This time next week the doors will open in Hamburg to the world’s largest shipping exhibition. SMM returns, bigger than ever, and argubaly more relevant and important than any of its previous editions thanks to the changing regulatory / technology environment for shipping.
As Clarkson Research (exhibiting at stand B1 UF 304 next week) noted in its latest weekly report: “Buzzwords around technology, digitalisation, smart shipping, big data, cyber, decarbonisation and autonomy will all be out in force at SMM. Perhaps in the past commercial shipping managers might have skipped the ‘nuts and bolts’ on offer at SMM but with the current agenda that might prove an oversight.”
For the uninitiated, Maritime CEO strongly recommends a pair of comfortable shoes for this mega event, which maritime-wise is unparallelled in size. Visitors to the show will invariably walk many, many kilometres to get through the giant 13 halls.
“The sheer dimensions of this trade fair are stunning: 93,000 sq m of exhibition floor in 13 halls, and 50,000 expected industry visitors from more than 120 countries,” says Claus Ulrich Selbach, business unit director for SMM.
Even more important in Selbach’s view is the quality of the fair’s 2,200 exhibitors which cover the entire value chain of the maritime industry. “This allows us,” he says, “to claim international technology and innovation leadership once again.”
At the exhibition stands, visitors will not only be able to speak personally with major market players but also find hands-on technology, including spectacular, huge exhibition items as well as demonstrations of the latest production processes. Furthermore, at the accompanying subject-specific conferences a total of 70 high-profile international speakers will discuss concerns that are right at the top of the industry’s current agenda, ranging from maritime safety, security and environment protection to aspects of ship finance, through to innovative technologies and promising future markets.
“In just four days, SMM takes its visitors on a journey around the entire maritime globe, saving them weeks or even months of tiresome business trips. That is what makes SMM special,” Selbach says.
A special new exhibit on maritime 3D printing is expected to prove very popular at this year’s event.
Splash will be reporting live from the show with four of our writers in Hamburg while a German themed Maritime CEO magazine will be launched on Monday.
