The floor of the International WorkBoat show can be a fantastic place for suppliers to connect with their customers and for fleet owners to identify vendors who can provide the products they need. However, it can sometimes be hard to establish new relationships in the booth environment. In the bustling convention center, a fleet owner and the vendor with the perfect solution might miss one another entirely. WorkBoatXchange, a new service that will make it easier for fleet owners and suppliers to find one another, will debut at the 2014 International WorkBoat Show.

WorkBoatXchange will create a customized experience tailored to the needs of each fleet owner, whether they are interested in solutions related to boat building, deck machinery, electronics, environmental systems, business services or propulsion. The meetings between the senior management teams of both the fleet owner and the suppliers insures discussions are strategic and top level decisions can be made.

Taking advantage of the WorkBoat team's knowledge of the marketplace, the concierge level service will match the fleet owner with solution providers that can address his or her specific initiatives and challenges. WorkBoatXchange will arrange private, one-on-one meetings between a fleet owner and the senior strategic teams of the companies of interest. The meetings will take place Dec. 2, the day before the International WorkBoat Show begins, and the morning of Dec. 3.

For the fleet owner, not only does this service cut down on legwork -- no more strategizing about which booths to visit, or making sure the person you need to speak with is not tied up with other customers or has left for lunch -- but the vendor will already be briefed on your needs, so they can be sure to bring the ideas and solutions most relevant to your particular situation.

"You set the agenda for each of your face-to-face meetings," said Mike Lodato, VP commercial marine at Diversified Communications, the company that runs the International WorkBoat Show. "You let them know what you want to see, what you don’t want to see. So that when you finally meet face-to-face, you are at a much more productive point in the cycle."

"The streamlined approach to meeting vendors that WorkBoatXchange can facilitate will help fleet owners get the most out of attending the WorkBoat Show," said Greg Geisler, CEO of VerticalXchange, who is partnering with WorkBoat to create this unique opportunity for fleet owners. "Our ultimate goal is to create an experience that brings efficiency to the vendor selection process."

Suppliers interested in participating should contact Chris Dimmerling, Sales Director at 207-842-5666 or [email protected]

For more information about participating in WorkBoatXchange please contact Mark Olson, his phone number is 952-224-7641 and email is [email protected]