The 37th edition of Metstrade, which runs from 18-20 November 2025, opened this morning at RAI Amsterdam with the traditional Breakfast Briefing and the presentation of the DAME Design Awards.
The first speaker, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) CEO Frank Hugelmeyer, highlighted that the marine industry is undergoing a transformational moment.
Addressing a large audience, Hugelmeyer said the industry is facing “incredible economic uncertainty”, which entails both headwinds and challenges, but that it is “also a time to identify new opportunities”.
He highlighted the “massive change” in consumer spending and an “extraordinary new wave of consumers who think differently and are different to before”. Indeed, NMMA is changing its approach to consumer engagement entirely, Hugelmeyer says.
He told the audience: “Change is coming”, and it’s time to “disrupt or be disrupted”.
He added: “All the other industry sectors are our competition; the competition is not in this room. What we sell, no one else can match. We have the best product.”
Hugelmeyer also reiterated the importance of reaching out to the consumers of the future for the long-term growth of the industry.
Cheryl Brown, managing director of Le Boat, gave the breakfast briefing keynote after Hugelmeyer left the stage.
Brown discussed the huge expansion of the brand and the new-to-boating boom. She highlighted the continued importance of consumer reviews. “Trustpilot, Tripadvisor and Google are incredibly important for us,” she said. “All the feedback comes from the third-party review sites. So if you are not at the top of your game, it’s a problem.”
She outlined how customers are increasingly turning to AI for their research, and urged attendees to embrace the new era. “[Customers] now just pop into ChatGPT ‘what the best boat holiday company?’,” adding, “AI is absolutely going to change our lives. I urge you to get very curious about AI.”
Le Boat signed a 10-year deal with Groupe Beneteau/Delphia two years ago. The agreement comprises 400 new boats.
“We are constantly innovating our product,” says Brown. “We’re on the journey to simplify boating. We want to make boating even simpler.”
Brown told the audience she remains open to connecting with new products, companies with innovative technology that could aid the company’s aim to make boating simpler, as well as expanding with new bases and marinas.
The 2025 DAME Design Awards were announced during the opening event this morning (18 November 2025), with LXNAV’s E360 Round Chartplotter announced as the overall winner of the 34th edition of the prestigious annual accolade.
LXNAV Marine is a branch of LXNAV, an aviation navigational equipment manufacturer based in Slovenia. The E360 chartplotter is a 4″ round touchscreen chartplotter. It offers NMEA 2000 connectivity, built-in charts, Navionics support via SD card, engine data integration and Fusion music control in a compact unit. The interface is designed to be intuitive and operates in a smartphone-style format, providing full functionality while reducing dashboard complexity. Its small footprint makes it suitable for luxury boat builders and high-end refit projects.
“We participated in the DAME award because we felt that we have a very good product. And of course, we would like to win, but in such a tough competition, it was a big surprise for us,” Erazem Połutnik, LXNAV’s CEO, tells MIN.
It is the first time the company has submitted a product.
Full list of winners of the 2025 DAME Design Awards
- Navigation & Communication (and overall winner): E360 Round Chartplotter by LXNAV
- Deck Equipment: Softstep by ONE Palma
- Electronic & Electrical Systems: SAC15R – NMEA2000 Smart AC Distribution Unit by SIMARINE
- Manufacturing Support Products & Materials: Supersede Marine Board by Supersede
- Onboard Facilities Comfort & Entertainment: CSX Refrigeration System by Dometic Group
- Personal Equipment: Ocean Scout Pro by FLIR
- Propulsion & Dynamics: DG3 Gyro by Dometic Group
- Safety & Security Aboard: OnBoard System by Garmin
- A discretionary Environmental Design Award was awarded to ONE Palma for its IFS Multi Tradewind Sail, and one was awarded to Digital Yacht Ltd for BILGE IQ
Marine Industry News managing editor Zella Compton, editor Chantal Haines and publisher Mike Shepherd are all attending Metstrade 2025. Come and find us at stand 01.583 and pick up a free copy of our latest print issue, or get in touch.
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