The Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) has been acquired by Informa Yacht Group, an organisation that puts together top-flight yachting events around the world. The move will put Phuket’s popular annual boating exposition on Informa’s prestigious calendar of global yachting events. The announcement of the takeover came during the opening of the new [Royal Phuket Marina Exhibition and Conference Centre][1], which has 2,500 square metres of dedicated waterside exhibition space. Fittingly, the first event to be held at the new centre will be PIMEX 2008 between December 4 and 7. Informa organises around 10,000 boating events every year, with 25 exhibitions in Southeast Asia alone. The company has offices in some 40 countries, and is widely regarded as the world’s premier yachting events organiser. Andy Dowden, managing director of Andaman Marine Consultants, is excited about the development, stating “the involvement of Informa is a very important development for PIMEX and one that will really contribute to its future and ensure that PIMEX is the marine show of choice in Southeast Asia.” [1]: http://www.phuketgazette.net/ 2008-08-08T07:00:00+07:00 811 2008-08-09T07:02:30+07:00 5 true 811-royal-phuket-marina-exhibition-and-conference-centre-opens Andrew