In the tenth year since its start, the Scandinavian Maritime Fair is back with a new, sharp-cut concept: In the center of Copenhagen, an advanced and down-to-earth conference program runs concurrent with an exhibition with a wide range of the maritime industry's seasoned front-runners in harmony with new, innovative start-ups.

It is the biggest maritime event of the year in Denmark, which with a concurrent strong conference values the participants' time. In the beautiful, high-ceilinged old halls in Øksnehallen, the square meters - 5,500 in total - are put to work: Everything under one roof: Two days with no wasted time. The fair's managing director, René Wittendorff, puts it this way: The fair has been created in 2024 on the basis of past experiences, where the position from exhibitors, visitors and experts in particular is clear and repeated: Employee time is an important resource.

DESIGNED TO BE INSPIRING 
That idea also carries over into the conference. The program is designed to be both inspiring with take-home value without you needing to spend time on sessions other than the ones you are most excited about. Therefore, the two conference days are laid out in modules without a common theme, but sufficiently coherent for the participants to design a course themselves. There is a fee for the conference, whereas the exhibition itself has free access subject to registration.

Responsible for the conference, Kirsten Weede, MCI: "We have aimed to reach a broad taget group through diverse topics on the agenda. We want to include people who may already be in the industry and need a boost or a good idea to take forward, while we also aim to get many students involved.”

A MORE INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK 
The fair was launched 10 years ago in connection with the then international event, Danish Maritime Days in 2014, but continued alone in various locations after DMD stopped, until 2020, when Covid led to the cancellation of the fair, which was otherwise organized in collaboration with Bella Center, says René Wittendorff:

"Then we took small steps with a small technology exhibition in connection with the World Maritime Technology Conference, a conference for ship engineers worldwide. It is held every three years, and in 2022 it was in Denmark. So, 2024 is the first time after covid that we are organizing a real trade fair with both a large exhibition section and a conference, which we have put a lot of effort into.”
"We have had over 4,000 visitors from 71 countries and of those, 456 came from 120 different shipping companies, and the exhibitors came from 27 countries. 

CLOSE TO EVERYTHING 
"We have developed the fair on the basis of the experience we have gained and the input we have received from exhibitors and visitors. Therefore, the fair has been moved to a central location in Copenhagen such as Øksnehallen, right next to Copenhagen Central Station."

"Here, there are 5,500 m2 of exhibition and conference hall space. So, we can have everything under one roof, while also having really good outdoor facilities: parking, hotels and local transportation. These are beautiful premises where you can spend a whole day. It really is something different from the traditional exhibition halls without natural light. There is genuine atmosphere here," highlights René Wittendorff.

 NEW APPROACHES 
Kirsten Weede, MCI, says that the topics of the conference have been chosen based on what the program committee sees as important in the near future and where new approaches can be presented. This applies, for example, to about the nuclear options within the maritime sector.

"Nuclear is a new perspective, and even if people perceive it as a bit of a buzzword - not only in our industry - we need to consider what it actually entails. In the same way, the topic of long-term sustainability addresses a very central but often overlooked question: Everyone talks about the green transition, but how do we actually finance it," she points out and also mentions the subject of Underwater radiated noise, which is connected to sustainability.

"Destroying the oceans is not an option, so we also have to find solutions. What can we do and how should it be prioritized.”

"In the conference, we have prioritized getting relevant players involved, such as start-ups and smaller companies, who can often have a vision that they can move on more easily, precisely because they have a different view of things than the big players. However, the big players are also involved to provide counterweight and inspiration across the industry", says Kirsten Weede, who mentions a single theme that is not connected to the others: