Breakbulk Europe will take place between 24-26 April 2017, shifting from its usual spot in May.
Breakbulk Europe hosted over 400 exhibitors across 3 days, making it the world’s largest project cargo event in terms of size, as well as in attendacne! The record-breaking event returned to Antwerp Expo in Belgium for the 11th edition between 24th – 26th May. The show attracted 7,620 attendees, including a 55 percent increase in Breakbulk VIP Shipper Club members – cargo owners and EPCs within the project cargo and traditional breakbulk cargo communities, the prime business source for many exhibitors.
To recognize the outstanding exhibitors at the 2016 event, the Breakbulk content team introduced the ‘Best of Europe’ Stand Awards. The new awards were judged by three different panels of VIP Shipper Club members & presented to exhibitors with the best stands in the following categories: Most Welcoming (winner – Agility), Most Interactive (winner – Nordic IT), Most Educational (winner – Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe) and Best in Show (winner – Port of Antwerp).
“The record numbers of visitors and exhibitors we saw for this year’s show truly highlights the importance and significance of Breakbulk Europe as the meeting place for the European industry.” said Mark Rimmer, Event Director, Breakbulk Europe. “I’m delighted to see, such a significant increase in both exhibitors and our core visitor group of cargo owners and EPCs. Having made considerable investment in our attraction programme this year, I’m incredibly happy to see such a strong response in terms of attendance from our new & existing VIP Shipper Club members. Along with our exhibitors and other visitor groups, this shows all parties want to save time & money meeting under one roof and really make the most of this incredibly productive & thoroughly enjoyable week! – We’re already looking at new ways we can connect individuals and groups further for 2017…”
Alongside the exhibition, Breakbulk Europe offered a number of educational opportunities and a comprehensive conference agenda, covering topics of critical importance to the industry. For instance, Ed Osterwald, partner at CEG Europe, shared his energy outlook and how it will affect capital investment in the year to come, and Jurgen Huygh, head of shipping and central purchasing for CG Global talked about heavy transport issues facing European shippers. The next day’s schedule included a Shippers Panel with leaders from GE, Arcelor Mittal, Grupo Tecnicas Reunidas and BASF who talked about optimizing the balance of project control between shippers and suppliers.
On-the-floor micro-seminars and exhibitor-led sessions provided complementary learning opportunities. A trio of executives from Siemens, KOG Transport and insurance giant Marsh taught a two-hour session on negotiating logistics transport contracts, while a pair from LOG Connect led an informative session on Incoterms, an often overlooked aspect of transportation than can have big consequences.
And for those looking for a deep dive into operations, Breakbulk Europe hosted all-day workshops prior to the exhibition: Heavy-lift Technical Workshops on land & barge transport and ocean transport, as well as Project Freight Management – The Shippers’ Perspective, a new class that attracted both cargo owners and forwarders.
Next year, Breakbulk Europe will be held 24-26 April 2017, about a month earlier than in previous years. The new April dates minimize conflict with other events, national holidays and several religious holidays. As the world’s largest event for the project cargo and breakbulk industry, we want to make sure that all who want to attend can do so.
Source: Breakbulk Events
