The marine industry will be gathering in Tampa, Florida this October for the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX) 2026. Known as North America’s premier event for marine professionals, IBEX draws together the people actually building, designing, and engineering boats.
With 700+ exhibitors and thousands of marine manufactures and suppliers in attendance, the show floor offers a firsthand look at materials, systems, and components advancing recreational marine manufacturing. IBEX’s education program offers 50+ sessions across ten technical tracks including construction methods, marine electrical systems, onboard systems, and emerging industry topics. All content presented has been developed in partnership with Professional BoatBuilder, the show’s technical journal.
The DPI team will be on-site connecting with naval architects, marine engineers, and manufacturing teams to learn firsthand what’s driving decisions in marine technologies and boat construction today. Constant moisture, UV exposure, vibration, and the ongoing challenge of reducing weight without sacrificing strength in marine environments push traditional materials past their limits. Engineered plastics can offer a better solution for these conditions, and IBEX gives us a direct line into how boatbuilders are approaching these challenges and where our materials expertise might help.
Register for IBEX 2026 and visit DPI’s plastic manufacturing capabilities page to see how we approach component design for demanding, high-exposure environments.
