Posidonia

Posidonia 2024

The Union of Greek Shipowners and the whole Greek shipping community welcomes to Posidonia the huge global shipping family from over 90 countries. The purpose of Posidonia is to turn the challenges facing the shipping industry into successful business opportunities. Theodore Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, told Inside Marine all about the event.

It has been two years since the last Posidonia. How has the show evolved in that time?

Posidonia is evolving constantly and, since its modest beginning almost 60 years ago, it is today the world’s most prestigious and influential maritime event. Posidonia 2022 was by far the most successful show in the history of the event and has set the bar very high for this year.

Next to breaking all previous records in exhibition space, number of visitors and publicity, Posidonia 2022 also set the bar of sustainability higher than ever. It officially became Greece’s first Sustainable Event after receiving the ISO 20121 certification. We are delighted and proud for all these achievements, which reflect our desire to produce a high quality, internationally acclaimed event. We are really looking forward to welcoming the global shipping community to Posidonia 2024, the 28th edition of the event.

This year’s Posidonia timing is perfect, as it will be held at a time when many parameters affecting shipping will have to be discussed and new initiatives will be launched. The last couple of years have been geopolitically challenging, with new crises erupting around the globe and shipping having to adapt to new challenges

Theodore Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, previews the show.

Managing Director of Posidonia

Theodore Vokos

olitan Expo, Athens, Greece. www.posidonia-events.com

every six months. Also, new regulations and the industry’s drive to meet sustainability demands have been the catalyst for the latest industry developments. New technologies will be showcased, and future fuel alternatives will be once again

discussed at Posidonia 2024, as the industry rushes to meet the 2030 and 2050 environmental goals.

What visitor and exhibitor numbers are you expecting for 2024?

We are expecting over 2,000 exhibitors and 40,000 total participants to converge at the Athens Metropolitan Expo Centre from 3 to 7 June. This year we have 45 new exhibitors at Posidonia, showcasing both software and hardware products, alongside government agencies from around the globe, reflecting the industry’s constant diversification.

Please summarise for Inside Marine what a visitor might expect from a trip to Posidonia.

As always, Posidonia will provide the most important business platform for the international maritime community to convene, discuss and debate new developments, learn from each other, establish new partnerships and discover the latest trends and technologies that will impact the sector in the years to come. Most importantly, there is the opportunity to sign new deals ranging from securing a slot in a shipyard to adopting new technologies for an existing fleet.

The decarbonisation of shipping will be on the radar more intensely than ever before, as the industry will present options of how to achieve sustainability targets set by new environmental regulations. New software services, alternative fuel solutions, new breakthrough equipment such as rotor sails aimed at achieving these goals and many more developments will be prominent on the exhibition floor.

As technology becomes mission critical, shipping companies are becoming early adopters and direct investors in new technologies. Recently, the shipping industry has taken huge steps towards

Theodore Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, previews the show.

n Expo, Athens, Greece. w.posidonia-events.com

the digitalisation of its operations and adoption of new technologies in all segments of the business. At Posidonia, all these new technologies will be present, enabling the shipping industry to familiarise itself with products and services that will revolutionise its modus operandi in the years to come.

In turn, what would you highlight as the advantages of exhibiting at the show?

The most important feature of Posidonia is that it provides direct access to the decision-makers of the world’s biggest fleets. Both owners and their C-Level executives walk the floor and decide on future investments. This guaranteed return on investment is what appeals to exhibitors, who are also able to plant the seed for future products and technological breakthroughs which are currently in the pipeline.

Furthermore, Posidonia becomes more diverse every time, attracting shipowners from around the world to meet suppliers from over 90 countries. It has become a truly global marketplace. Business deals are made on the exhibition floor or in the conference halls, making it a must-attend event at the heart of shipping.

Posidonia is also a high-profile event influencing global maritime policy. This is where leaders, policy makers and industry officials table the sector’s issues, debate and discuss developments and exchange views, knowledge and ideas. It is not uncommon that discussions initiated at Posidonia continue in other global forums and committees at the IMO and EU level.

The fact that the entire industry comes together at Posidonia creates the right environment for all issues to be tabled and discussed, either in the conferences or in private meetings, thereby allowing common ground to be found. It is to the benefit of all stakeholders to come together and search for solutions of common challenges.

