At least 8,000 visitors expected at Breakbulk Europe
Breakbulk Europe is the largest exhibition in the world designed for the project cargo and breakbulk shipping industry, attracting participants from more than 100 countries. From its start in 2006, Breakbulk Europe was bigger than expected. “A program similar to Breakbulk Americas was designed based on the requests of European attendees at Americas and it was hoped that it would attract at least 400,” said John Amos, formerly of Bechtel and one of the founders of the original Breakbulk event in New Orleans held 27 years ago. “In the end, more than 700 attended.” This year at least 8,000 people are expected at Breakbulk Europe in the Antwerp Expo in Belgium. In fact, stand space is nearly sold out and we are expecting to host an event that yet again exceeds expectations.
Breakbulk Europe remains the only large-scale project cargo and breakbulk forum available to European shippers, forwarders and carriers, and attracts top-notch speakers from all sectors of the industry. Its central location near the Port of Antwerp, Europe’s top breakbulk port, is a key to the success of the show, along with the support of the world’s foremost carriers and international freight forwarders. Unparallelled networking opportunities are provided at the event and exhibitors find it a must-attend show for cultivating both new and existing business relationships. Breakbulk Europe has become the de facto annual meeting place for the project cargo and breakbulk industry. In addition to the four halls of packed exhibition space, Breakbulk Europe offers a range of education and issue-driven programs, including on-the-floor micro-seminars and exhibitor-led sessions, both of which are open to all attendees during the two-day exhibition. For those looking for intensive training, Breakbulk Europe offers several workshops held over the two days preceding the exhibition. Freight forwarders will find useful information at the PPG Certificate of Achievement in Cargo Management Workshop, while heavy-lift specialists can find technical training in the Heavy Lift Technical Workshops: Land & Barge Transport, taught by Dirk Verwimp of Sarens, and Ocean Transport taught by Cees Coppens, formerly of BigLift Shipping. New this year is Project Cargo Management from the Shipper’s Perspective, which is designed for EPCs and freight forwarders and will be taught by Peter Bouwhuis of iBrabble.
Once the show opens, each day will feature an impressive roster of conference speakers who will address key issues affecting European and global transport specialists. For instance, the first day’s agenda features head of Shipping and Central Purchasing for CG Global Jurgen Huygh who will tackle the problems facing the ideal of “one Europe” for oversize cargo transports. This hot topic will be followed by a lively roundtable discussion between Huygh, Łukasz Chwalczuk, CEO of the Polish Heavy Transport Association, Satoshi Kurihara, senior manager for business development from Hitachi Transport Systems, and Patricia Wiesiollek-Tkocz, Managing Director, TAG Spezialtransporte & Projektlogistik. On Thursday, an international shipper’s panel consisting of representatives from GE Energy Power & Water, ArcelorMittal and Intec Plantas Industriales (Grupo Tecnicas Reunidas) will address the question: How much of the ‘transport envelope’ do cargo owners want or need to control, and how much control should they hand over to their subcontractors? It’s surprising how much each attendee, exhibitor and shipper can pack into each day, but they manage to extend their networking to after hours as well. On the eve of the exhibition, Breakbulk will host a welcome reception at the Expo, followed by Port America’s Happy Hour at the historic Cafe Den Engle on the square. We at Breakbulk understand there’s a lot to keep track of during event week and encourage participants to download and use the free Breakbulk Events app. Along with floor plans, schedules and travel information, users can also connect with one another inside the app. When the event is over, it will be easy to stay connected until next year.