7 reasons why our attendees chose Shipping2030 & Global Liner Shipping

We asked for honest confessions from the attendees of Shipping2030 & Global Liner Shipping conferences, including representatives from CMA CGM, BTS Tankers, NileDutch Singapore, and many more, on why they decided to come to our events. We have so much gratitude and respect for these industry giants, as they are the ones who keep on surviving and pushing the limits of shipping. Check out the top 7 reasons why they chose to come to Shipping2030 & Global Liner Shipping and decide for yourself whether you can afford to miss out on these events!

1. Love learning
   To summarise over 30 comments we received, the majority of attendees wanted to learn and expand their knowledge. As Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti said: “There is no end to education.” In the case of shipping – an arguably traditional industry –, adapting technological advances is crucial to keep shipping relevant in the digital age. But what exactly our attendees want to learn about varied from person to person. Some wanted to…
2. Delve into digitisation
   “Digitisation in shipping being the buzz word but yet not fully understood” said Captain Ankur Aggarwal, Operations Manager – Head Of Operations at BTS Tankers. He wants to learn more about the research and advances made in this regard, and how he could use that knowledge for his organisation. Captain Aggarwal wants to see how others are using digital technologies – is digitisation just a fancy word requiring huge investments without much return, or can it improve organisations’ efficiency and revenue?
   Measuring the ROI of digital transformation can be hard. Arnold Chan, CFO at IMC Industrial Group, wants to see evidence of digital transformation’s value to clients and shipowners.
   Joseph Chum, Manager, Business Process and Systems at Wilhelmsen Ship Management Sdn Bhd, has the business’ customers in mind; he wants to know how the main players are already using digitisation to cope with the industry and customer requirements.
3. Face the challenges
   Eugene Evangelista, Director of Regional Indirect Procurement (Asia Pacific & Africa) at Kellogg Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, wants to see where the opportunities are and what challenges are facing the shipping industry in both short and long term. “How are shippers addressing the challenges facing the industry?”, he adds.
   Arnold Chan wants to hear about solutions to the challenges, in particular how technology could help resolve the over-capacity of tonnage, and increase utilisation.
   “My observation is that shipping is still a very much traditional industry, and a prominent disruptive innovation in this industry is still yet to be seen, compared to other industries such as banking, tourism and transport”, Chan shares. He is keen to hear about the possible hurdles, be it technological, regulatory or even perception of the actors within the maritime industry.
4. Make the most of market trends
   Multiple attendees also mentioned market trends in the shipping industry. Choo Beng Ng from NileDutch Singapore, Lingling Chen from Hewlett Packard and Joseph Chum from Wilhelmsen Ship Management Sdn Bhd are just a few of the attendees that want to learn more on this topic.
   Arnold Chan, for example, wants to see how and when the megatrends will impact the maritime industry.
   Joseph Mendis, Vice President (Liner) at RCL Feeder Pte Ltd, wants to hear more about the macro trends within the container shipping by terminals, carriers, customers and 3rd party intermediaries such as Alphaliner or Drewry.
   “We already see this through our day to day interaction with various carriers and regionally connected customers but it is more informal and comes in bits and parts. This forum provides a summary of all these thoughts and this part of the event is the best”, Mandis says.
5. Interested in innovation & the future
   Eugene Evangelista wants to know more about the latest forecast on where shipping rates will be in 2018, as well as the latest innovations in shipping and how key customers could benefit from them.
   Meanwhile, Arnold Chan is keen to hear how the maritime industry will operate in the future. “Perhaps in an even tighter, more transparent ecosystem via an e-platform” he suggests.
   Chan is also interested in learning about the feasibility of autonomous ships, and Peter Blumbach, Managing Director at Amsbach Marine wants to know when ships could be operated without crews.
6. Curious about consolidation
   Consolidation in the shipping industry is no secret. As many of them frequently make it to the top of our news feeds, quite a few of our attendees are looking forward to learning more about it. Choo Beng Ng, Managing Director & Finance Director at NileDutch Singapore expressed an interest in exploring what the results of consolidation could be, and how businesses and the market would be affected.
7. Mingling and networking
   Networking also came up high on the list. Events are a great place to meet industry experts and peers, create new business relationships, and exchange ideas and experiences.
   With over 300 maritime professionals gathering at the Shipping2030 & Global Liner Shipping Asia conferences, these co-located events are the best way to connect!
   Surendran Mathilagath, Assistant General Manager at Cheng Lie Navigation Co., Ltd, who has been in the industry for the past 24 years and worked in 3 different countries, said:
   “This forum brings around living legends of the shipping industry, their experience, their thought process behind decisions which have transformed this industry. It will be a great opportunity to meet so many of them under one roof and exchange information and possible solutions to deal with the challenging future that lies ahead.”

Although our excitement about gathering such industry experts can hardly be contained, it is up to you to take this opportunity. In an increasingly digital world and challenging market conditions, can you afford to miss Shipping2030 & Global Liner Shipping Asia conferences?