Sept 24, 2024

The 2024 Marine Electronics Conference & Expo, held by the National Marine Electronics Association, (NMEA) took place September 16 to the 20th in Providence, Rhode Island. Boating Industry Canada was there for the first time and we were very impressed with what we found.

The association is very well supported and virtually any significant marine electronics company that you could name, was represented there on the Exhibitor list at the Expo as well as all being NMEA members and very supportive of the organization.

The 2024 Marine Electronics Conference & Expo covers four main areas. First, there were several big high-level breakfast sessions that opened the day. The one I was most interested in was about Flat Panel Satellite Technology but there were big sessions on Commercial Sonar, Lithium Batteries and Charging Technologies, AI & Machine Learning and more.

Another main pillar is NMEA training and education. The agenda began the conference with Basic NMEA MEI Installer Training and an NMEA 2000 Software Developer course. Later during the Conference were other education sessions over all five days. So, the main event was serious training. But, almost equally valuable, there was a third agenda of Manufacturer Training sessions in casual classroom settings. These featured top people from the manufacturers available to answer questions as well as share knowledge.

These sessions were a very significant part of the total agenda throughout each day with three or four sessions happening in each timeslot. Attendees could choose the sessions they valued most in addition to the NMEA training and they were just a part of the Conference, available to all interested attendees. For example, on Tuesday, from 7:30 to 8:30 AM there was a group breakfast and a really interesting Flat Panel Satellite Communication session that I found very informative. But, elsewhere at 8 AM there was a basic NMEA 2000 Installer Training session happening and then in another room there was an NMEA OneNet Software Developer session. That is just an example of all the things going on at this conference and each day, on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the fourth thing was that the Expo Exhibits opened at 10:45 AM and carried on into a Welcome Reception with food and a bar to make sure that everybody was able to socialize, Network, meet and talk to the many exhibiting companies while they enjoyed a casual dining experience.

This year‘s event was held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Providence Omni Hotel, and we must say, the staff was attentive and helpful, the facilities were very nice and the food was absolutely a cut above.

Towards the end of the conference, I had an opportunity to do an in person interview with NMEA CEO and Executive Director Mark Reedenauer. Watch our brief video to learn about the dates for the 2025 NMEA Conference & Expo. As an inside track on many of the most important technical developments in the marine industry, attending the 2025 NMEA Conference & Expo can give you the inside track on the latest technical developments in our industry.

Andy Adams – Editor