The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) has acquired Professional BoatBuilder magazine (ProBoat).
The ProBoat purchase promises to marry IBEX’s live trade event to the magazine’s editorial coverage, creating a platform for technical education, professional development, and independent editorial exploration of defining industry trends.
The combination builds on a history of partnership – the magazine’s editorial staff has helped produce the technical seminar series at the show since its launch in 1992.
The announcement assures the continuation of the collaboration and confirms IBEX’s commitment to deliver technical and trade information for boat designers, builders, and service technicians.
We’re creating a robust, continuous pipeline of information and an opportunity for our entire community.
Anne Dunbar
“This acquisition represents a powerful synergy between two leading and trusted brands in the marine industry,” said Anne Dunbar, executive director. “By combining our annual event with Professional BoatBuilder’s trusted technical journalism, we’re creating a robust, continuous pipeline of information and an opportunity for our entire community.”
IBEX hired ProBoat editor Aaron Porter as editorial director when the magazine’s prior owners announced they would cease publication of the magazine in September.
“I welcome the chance to keep producing the essential boatbuilding information our readers have come to rely on and the challenge of pursuing that goal in a rapidly evolving print and digital publishing environment,” said Aaron. “We’ll be working with largely the same editorial contributors but with some changes to the delivery media.”
Plans are under way to integrate the technical content from Professional BoatBuilder magazine with IBEX 365, the show’s online platform for product promotion, education, and show-related news.
