Article by Kim Hollamby, Metstrade
Metstrade provides an excellent opportunity for individuals considering a career in the leisure marine industry or working towards their first significant role. Kim Hollamby provides pointers on what to consider and things to include on your visit.
One of the highlights of my personal time at Metstrade each year is to lead show tours taking members of the Young Professionals Club (YPC) around the floor to help get their bearings and answer any questions. Participants range from students through to those already well along their career path. Common questions often arise from first time visitors, such as how you break into the industry and where to get advice. Here are some thoughts on activities and features at Metstrade to consider if in the early stages of your leisure marine industry career path.
Start with this encouraging thought – the industry needs your talents
The global leisure marine industry today is acutely aware of the need for it to recruit, retain and progress motivated and skilful people to replace a whole generation that is in the process of retiring. Baby boomers provided the impetus and creativity to greatly expand global interest in recreational boating during the last decades of the 20th Century when mass boat production became the norm. Now the mantle is passing on and that is providing great opportunities across the industry for younger generations to become involved and make a solid career in a fast-changing environment.
If your skills at this point aren’t particularly specific to the business of boating as you perceive it, don’t worry. What you already know may well be directly transferrable. It’s not necessary to have lots of sea miles of experience or even any experience of getting afloat at all to make a valuable contribution across a whole range of activities and technologies.
If you are looking for inspiration in terms of some of the areas of focus for the industry today, do take a look at the Metstrade Content Programme. Not only can you learn a lot in a relatively short space of time, but there is often the opportunity to talk to speakers and panellists afterwards.
Pathways for women
The industry is quick to acknowledge that historically it was largely male dominated, both in its workforce and customers. That’s rightly changing now with much greater awareness of the many advantages of gender balance. Talented women are making a real difference right across all the many trades and disciplines available within the sector.
There is recognition that the perceived barriers to entry may still seem higher for females compared to males, but a growing series of programmes and initiatives are available to assist not only that first step but also support women as they forge their careers. If you are seeking encouragement, advice and pathways into the marine industry, then Metstrade has some excellent opportunities for you.
The Women in the Marine Industry International breakfast panel discussion and networking on Wednesday 19 November is not to be missed – registration is free but you must register to attend. You’ll also find a team from The Magenta Project on hand in the Young Professionals Club lounge to help with advice – read this recent interview with the The Magenta Project’s CEO, Vicky Low, to learn more about this excellent organisation.
Think about the structure that brings out the best in you
I met a designer on a YPC tour who explained his first career decision was to opt between an automotive conglomerate and a boat manufacturer. At the car plant he would have been tasked with designing a single nut or bolt; at the yacht construction firm his role was to design the whole boat. His preference was the latter. It’s a good illustration of how this industry offers many opportunities by being typically smaller in scale and lot more versatile. However, different people require different workplace environments to enable them to excel and enjoy their careers.
Brand new businesses such as those you’ll find in the Startups areas of Metstrade (well worth a visit) will be working at great pace with some of the latest technologies. But entrepreneurially driven firms can be a bit chaotic, or a real buzz, depending on your viewpoint! Small businesses may also provide any individual with myriad opportunities to learn and develop quickly across multiple roles. But like start-ups they often need people to multi-task and not be too precious about their precise role – also exciting and a brilliant environment to thrive in for many but not for everyone. Larger organisations tend to be necessarily more considered in their approaches and usually have discernible frameworks for people to work within. Fortunately, at Metstrade you’ll find examples of every organisation from those with just one person to large international groups employing many hundreds or thousands. A walk around the show floor will open eyes to just what is happening and the things that may well appeal to you.
Build your network – get to know people
This can be one of the most daunting challenges for anyone entering the marine industry, even though it has a reputation for being friendly. Much maritime business activity happens based on who people know – not just sales but also recruitment. That’s a good thing in many ways – it demonstrates just how socially connected those involved in the industry are and why it can be such a fun sector to work in. Which is all well and good but if no-one knows you, where do you start?
Firstly, do take advantage of the networking opportunities at Metstrade. If you are aged 40 or under then you are automatically a Metstrade Young Professionals Club member. That means you have the brilliant facility of the YPC lounge (located adjacent to halls 10, 12 and 13) in which to meet others like you who are looking to build their own networks. You can meet notable industry names such as Cheryl Brown (MA of Le Boat), Henk de Vries (former CEO of Royal De Vries Shipyard and Feadship-Holland) and David Barrow (long-standing marine equipment distribution expert) through the YPC programme which runs for the full three days of the show. You can also take a tour to help you find your feet. Don’t miss a new feature – YPC networking drinks at the lounge 16:30-18:00 18-19 November and 15:30-16:30 on Thursday. Oh, and don’t forget to join the YPC LinkedIn group.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to walk on to stands and start a conversation. People working in the industry are most often passionately engaged in what they are doing and very open to conversations. If you show interest in them, their products and what they do, it is likely they will reciprocate that interest, and you’ll start to build that network. The show floor can get very busy, but the starts and ends of the days can be good times to investigate more.
Get in touch with your local marine industry association
Most countries with any significant leisure marine activity have at least one marine industry association to represent the interests of trading companies in the sector. Each one operates differently according to local needs and priorities, but all will have a finger on the pulse of what is happening in their country. And in your case, who you might talk when pursuing any career avenue. Some also have their own comprehensive industry dedicated training programmes and career portals.
Fortunately, you can meet many of the significant industry bodies all in one place at Metstrade as they also organise their own national pavilions within the show. See https://www.metstrade.com/zones/country-pavilions for the full list of the 17 marine industry associations attending. You can also visit the ICOMIA stand 13.405 which serves as an umbrella body for associations globally; they will put you in touch with the right people if your country is not represented with a pavilion.
On a final note, many of those country pavilions host parties towards the end of Wednesday 19th November, another brilliant opportunity to network and make new friends.
For more information visit www.metstrade.com
