for the world when it comes to maritime and aviation logistics, partly due to its geographical location, and partly thanks to its huge presence in the fiscal climate and importance around the globe.

This is an area we’re looking to expand in, and DIBS is the perfect place to get things started. We received many enquiries for various types of custom models, including submarines, yachts, cars and even a few architectural ones!

In terms of the clientele we met with, there was no shortage in diversity which was fantastic! One key example were the officials from the UK embassy in the UAE, and as a result of this, we are looking at exhibiting at ADIPEC in November 2024, which is an oil and gas showcase with over 2,200 exhibitors! Having worked on tanker and rigging models in the past, this would be a massive opportunity for us!

Furthermore, we met with the Dubai International Marine Club, who we donated our Sailing Dhow model to. Dhows were ancient Arabic boats, mainly used for fishing and carrying out commercial activities. These vessels were utilised by Arabic sailors to traverse the seas in the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. This was a handcrafted wooden model, built in our workshop from scratch, and we were thrilled to be able to gift them with this fantastic model.

Overall, the entire show was a brilliant investment, and we were so privileged to be in attendance. Thanks to the show, we are looking to launch our first ever retail site for the Middle Eastern market, which will hopefully follow in the footsteps of our UAE corporate site.

Another focal point of growth for us is that we are also looking to recruit our first staff member who will be physically be based in the UAE. We see the country as the first step for selling across GCC countries, GCC meaning the Gulf Cooperation Council. The countries are: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

As mentioned earlier, we’re looking to exhibit at ADIPEC in November, but we are also looking to return to the Dubai International Boat Show next year, and possibly attend another show in November based in Abu Dhabi!

The entire duration of our stay and the time since then has been immensely successful for us, and we’re so happy to have been able to partake in it. It was an honour to meet such a varied assortment of clientele and other exhibitors, and we can’t wait to return next year!