The definitive guide to Seawork International 2017

As Europe’s largest and fastest growing commercial marine and workboat exhibition and conference, Seawork International has been a sell-out success for many years. The last few exhibition stands remain as well as some sponsorship opportunities, therefore it is not too late for those who are keen to make full use of this unique platform.

Seawork 2017 will be home to around 10,000 products and services, with around 70 vessels and watercraft, all keen to welcome over 7,000 commercial marine professionals from all corners of the globe.

The exhibition also boasts enhanced and purpose-built exhibition halls, which will house over 600 exhibits, and provide various meeting points, as well as deliver many opportunities for networking, including the exclusive Watermota Restaurant and the famous Guinness Bar sponsored by MAN.

The Seawork Marina, which has been at the heart of the event’s continued success, is especially constructed for the three-day exhibition by stalwart exhibitor, Walcon Marine. Over 70 vessels and watercraft suited to a host of operations, and whose size ranges from 10m – 80m, will be available for visitors to sea trial, view and experience.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SUCCESS
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Seawork International has gone from strength to strength since its creation in 1998 by Mercator Media Ltd, which also owns Maritime Journal. The exhibition develops its audiences by ensuring decades-long partnerships with key industry leaders and associations such as the Department for International Trade, International Harbour Masters Association, Ministry of Defence, MET Office, and many more. Seawork provides the essential market platform for the thriving European commercial marine market.

Looking back on the exhibition in 1998, originally located in Southampton Docks, Seawork began to develop its robust maritime reputation from the outset.

Andrew Webster, CEO of Mercator Media Ltd, comments, “The inaugural Seawork was a great success in 1998, where we attracted over 1,000 attendees. Back then there was so little opportunity for the European commercial marine market to come together under one roof and talk about, and conduct, business. We knew from speaking with different companies that everyone was experiencing the same frustrations therefore we built the platform to bring the industry together. We continue to build on this year after year.”

Now, almost twenty years on, Seawork still provides one of the key international platforms for commercial marine businesses to connect with their customers and discuss innovations and solutions within their respective industries.

Andrew Webster cites this success upon the agile nature of the exhibition, “Seawork continually develops and evolves over the years, remaining true to its core, whilst developing additional focus on the emerging sub-sectors, such as the renewables market.”

THE SEAWORK CONFERENCE
The Seawork Conference, which explores a range of topics and provides industry insights, will return once again to the Ocean Scene conference vessel, which will be berthed in the Seawork Marina.

The Conference hosts highly respected speakers comprising exhibitors and industry spokespeople, who deliver seminars and workshops that focus on innovation, trends and industry insight, whilst also providing an ideal platform for building business connections and signing deals at the event.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) engages with maritime professionals at Seawork International who can attend meet-the-buyer sessions arranged both by longstanding supporters, the UK MoD and DIT (formerly UKTI), in order to discuss export and tendering opportunities.

Seawork International also gains the support from over 50 leading industry associations worldwide including the Shipbuilders & Ship Repairers Association (SSA), UK & International Harbour Masters Associations (UKHMA & IHMA), Association of Diving Contractors (ADC), International Jack Up Barge Operators Association (IJUBOA) and British Marine (BM).

NEW INDUSTRY AWARDS
Formerly the Innovations Awards, new for 2017 are the Seawork International & Maritime Journal European Commercial Marine Awards (ECMA), which will be presented at Seawork International on the evening of the 13th June.

The European Commercial Marine Awards (ECMA) will embrace the Innovation Awards, incorporating the Spirit of Innovation trophy, plus the Lifetime Achievement award, as well as the Maritime Professional of the Year and Maritime Sustainability awards.

As a direct result of winning the Spirit of Innovation Award in 2016, Seawork exhibitor, DuoDrive was invited to showcase its ground-breaking DuoDrivetrain© at two highly regarded events, including Innovate 2016, bringing the global spotlight on UK innovation.

Being a unique, self-contained unit designed for conventional shaft driven boats, the DuoDrivetrain© drive unit avoids normally problematic alignment issues associated with drivetrain installation and is particularly suitable for contra-rotating propulsion arrangements.

Speaking of his success, DuoDrive’s Director, John Carter, commented, “Winning the award at Seawork was the start of something incredible. As first time exhibitors, too, we are utterly delighted with the industry’s response to this product that we have been working on for many years.”

Seawork is a carefully planned and executed exhibition that delivers unparalleled opportunities to its exhibitors to showcase their products and solutions at this one-stop-shop.

“I wanted to create a commercial marine exhibition with an immersive experience. Marine products are subject to some of the most challenging of circumstances. You can’t trial these in a closed indoor environment.” said Andrew Webster.

Always a sell-out exhibition, Seawork currently has a few exhibition stands and sponsorship opportunities remaining, all of which helps to maximise a business’ exposure in its core marketplace. Contact the sales team on +4413298825335.

Pre-register at www.seawork.com to receive free entry into Europe’s largest exhibition and conference of its kind, Seawork International.