Posidonia 2016 is on course to be the largest edition of the prestigious maritime event that has ever been held, in spite of the current unfavorable market conditions such as plummeting oil prices and slowing economic growth in key economies.
With floor space demand at unprecedented levels, the organisers of the world’s most prestigious shipping trade event expect to break the previous records set during Posidonia 2014, which was attended by more than 1.840 exhibitors and 19.000 visitors.
“Despite a negative global shipping sector outlook for 2016, Posidonia constantly enhances its appeal as the must-attend international shipping event due to its unique legacy and long heritage as the event which creates new business opportunities in tough markets. ” said Theodore Vokos, Executive Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. the event’s organisers. “The Greek Shipping community is famous for its business acumen and excellent sense of timing when it comes to investing in difficult times, and we are currently seeing many shipowners investing in both newbuildings and the S&P market.”
Increased demand is driven by the major shipbuilding nations and other traditional Posidonia participants from all over the world who have already confirmed their presence at this June’s event in addition to many first-time exhibitors representing some new-to-Posidonia sectors.
Leading the way in terms of floor space demand is China which will once again feature the strongest participation at the maritime industry’s trademark biennial event with its shipyards, equipment manufacturers, shipping services and financial centre providers. The strong Chinese participation at Posidonia together with the recently announced acquisition of the Piraeus Port by COSCO underline the strong friendship and maritime business relation between the two nations.
Far Eastern presence is traditionally a major highlight at Posidonia and this year could be no different with South Korea and Japan again fielding impressive national stands featuring their powerful shipbuilding and equipment manufacturing industries as competition with China intensifies against a backdrop of sinking demand for new orders.
An important new feature of this year’s Posidonia will be the strong participation of old and new maritime centers, as global competition in this sector has also intensified. Traditional maritime centers Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Malta will again participate with national pavilions with a highly diverse display of shipping products and services. But Posidonia will also welcome niche newcomer Luxembourg who is making its Posidonia debut with a national pavilion featuring Cluster Maritime Luxembourgeois. Other maritime services centers at this year’s event include Dubai Maritime City from the UAE, Canada’s Vancouver International Maritime Centre and Shanghai Maritime and Finance Excellence Centre.
Banking is back with a big bang this year with the National Bank of Greece, Saxo Bank and Deltec Bank amongst the financial institutions returning to Posidonia following the sector’s lengthy absence.