Alongside the show, Posidonia offers a schedule of sporting events. How important are these events to the overall Posidonia experience?

Theodore

The Posidonia Games feature sporting events like the Posidonia Cup Sailing Race, Posidonia Running Event, Posidonia Shipsoccer Tournament, Posidonia Golf Tournament and Posidonia 3x3 Basketball Tournament. Bringing together over 4,000 shipping professionals from all over the world, the Posidonia Games is an opportunity to meet with potential clients while competing for trophies, or during the award-giving ceremonies organised for each tournament. All these events contribute to the unique Posidonia atmosphere, providing abundant networking opportunities and creating a feeling of camaraderie amongst all members of the shipping community.

3-7th June 2024, Metropolitan

What can visitors expect from the Posidonia conference programme?

The extended Posidonia Conference and Seminars Programme includes forums like the Tradewinds Shipowners Forum and the HELMEPA Conference, which attract the most senior shipowners from around the globe. The addition of the Greener Shipping Summit, organised by Naftiliaki/Newsfront under the auspices of the Marine Technical Managers Association, brings a focus on evaluating new technologies and their potential use by shipping companies.

Of course, Posidonia remains committed to attracting the younger generation into

Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, previews the show.

n Expo, Athens, Greece. w.posidonia-events.com

the shipping industry, evident in the launch of the Posidonia Masterclass in Shipping online course. Collaboration with the YES Forum (Young Executives in Shipping) platform and Isalos.net aims to introduce the next generation to the industry, showcase career opportunities and nurture their interest in this dynamic sector. This year, the conference programme starts the week before the Exhibition, with the Marine Insurance Greece Conference. This one-day event will be focused on bringing brokers, insurers and third parties together with the Greek shipowner community to discuss all aspects of marine insurance, which must adapt to a constantly changing geopolitical environment.

Are there any other notable aspects of Posidonia that you would like to share with our readers?

Posidonia makes an essential contribution to the Greek economy every two years, with its thousands of visitors and exhibitors boosting the tourist industry and related sectors, as more than 15,000 people visit our country for the exhibition. Specifically,

Theodore Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, previews the show.

3-7th June 2024, Metropolitan

it is estimated that some €70 million are generated throughout Posidonia week by exhibitor and visitor spending on hotels, restaurants, business meetings, hospitality events, stand constructions, transportations, customs clearance and movement of exhibits. Especially during the financial crisis of 2011-2017, Posidonia made an important contribution to the economy of Athens and provided support to businesses which were struggling at the time. Another important aspect of Posidonia is that a high-quality event of this calibre, taking place in Athens, promotes Greece and the city itself as an ideal destination for major international trade events. This contributes to the future development of the MICE sector in the region, and projects a positive image of Greece to the world. MICE tourism is best suited for Greece, as we have the required infrastructure, the appeal and the right weather.

What challenges do you see facing the shipping sector? How far do events such as Posidonia go in helping companies overcome these difficulties?

New challenges emerge every day! Currently the biggest challenge is the decarbonisation of shipping and the new regulations it brings about, as well as the ambitious goals that the industry has to meet in just a few years, as 2030 is around the corner.

While meeting such high sustainability demands is a huge issue for the sector, new geopolitical challenges are constantly added to the mix. This includes the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the temporary closure of the Red Sea passage, limitations to the Panama Canal and a revival of piracy in certain areas of the world.

Posidonia serves as the platform which unites the international maritime community and enables it to work out joint strategies and initiatives on how to tackle those challenges. As the home-show of the Greek shipping community, Posidonia has always been a popular destination to network with leaders of industry and engage in discussions that shape the international discourse on the sector’s most important issues.

n Expo, Athens, Greece. w.posidonia-events.com

Of the many aspects of Posidonia, which part are you personally looking forward to the most?

Meeting old friends and making new ones. This industry keeps changing, new challenges pop up all the time, so it is down to the shipping community to find the way forward and how to best deal with what lies ahead.

At Posidonia, we work for two years on each project, with partners from all around the world. So, when the event finally starts and things get rolling, it is good to meet the people you have been working with to make sure that this event will serve the industry, lead to new breakthroughs and help stakeholders make the best decisions for the industry and their businesses. n