ALL EYES ON ITALY AS METSTRADE AMSTERDAM CONFIRMS THE COUNTRY’S WORLD-LEADING ROLE AT THE WORLD’S FOREMOST EVENT FOR MARINE EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS.

SATISFIED EXHIBITORS PRAISE THE ITALIAN COLLECTIVE PROMOTED BY CONFINDUSTRIA NAUTICA AND ITALIAN TRADE AGENCY.

Made in Italy excellence dazzled the world of marine components and equipment once again at this year’s Metstrade Show event in Amsterdam, highlighting its ability to drive innovation and anticipate the needs of the global recreational boating market.

The collective of 82 Italian companies was on display across the Italian Pavilion (Hall 12 and Hall 8) thanks to the key partnership between the Italian Marine Industry Association Confindustria Nautica and the Italian Trade Agency, offering a full house of national manufacturing excellence. Italian companies took the opportunity to reaffirm their international leadership in the design and manufacturing of high-tech components and equipment that stand out for their quality, reliability and distinctive design.

Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, commented: “METS is an exceptional tool for market observation: in just a few days, it is possible to meet with a plethora of industry operators and effectively promote the interests of Italian industry. The role of the Italian Trade Agency is crucial in this process. This year, the Agency’s Brussels office has confirmed its institutional commitment to ensuring that the Italian collective can present itself in the future with an even more recognisable image, in line with the quality that our companies express. The Italian Trade Agency’s support allows us to make the most of our potential and continue to enhance the Made in Italy brand’s presence throughout international markets. Our presence at METS speaks for itself: 82 companies in the collective on a total of 1,757 square metres of exhibition space. And the strength it demonstrates is rooted in a supply chain of equipment and components that is unparalleled worldwide, a supply chain capable of providing yacht builders with the most innovative and stylish solutions. It is this widespread excellence that makes Made in Italy quality a global benchmark, now more than ever.”

Tindaro Paganini – Director of the Italian Trade Agency’s Brussels Office: “The collaboration between the Italian Trade Agency and Confindustria Nautica embodies a virtuous model of the country’s system applied to the boating sector. The combination of our Agency’s institutional support and Confindustria Nautica’s industrial expertise allows us to present a strong, cohesive and competitive image of the Italian supply chain at major international events such as METSTRADE.

Thanks to this joint effort, the Italian boating industry can make the most of its distinctive features, those being technological innovation, construction quality, design and sustainability, strengthening the global reputation of Made in Italy production. The Italian Pavilion is the most obvious example of this: a constantly growing space that offers Italian companies, particularly SMEs, new opportunities for visibility, networking and access to foreign markets. Together, the Italian Trade Agency and Confindustria Nautica are committed to strengthening the sector’s internationalisation and consolidating Italy’s global leadership across the boating industry.

Positive feedback also came from the companies taking part in Halls 12 and 8, expressing their satisfaction with the level of interest shown and the quality of the contacts made during the three days of the event.

Anton Francesco Albertoni – CEO of Veleria San Giorgio and Former President of Confindustria Nautica: “Metstrade Amsterdam has again confirmed its status as a leading international trade event. The presence of the Italian collective organised by Confindustria Nautica and the Italian Trade Agency has had a truly significant impact, with an increasing number of companies participating and a growing exhibition space.

In this context, we chose METS to kick off the celebrations for Veleria San Giorgio’s 100^th anniversary, a historic brand founded in 1926 in the Darsena di Genova, now approaching an extraordinary milestone. The celebrations will continue throughout 2026 with initiatives dedicated to our customers and partners, culminating at the Genoa International Boat Show from 1^st to 6^th October 2026. This project aims to honour our history and generate new opportunities for expanding our business network development.”

Alessandro Gianneschi – CEO of Gianneschi Pumps&Blowers and Vice President of Confindustria Nautica: “The Italian Pavilion is one of the most significant national collections on display at Metstrade and confirms, year after year, its strategic role at an international level. Thanks to our joint work with the Italian Trade Agency, we have brought together over eighty companies in Hall 12 and Hall 8 dedicated to superyachts, unique showcases for technological innovation, the most advanced materials and innovative solutions developed by our industry.

The components sector is also a litmus test for the market: Metstrade is one of the closing trade exhibitions of the year, allowing us to clearly understand the state of the industry after the autumn shows, from which a clear picture emerges: the Made in Italy industry maintains its solidity, reputation and capacity for innovation, and the Italian Pavilion continues to be one of the driving forces behind this world-renowned excellence.”

Luciano Paissoni – CEO of Foresti&Suardi and Director of Confindustria Nautica: “This edition of Metstrade has been particularly valuable for our collective, because it has fostered authentic moments of discussion between Italian and non-Italian companies. Bringing people together and exchanging opinions are fundamental elements for a sector such as ours, and the evening initiative with our Italian Aperitivo contributed significantly to strengthening such spirit.”

Alessio Piana – Liguria Regional Councillor for Economic Development: “Liguria’s participation in METS in Amsterdam, through Liguria International, is a first step towards establishing a permanent presence at one of the world’s leading boating events. The Blue Economy is a strategic sector for our region and one in which we intend to continue investing. Not only to support the 15 Ligurian companies that have taken part, but also to assess how to strengthen the regional system’s participation in future editions. Our goal is to help companies grow across international markets and transform these opportunities into economic development and new jobs.”

Confindustria Nautica, the Italian Marine Industry Association, took part in the Council Meeting of the European federation EBI and in numerous ICOMIA meetings and technical workshops, such as the Board of Directors meeting, the Trade and Market Intelligence Committee, the Superyacht Division, the Technical Committee and the Combined Meeting.

Fabio Planamente, Vice President of Confindustria Nautica and member of the EBI Board as special representative of the large yacht sector: “As part of Metstrade, Confindustria Nautica took part in the key meeting of the EBI – European Boating Industry Federation, an event of great importance for the sector during which a significant convergence emerged on various strategic issues for the future of the sector, with particular reference to sustainability policies and infrastructure development. In this regard, we welcomed the recent decision by the European Commission to allocate, for the first time, specific funds for the boating sector aimed at the development of marinas and the sustainability of the industry: a result that confirms the importance and strategic role of our sector not only in Italy but also at European level.”

The next event for companies in the Italian recreational boating industry is scheduled to take place in Rome, at the Chamber of Deputies, on 11^th December 2025, with the Confindustria Nautica Members’ Assembly, which will bring together recreational boating entrepreneurs for a day dedicated to work, discussion and the latest updates on the sector. The guiding theme of the public session, scheduled for 11:30 am in the Sala della Regina of the Chamber of Deputies, is: “Boating: new paradigms for Made in Italy industry. International relations, economics, industrial policy and regulations for a supply chain that leads Italian manufacturing with a global outlook.”