Time for Matchmaking - Ocean Business 2017

Ocean Business returned to Southampton between 4-6 April and Joost Boers was there for readers.

This year’s Ocean Business marked the tenth anniversary of the event - and there was even birthday cake to celebrate. The trade show attracted more than 340 exhibitors and there were 180 hours of training and demonstrations in classrooms, in a test tank, on the water and on board of survey vessels. The sessions were well attended, often with standing room only. Dockside demonstrations also attracted many to the viewing area. These sessions were used to present new products and to explain their use. Product launches and updates were scheduled on many stands, including Teledyne CARIS HIPS and SIPS Essential, the Eelume snake-like AUV/ROV at the Kongsberg stand, and Planet Ocean launching the new ecoSUB Robotics micro AUVs. These launches were a good incentive to invite new and existing customers and provide updates!

Matchmaking

Host of the event, the National Oceanography Centre, also provided part of the lecture programme. This brought science closer to the business and enabled the sharing of innovations and insights of the research performed at the centre. As a business event, in addition to traditional formats like the stands, lectures and workshops, the event hosted a match-making session, in which participants were encouraged to talk to each other during short discussions – and to find out if they could help one another. These sessions were also well attended and participants indicated that they had had interesting conversations.

Meeting Up

In a way, the most important aspect of Ocean Business is meeting people and talking with them. The traditional buzzing welcome party in the Pitcher & Piano bar was well attended – and it was a good place to see all the professionals again. The Wine Trail with no less than 24 stations proved to be another appreciated attraction that gave visitors an incentive to have a casual chat. The traditional Gala Dinner included entertainment and the presentation of the AMSI Business Person of the Year award, presented to Dr Mike Osborne (OceanWise).

So, is the breaking up of stands and going home the end of the event? No – that’s when the real work starts! After the show, most exhibitors and visitors will have plenty of leads to follow up and ultimately, that is what will make participation a success. For more information visit: www.oceanbusiness.com

This article was published in Geomatics World July/August 2019