Outstanding organisation and a cordial community atmosphere were well established Seawork attributes by the time the show moved a short distance to its current venue at the Canary Islands Fruit Terminal. The quayside location of Seawork and the presence of numerous workboats on the specially constructed floating pontoon, all set in the environment of a working port, has always given Seawork a special atmosphere.

As always, visitors to Seawork on 12-14 June this summer will be there to do business as well as to catch up with old friends. The ability to trial a number of boats from the pontoon in one day is a unique dimension the show delivers for busy port, harbour and commercial marine professionals. Transactions for boats, equipment and services take place in abundance at Seawork and each exhibition produces anecdotes from first time exhibitors astonished by the amount of business they have done.

Never an event to rest on its laurels, Jane Wilson’s hard working Seawork team has continuously created new dimension for the show to further benefit all who attend. The Seawork Gala Dinner on the evening of the show’s opening day is a social highlight of the maritime year, with exhibitors and their guests treated to a drinks reception followed by a three course meal, with a flow of fine wine facilitating an evening of fun and effective networking.

For 2007 the ZF Marine sponsored Gala Dinner relocates to the newly refurbished City Cruise Terminal with new caterers and a brand new format. An awards presentation for category and overall winners from the Seawork Innovations Showcase of new products is another highlight of the evening.

Over recent years RibWork, DiveWork, a Ship Repair and Ship Building Pavilion and a Fluid Power Pavilion have been added as ‘shows within the show’ at Seawork and all return for the 10^th Anniversary event bigger than ever. DiveWork will again feature demonstrations of underwater equipment within the quayside dive tank where Roger O’Kane, chairman of the Association of Diving Contractors, will again be running the Diver Time Trials and awarding the ADC DiveWork Cup.

Seawork is launching a major initiative this year targeting port engineers and engineers from local authorities who are responsible for purchasing decisions in the ports or areas they represent. Their presence makes Seawork even more relevant to marine civil engineering companies and contractors. Returning exhibitor Nuttall will be sponsoring the Port Engineers’ Luncheon, one of the many trade association luncheons or AGMs which take place using Seawork as their natural venue.

Arranged to coincide with Seawork 2007 is the first ever ‘Tugnology’, a two day technical conference on the design, construction and economics of tugs. Scheduled to overlap with Seawork on 11-12 June, Tugnology takes place a stone’s throw from Seawork at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton. Featuring tug world luminaries such as Vancouver based tug design guru Robert Allan, Tugnology is expected to bring additional hundreds of marine industry professionals from around the world to Seawork 2007.

Seawork exhibitors will also benefit from the return of UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) ‘Meet the Buyer’ sessions, a series of presentations in which MoD representatives illuminate the process by which exhibitors can promote their products and services for lucrative MoD contracts.

Another big attraction at Seawork is the concurrent, on site and free to attend Seawork Conference, with sessions running simultaneously in three conference rooms throughout the show. Topics covered are too numerous to list completely but a diverse and valuable programme includes commercial fishing, European seaport policy, ISPS, high speed craft, power and propulsion, ‘lean’ manufacturing in the marine sector, and marine renewable energy. The full programme can be found at www.seawork.com, click on Conference.

There is also a brand new ‘paid for’ seminar on Thursday 14 June. Titled ‘Ports and Coastal Surveying – Shallow Draught Survey’, the one day conference is sponsored by the UK Hydrographic Society, the Society for Underwater Technology, and the UK Harbour Masters Association.

To celebrate Seawork’s 10^th year, and to thank exhibitors for their support, a barbeque will be held on the quayside after the exhibition closes on Wednesday 13 June. Taking place within a marquee, it will be immune to unpredictable English summer weather. There will be plenty of free food and drink for all, celebrating the coming together of the European commercial marine industries, which is what ten years of Seawork is all about.