Hugh Macgregor, 72, of Sable Productions died suddenly Aug. 22 at his home in Naples, Fla.

Macgregor was the promoter for the Association of Marine Technicians’ National Marine Service Expo for the last 10 years, and was known as a pioneer in the Canadian trade show industry prior to entering the marine industry.

Macgregor enjoyed boating on his 51-foot trawler in the Gulf of Mexico with his family and friends. This love for boating is what lured him into the marine industry following his retirement from a successful show-promoting career. He met AMTECH president Joe De Marco in the early 1990s when the association was looking for a promoter to assist in the production of its annual trade show.

“Hugh was a quality individual and we are all going to miss him,” De Marco said in a statement. “He was an extremely reliable and an honest person. You could really count on Hugh to do what he said he would do. The industry has lost a good friend.”

Macgregor’s show career began at MacLean-Hunter in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1975, he established Hugh F. Macgregor & Associates, which was acquired by Reed Exhibitions in 1988 and became Reed Exhibitions Canada.

He served as president of the Canadian Association of Exhibition Managers from 1983 to 1985. He also was one of the founders of Auto-Reg Systems, which later became Show Care Solutions, one of the largest registration companies in the world.

“He will be greatly missed by his family [and] the marine industry personnel who got to know him from his years promoting NMSE,” said De Marco.

He is survived by his wife, Ann; two sons, Bob and John Macgregor; daughters-in-law, Angela and Belen; three grandchildren, Cole, Chase, and Ewan; and sister, Marg Firby.