This year, Q Experience took part in the world’s largest marine equipment trade show METSTRADE for the second time. METSTRADE takes place in Amsterdam where over 15 000 professionals from all over the world gather every year. In the following article, you can follow Q system’s journey to this memorable event:
Q system participated METSTRADE for the first time right after its launch in 2016. Preparing for the event was a big effort for a team that was also preparing to launch a revolutionary navigation system. The decision to attend was made easier when Q Experience’s partner Wallas-Marin wanted to join the long journey from Finland to Amsterdam. Year 2016 was so successful for both companies that they decided to go together also the following year.
Preparing for METSTRADE 2017 started right after summer. Again, Q Experience team also had a lot of important development work to do, so the process wasn’t always straight forward. Last year’s experience and help from our friends from Wallas-Marine made a big difference, though, and preparations were made for an even bigger and better stand than last year. Q Experience and Wallas decided to increase their stand’s size from last year’s 12 square meters to 18.
Q Experience’s Niklas Öhman inspecting the wall material chosen for METSTRADE 2017.
Transporting stand material to Amsterdam was no challenge to Q system’s adventurous crew: both CEO and CTO hopped into company’s trusted Q van, and drove through Europe in under 2 days.
Q van safely loaded in a ferry from Finland to Sweden
A beautiful day on the Baltic sea
Q Experience and Wallas-Marin’s representatives also have great building skills. They compiled the walls, organized the furniture and even constructed a whole wooden floor during METSTRADE’s decoration period on Monday the 13th.
Q’s stand looked pretty rough before decoration on Monday morning
Q team’s Johan Wessberg finished working on the stand on Monday evening
Just like last year, Q system seemed to spark a lot of interest at the event. Some of our representatives had fully booked their schedule before the event even begun. And the rest of the team was busy attending to new visitors that came to the stand. The whole Q team would like to thank everyone that came to visit us!
Niklas Öhman and Ville Keskilohko introducing Q system’s new features to visitors
This year Q system also made an appearance in the prestigious Boat Builder Awards. The competition has been organized by METSTRADE and IBI since 2015 and it aims to give recognition to outstanding accomplishments within the boating industry. Q system received a nomination for this year’s awards in not just one but two categories.
Buster Boats, the first boat manufacturer to start using Q system, got nominated for the Most Innovative On-Board Solution. Q system’s manufacturer Nextfour Solutions together with Buster Boats also competed for the best Boat Builder & Equipment Manufacturer Collaborative Solution.
This time the Most Innovative On-Board Solution award went to Sunseeker International’s Manhattan 52 Beach Club concept. Groupe Bénéteau and Multiplast won the Boat Builder & Equipment Manufacturer Collaborative Solution category with their Figaro 3 yact. Q Experience congratulates all winners! The award ceremony was a great experience and hopefully we’ll meet again next year.
Boat Builder Awards gala dinner was a very popular event
Boat Builder Awards stage
Even though Q system didn’t get to take home an award this year, we ended up with something much better. Q Experience is going to establish cooperation with yet another boat manufacturer, and this time the boat will be something that the industry has never seen before. Stay tuned for more news!