SMM 2024 Exhibition Halls Already Nearly Fully Booked

The SMM 2024 trade show will run from September 3-6 this year, and organizers are expecting more visitors and exhibitors than last time; the exhibition halls are nearly fully booked.

“We are expecting more than 2,000 international exhibitors from 70 nations,” says Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress. “We are overwhelmed by the response. We are actually setting-up an additional hall to accommodate all requests. Ticket sales are likewise very strong and we are anticipating an attendance of over 40,000.”

This is partly attributable to the fact that more Asian exhibitors and visitors are reporting back after the pandemic. In particular, China and Korea, the two leading shipbuilding nations, will have a stronger presence again at SMM 2024.

The main topics at SMM 2024 will address key needs of the industry. In recognition of the rapidly growing importance of smart innovations, SMM will provide a section specifically dedicated to artificial intelligence for the first time. At the AI CENTER, start-up companies will highlight AI technologies and projects for the maritime industry (Hall B6).

"AI fundamentally changes our economy and our business processes – across all industries. It harbors many opportunities for the shipping sector, as well,” says Petra Vorsteher, Co-Founder and CEO of AI.HAMBURG and initiator of the AI CENTER. Examples include innovative solutions enabling ships to operate more efficiently.

At the global maritime environmental congress (gmec) experts will discuss the pros and cons of various alternative fuels. Great hopes are being placed on hydrogen. Companies specializing in this clean technology and its derivatives will have a dedicated exhibition area of their own for the first time, the Future Fuels Arena (Hall A2).

“Shipowners have been reducing their emissions by as much as 30% through efficiency enhancements. An additional 10% is possible, but the rest must come from alternative fuels,” says Dr Martin Kröger, Managing Director of the German Shipowners Association (VDR).

MARINE INTERIORS @SMM (Hall B5) is a fixture at SMM. With a total of 130 exhibiting companies from 20 countries specializing in ship interior design, this special exhibition section will be significantly larger this year. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an official SMM Partner, will be represented for the first time.

On the Cruise & Ferry Stage, the CLIA will hold various sessions on sustainable cruises – a subject the cruise sector is placing great emphasis on, as a look at the global orderbook shows: from now until the end of 2026, 41 new cruise ships will be delivered; 27 of them will be equipped with alternative propulsion systems. This includes LNG-ready engines, and many LNG-fueled ships will also be methanol-ready.

“The introduction of these new technologies and the many pilot programs and trials in place reveal how the cruise industry is an innovator and early adopter of technologies that are helping us sail to a more sustainable future,” says CLIA CEO Kelly Craighead.

The maritime industry is hoping that its eco-friendly mindset will attract the young talent it urgently needs. To support the sector’s recruiting efforts, SMM 2024 will put the spotlight on this topic. For the first time, the Maritime Career Market and the Career Forum will take place on two days (Hall B2). “Young people are especially concerned about sustainability. At the Maritime Career Market, companies can demonstrate how much the maritime industry has to offer,” says SMM Director Christoph Lücke. Here, young jobseekers can meet potential employers and receive information about jobs on shore and at sea as well as training programs, career opportunities and job openings in the maritime sector.

SMM is made possible by its main sponsor DNV and other sponsors including: Reintjes, MAN Energy Solutions, NVL, China Classification Society, Inmarsat. Supporters include: VDR, VSM, VDMA, GMT, VDS, CLIA and VDI. Conference partners: Schiffahrts-Verlag Hansa (Maritime Future Summit), Seatrade Maritime (gmec), DMI and Tamm Media (MS&D), GMT and DVV (Offshore Dialogue), TradeWinds (TradeWinds Shipowners Forum).