50,000 Expected to Attend SMM 2014

Every two years Hamburg assumes the role of world capital of the maritime business for the duration of SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair Hamburg and a major meeting place of the decision makers of the maritime industry. Over 2,000 exhibitors and roughly 50,000 industry visitors from all continents are expected to attend the 2014 leading international maritime trade fair with its program of superlatives.

"Next year's SMM will once again cover the full range of maritime topics, setting new trends in the industry," says Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. There will be five featured topics, including financing, protection of the maritime environment, recruiting, safety and security and offshore. For the first time, an entire day of the fair will be dedicated to each one of these themes, with distinguished experts from around the world speaking in conferences and workshops.

The Ship Finance Forum is a special event held one day ahead of the fair. Its top-flight international participants will discuss global financing challenges which are currently troubling the shipbuilding and shipping industry. Environment Protection will be the featured topic on September 9. The 2014 global maritime environmental congress, or gmec, will again be organized jointly by Seatrade Communications Ltd and Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, under the motto "Setting the Green Course."

"Sharing and discussing the latest solutions and technologies is crucial to meeting environmental targets in shipping and this meeting of international experts will help the maritime industry to reach its green goals," said Chris Hayman of the gmec steering committee and Chairman of Seatrade.

The next day will focus on Safety and Security. MS&D, the international conference on maritime security and defense Hamburg, will study the security challenges facing the maritime world. With political crises, piracy and terrorism as constant threats, the conference will investigate new ways of protecting sea routes and ports. The MS&D conference, held in 2014 for the fifth time, is organized by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH and its partners, DVV/Griephan and Deutsches Maritimes Institut (DMI).

Day three of the fair will see industry experts discussing the potential of offshore oil and gas production as well as offshore wind energy. The SMM Offshore Dialogue is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology. "The Forum offers representatives of the maritime and energy industries operating offshore an excellent platform for sharing their views about the challenges and opportunities they are facing, for analyzing synergies and jointly developing new strategies," said Aufderheide. Promising synergies will likewise be discussed at the Wind Energy exhibition held at the same location, the Hamburg Messe fair site, just a few days later, from September, 23-26 2014. The leading international fair of the wind energy industry will take place every two years in Hamburg, beginning in September 2014. The final day of SMM will be dedicated to the topic of recruiting. The general shortage of skilled workers in Germany is affecting the maritime industry, as well, prompting many companies to reinforce their training and recruiting efforts.

With its draft program for 2014, SMM underscores its position as the leading international event for the entire maritime industry. "Innovation" will be the keyword this time. "SMM showcases the most recent technology and product developments for the maritime sector. No other event for this industry can offer such a broad spectrum of international exhibitors and visitors and provide a better platform for business transactions," said Peter Bergleiter, Business Unit Director at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. The demand is accordingly strong. "Registration numbers are high at the present stage. We are anticipating a new record and expect the exhibition halls to be fully reserved prior to the official registration deadline on September 16, 2013," said Bergleiter.

smm-hamburg.com