International Boat Industry

What International Boat Industry does

International Boat Industry (IBI) is a specialist B2B trade media brand serving the global recreational marine industry. Founded in 1968 and operating under Boat International Media Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Informa Group, IBI is headquartered in London and reaches boat builders, marina operators, marine equipment manufacturers, distributors, and yacht brokers across the UK, USA, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, the Nordics, Spain, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

The core product is IBI Plus, a tiered premium subscription (trial, monthly, quarterly, six-month, annual, and corporate multi-user tiers with up to 67% volume discounts) gating access to a 50,000+ article archive, market reports across 11+ countries, product reports across nine technology sectors (including boat autonomy, electrification, and green technologies), and company/people intelligence. Content is distributed through the ibinews.com website, three newsletters (IBI Daily News, Weekly Pulse, Global Marina Briefing), and IBI Magazine in print and digital. The company also runs the annual IBI Summit strategic forum, the Boat Builder Awards, and the Boat Show Calendar, alongside the IBI Presents sponsored content platform.

IBI monetizes primarily through recurring subscription revenue, with supplementary income from sponsored content partnerships (IBI Presents), event sponsorship and ticket revenue, and advertising across newsletters and digital editions. Distribution leverages owned digital channels plus media partnerships with METSTRADE (core) and IBEX, and industry affiliations with ICOMIA and NMMA.

Name

International Boat Industry

Legal name

Boat International Media Ltd.

Website

https://ibinews.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Boat Industry (IBI) is a B2B trade media brand serving the global recreational marine industry with subscription-gated market intelligence, multi-country market reports, newsletters, an annual summit, and awards under Informa Group ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. IBI Plus Subscription: Premium digital subscription providing unlimited access to articles, market reports, company data, and archived content. Offered as individual, team, and corporate memberships with tiered pricing based on access level and billing frequency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

International Boat Industry publishes a digital and print trade media platform serving the global recreational marine industry with daily news, market reports, newsletters, and a premium subscription service (IBI Plus) that unlocks 50,000+ archived articles, company data, and country/sector research. The offering is complemented by industry events including the IBI Summit and Boat Builder Awards, sponsored editorial via IBI Presents, and a Boat Show Calendar directory.

Product overview

International Boat Industry (IBI) operates as a multi-platform media and intelligence company serving the global recreational marine industry. The core offering centers on IBI Plus, a premium subscription service providing unrestricted access to exclusive content, market intelligence, and archived research. This is complemented by IBI Magazine (available in print and digital formats), distributed free to qualifying businesses. Content distribution includes multiple newsletters: IBI Daily News (daily), Weekly Pulse (weekly), and Global Marina Briefing (specialized). Research capabilities are delivered through Market Reports covering multiple countries and Product Reports spanning key sectors. The company also organizes the IBI Summit (annual strategic forum) and Boat Builder Awards (annual industry awards). The IBI Presents platform provides sponsored editorial content featuring partner companies. The Boat Show Calendar rounds out the offering as an events directory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IBI Plus: Premium subscription service offering exclusive online content including in-depth market reports, industry statistics, unlimited archive access, and more.

Products and services

• IBI Plus Premium digital subscription service providing unrestricted access to subscriber-only content including 50,000+ archived articles, exclusive market and company data, and sector/country reports across established and emerging recreational marine markets. Offered as individual, team, and corporate memberships for marine industry professionals.
• IBI Magazine Print and digital magazine covering recreational boating markets, companies, product trends, top industry players, company financials, and merger/acquisition activity. Distributed free to qualifying businesses in the leisure marine industry.
• Market Reports In-depth market intelligence reports covering multiple countries (USA, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Asia Pacific, France, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Middle East) with analysis of boat builders, dealers, equipment sectors, and market trends in the recreational marine industry.
• Product Reports Sector-specific research reports covering Battery Technologies, Boat Autonomy, Electrification, Green Technologies, Inboard engines, Lighting, Outboard engines, Paints & Coatings, and Stabilisation in the marine industry.
• IBI Summit Annual premier strategic forum bringing together industry leaders for candid conversations about the marine sector's future.
• Boat Builder Awards Annual awards programme honouring excellence in yacht building, recognizing the beating hearts of the industry.
• IBI Presents Sponsored editorial platform featuring partner companies including Electrosea, Alexseal, Mitek, Hydrotab, Tecma, Yanmar Marine International, SpotZero, Portosole Shipyard, MS Marine Europe, GOST, and FPT Industrial.
• Boat Show Calendar Annual compilation of major boat shows around the world, available in print, as a digital download, and as an interactive listing with real-time updates.
• IBI Daily News Daily email news service covering the recreational marine industry from around the world, sent daily at 4pm GMT, including Digital Editions when released.
• Weekly Pulse Weekly newsletter tracking trends and innovation from across the marine industry, helping subscribers stay informed about emerging developments.
• Global Marina Briefing Specialized newsletter focused on marina sector news and developments for the global recreational marine industry.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations)minorOthersIndustry membership organization; IBI maintains affiliation with ICOMIA as part of its marine industry ecosystem engagement
• NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association)minorOthersIndustry membership organization; IBI operates as member of NMMA network supporting US marine industry coverage
• METSTRADEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner for Metstrade boat show coverage and event promotion; IBI provides media coverage and content partnership for the marine equipment trade exhibition
• IBEXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for IBEX marine industry exhibition; content collaboration and event coverage

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Yachting World: Long-standing marine publication covering sailboats, motor yachts, and yachting markets. Comparable in marine media content and audience, though with more consumer-orientation than pure trade focus.
• Passagemaker Magazine: Trade and consumer publication covering the trawler and passagemaking segment of recreational boating. Comparable in marine trade publishing with a more specialized vessel-class focus.

Direct peers

• Soundings Trade Only: US-based B2B trade publication for the recreational marine industry, covering boat dealers, manufacturers, and marine retailers. Direct competitor in marine trade publishing with subscription and advertising monetization.
• Maritime Reporter & Engineering News: Established B2B marine publication covering shipbuilding, marine technology, and offshore. Comparable as a multi-channel marine trade media brand serving shipbuilders, operators, and equipment suppliers.
• Boating Industry Magazine: Long-running US trade magazine serving the recreational boating industry with news, market data, and dealer/retailer intelligence. Closely comparable in audience (boat builders, dealers, marine businesses) and content offering.
• Marine Log: B2B publication covering the commercial marine and shipbuilding industries. Comparable in format (trade news, market reports, events) but focused on commercial rather than recreational marine.
• Trade Only Today: Daily news service for the recreational boating industry targeting boat dealers, manufacturers, and marine retailers. Closely comparable in digital-first B2B marine news delivery and audience.
• WorkBoat: B2B marine trade publication covering commercial vessels, shipyards, and marine services. Comparable as a specialist marine trade media brand, though with a commercial rather than recreational focus.

Others

• METSTRADE (show organizer): Premier global B2B marine equipment trade exhibition and a core media partner of IBI. Comparable as a node in the marine industry intelligence and events ecosystem, though primarily an event organizer rather than a publisher.

Broad incumbents

• Boat International: Superyacht-focused marine media brand operated by the same parent (Boat International Media Ltd) as IBI. Highly comparable as a marine B2B and consumer media brand under shared Informa ownership, with overlapping content categories but a luxury rather than trade focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IBINews
• Facebookfacebook.com/internationalboatindustry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibinews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Boat Industry