EVENT PLANNING AND COVID-19
IBIA continues to offer opportunities for the digital world we are living in, while exploring a return to physical events
The success of our ‘Bunkering & Shipping in Transition’ part 1 Conference in April this year increased our members’ appetite for accurate and up-to-date information from and about the industry. Listening to their needs we created a sequel, focusing on the Americas this time.
The conference covered several topics influencing the bunker and shipping industry such as: IMO Regulatory Changes, Shipping & Freight Markets focusing on the return of the cruise industry, Updating on VLSFO, Alternative Fuels for Shipping, Bunkering and Digitalisation, Credit Risk and Bunker Claims. We leveraged the industry’s top experts to maximise the bunkering and shipping discussions. We would like to thank those who attended, our valuable speakers, moderators and sponsors for their support to make this conference such a success. Please allow me to mention our Bronze Sponsors Intertek Lintec and Proman, our exhibitors Bunker Metric, Simms Showers, Seahawk, Nereus, Inatech and ClearLynx, our media sponsors World Bunkering, Ship & Bunker, Manifold Times, MundoMaritimo.net, Petrospot/Bunkerspot, OPIS Biofuels, allaboutshipping.co.uk, efoplistes.gr and Actualidad Maritima y Portuaria.
Always keeping the tradition and being loyal to our members, it is this time of the year where we are in the heat of preparations for our most anticipated conference, the IBIA Annual Convention 2021 on 2-4 November.
As we approach the end of 2021, alternative fuels are now firmly in the spotlight for the global bunker and shipping industries. The European Union has set out an ambitious agenda for decarbonising shipping in its part of the world, support is building at the IMO for global carbon taxation on conventional bunker fuels and the upcoming COP 26 event is likely to draw more attention to the role of shipping in global efforts to reduce GHG emissions. At the same time, a swathe of more familiar themes faces these industries: access to credit and consolidation among bunker traders and suppliers, fluctuations in market conditions for different segment of the shipping industry, continued uptake of scrubbers as an IMO 2020 solution, and all against the backdrop of the slow escape from the COVID-19 crisis. IBIA’s Annual Convention 2021 will look at all of the above and it is an event not to be missed! This dynamic event will include a virtual exhibition hall, access to extensive in-depth on-demand content, and a series of live panel discussions with audience participation.
If you would like to participate in the IBIA Annual Convention as a speaker and/or sponsor you can contact me directly.
Now to the question everyone is waiting to find out about: will the IBIA Annual Dinner take place in London during IP week in February 2022? Yes, it will!
We are planning a physical event of a smaller scale than our traditional IBIA Annual Dinner for February next year, depending on COVID status and governmental restrictions, and we will be pleased to hear that you are keen to join us. Due to the pandemic, there are a number of factors we are still taking into consideration, and will be in a better position to come back to you with more information around the middle of September. We would like to assure you that, as organisers, IBIA will take all necessary measurements to ensure your safety.
On a different note, IBIA’s on line course modules have proven to be highly beneficial for the industry’s stakeholders around the world. IBIA runs a solid series of online training modules to educate, inform and help the members of our industry to understand various aspects of the industry, including and offer guidance on how best practice and the application of international standards can improve their ability to source, supply and use the fuels required now and in the medium term. This course is of value to sellers, bunker deliverers, surveyors and ship operators and we are in the pleasant position to announce three new modules everyone has been waiting for: Alternative Fuels and their place in the fuel supply chain as we move towards the IMO targets for reducing GHG emissions; Biofuels and its production, use and emission issues and Exhaust Emissions, their remediation and the impact on future fuels. To find out more and to register for your modules, you can visit IBIA’s website.
If you are reading this article and you want to be part of the IBIA community, participate in the member meetings, attend training courses and actively contribute to our conferences, you can become a member now. Get in touch with us at ibia@ibia.net.
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Sofia Konstantopoulou
Global Head of Marketing & Events
sofia@konstantopoulou@ibia.net