The presence of thousands of participants from some 80 countries, the move to a state-of-the-art venue offering exhibitors excellent facilities and many opportunities to promote their business and the staging for the first time of a series of top level conferences and seminars concurrently with the exhibition, will confirm Posidonia 2012 exhibition as the most important event in the international maritime and business calendar.
This year’s Posidonia will also be good news for Greece. It will project a positive image of Greece and send a strong message to the world at large that Greece has success stories to celebrate and that the unique achievement of the Greek shipping industry on the world stage and in the field of sea transportation, is one of them.
Global shipping is gradually overcoming the gloomy international economic outlook as the organisers of industry flagship event Posidonia 2012 have revealed growth in exhibitor numbers for the next event to take place from 4-8 June 2012 in the state-of-the-art new Metropolitan Expo, located by the new Athens International Airport. The projected increase is buoyed by the stronger participation of traditional shipbuilding nations and engine and equipment exporters, all vying for a bigger slice of newbuilding orders placed by Greek shipowners, as well as many companies servicing the global fleet.
Posidonia 2012 will not only showcase new technologies, products and services, but will also provide a critical insight into the key issues and recent developments affecting world trade and sea transportation. The newly launched Posidonia conference and seminar programme, to be hosted in the exhibition venue, will examine important topics currently affecting the maritime industry. Decision-makers in the fields of trade, finance, shipbuilding, environmental policy and technology will discuss and debate strategic issues while attempting to evaluate the macroeconomic outlook for the global economy and its impact on sea trade.
The collective might of Greek shipowners, who last year invested a total of US$ 8.5 billion in newbuildings, has yet again propelled biggest exhibitor China to increase its Posidonia national pavilion size by a total of 30 per cent to 1,300 square metres in an effort to accommodate strong interest by its ambitious shipbuilding sector as it tries to attract Greek owners into the country’s yards. For the first time, this year Posidonia will also welcome both German and Norwegian national pavilions to showcase their countries engineering and technological capabilities. Long standing exhibitors from Japan, Korea, USA, Denmark and Holland, will all field pavilions increased by between 30 and 110 percent.
“Posidonia will highlight the contribution that the Greek shipping industry makes to Greece’s economy, which, in these challenging times, is now more important than ever. Senior executives from the global maritime industry will be in Greece to attend Posidonia, underlining the leading position that Greek shipping enjoys around the world,” said Themistocles Vokos, Chairman of Posidonia.
“This year we are turning a long awaited page as Posidonia moves to Metropolitan Expo, the state-of-the-art exhibition centre spanning 45,000 square metres, which will further improve the image and global appeal of Posidonia as the shipping industry’s ‘finest forum’ and will significantly increase the record number of exhibitors and visitors it attracts. An important feature of this year’s Posidonia is the newly launched conference programme, which will provide insight into the challenges facing the maritime industry.”
John Lyras, Chairman of the Posidonia Coordinating Committee and past-Chairman of the Union of Greek Shipowners, added: “We welcome all participants to this year’s Posidonia, which takes place at a time when the entrepreneurial spirit and the international skills and expertise of the Greek Shipping community are assets that Greece and the European Union should use, as we face the challenges ahead.”
The Posidonia Conference and Seminar programme includes the following events:
Tuesday 5 June 2012
· Tradewinds Shipowners Forum, Tuesday 5 June 2012
· US Embassy Seminar: Maritime Anti-Piracy Solutions and Technology
Wednesday 6 June
· HELMEPA 30 year Anniversary: Conference on State of the Art in Environmental Ship Design and Operation
Thursday 7 June 2012
· Newsfront/Naftiliaki & MARTECMA: The 2012 Shipbuilding Conference: Building for the Future
· NAMEPA Seminar: Environmental Issues and Compliance in the United States
Friday 8 June 2012
· University of Piraeus, Dept of Maritime Studies & European Institute of Shipping and Transport: Applying “heretic” methods in Shipping Management
Posidonia 2012 week will set sail on Friday 1 June with the Lloyd’s Register-sponsored Posidonia Cup sailing regatta, which has been the traditional prelude to the event since 2002. The Posidonia ShipSoccer Tournament kicks off two days later on Sunday 3 June with the Exhibition open to visitors from June 4 to June 8.
Posidonia 2012 is sponsored by the Greek Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping, the Municipality of Piraeus, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, the Union of Greek Shipowners, the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee, the Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners’ Association and the Association of Greek Passenger Shipping Companies.
