Global audience for Hydro14
George Adam, Lord Provost of Aberdeen, welcomed well over 300 delegates from more than 25 countries at the opening of the International Federation of Hydrographic Societies’ (IFHS) 22nd Hydrographic Conference in Aberdeen, UK at the end of October.
Organised by The Hydrographic Society UK under the theme Energy & Enterprise, the three-day event featured nearly 60 major exhibiting companies and organisations in addition to a series of keynote addresses and specialist technical presentations by leading experts from Azerbaijan, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, UK and the US.
Apart from workshops, other key agenda items included a well-attended International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) stakeholder forum enabling industry delegates to discuss professional issues and concerns with representatives of the Monaco-based inter-governmental agency. Meanwhile, outside the conference hall French officials were reported to have declared interest in officially joining the IFHS whose member organisations include those in Australasia, Benelux, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Korea, South Africa and the UK.
Proceedings concluded with an announcement that next year’s Hydro event, Hydro 2015, will be held under the auspices of The Hydrographic of South Africa in Cape Town’s International Convention Centre from 23-25 November.
By David Goodfellow
