Established to promote awareness of the recreational marine industry and to bring industry members together under one global organization, ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations) will hold its 6th annual International Marina Conference (IMC) in Oostende, Belgium May 25th – 28th. IMC is the industry’s largest marina conference in the world bringing together 85 speakers and panelists from 20 countries addressing topics focused on marina design, operations and management.

This year’s conference theme is ‘Alliance for Progress’. The theme reflects the conference’s focus on networking with allied interest groups including international yachtsmen, municipal marinas and nautical tourism promoters. “We are proud to be one of the main sponsors of IMC 2008. Bellingham Marine recognizes the importance of ICOMIA and its members working together to sustain and grow the marine industry. Our strong ties help bring the best in the marine industry together—for ICOMIA and the boating public,” said Chris Lamont, Bellingham Marine’s General Manager for the company’s European operations.

IMC has become the world’s gathering place for marine professionals who design, construct, manage facilities and operate within the industry. Conference organizers are expecting around 400 attendees at this year’s event. For more information about IMC 2008 including registration details visit IMC’s website at www.imc2008.com.

Oostende, Belgium is located on Europe’s Flemish coast along the North Sea. The thousand year old city is rich in old-world charm and is known for its marinas, beautiful sandy beaches, delicious seafood restaurants and lively downtown. A high-speed ferry provides connections from Oostende to England.

As the world’s leading design/build marina construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat saltwater systems, Unideck freshwater systems and Unistack dry storage systems for marinas worldwide.

Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; ph. 360-676-2800, fax. 360-734-2417, email. bmi@bellingham-marine.com

Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.