The membership represents the boating industry in their individual countries.

Giuseppe Chiole (Email: cachiole@tin.it), veteran Europe rep and one of IMDA's biggest boosters, started discussions at METS to represent USA's Poly-Planar Inc sound equipment throughout Europe.

Auto Nav has purchased auto-pilot maker ComNav Marine Ltd. (Email:

pantages@comnavmarine.com, www.comnavmarine.com), and the combined line will expand its already impressive global distributor organisation. Both are Canadian companies.

UK marketer David Barrow (Email:

info@barrowint.co.uk, www.barrowint.

co.uk), made the point at the US exporters meeting at METS that he believed it is tougher for a UK or European manufacturer to crack the US market than for a US company opening Europe. His company, Barrow International, focuses on that project with a good degree of success.

UK's Wave Seven Marine Ltd (Email: sales@wseven.com, www.

wseven.com), continues to expand its special marina-oriented sales rep organisation. METS saw talks begin with the Edson Corp. for Europe representation of their pumpout products line.

IMDA is expanding its efforts in the 2003 Genoa show. It now includes invitations to all global marine manufactures with desires to open new markets through top-rated reps, distributors, large retailers and new OEM accounts. The low cost literature-only plan focuses on tradeonly traffic from the over 80 countries who send company personnel to the huge exhibition for trade purposes.

Details are available through IMDA (Email: JerryMartin@GlobalMarineNetwork.com).

Australia's Whittley Cruisers (Email:

whittley@ocean.com.au, www.whittley.

com.au), has established Boatcity of Lemmer, Netherlands as its master dealer in Europe.