Partnerships with key global networks and associations will boost international attendance at the 2020 event.
Organisers of Antwerp XL, the world’s only event dedicated exclusively to maritime breakbulk, will grow the exhibition’s international audience when it returns to the home of breakbulk at the Port of Antwerp in 2020.
Building on the success of its inaugural year, which saw attendance from more than 57 nations, the three-day exhibition and conference will invite an even bigger gathering of global breakbulk professionals to connect, share ideas and do business when it returns on 21st -23rd April 2020.
Working closely with exhibitors, ports, industry media, international networks and key cargo owner associations, Antwerp XL will bring together breakbulk professionals spanning the width of the industry.
An expanded show floor will host a global band of breakbulk’s biggest names. Companies from the USA and the Middle East, as well as Africa, which is witnessing the next boom in infrastructure spending, and China, which is experiencing its own surge in renewable energy infrastructure, are booked for Antwerp XL when it returns next year.
Supported by the Port of Antwerp, they will be joined by over 200 industry-leading organisations showcasing their innovative products and services. Major international companies onboard include Spliethoff Group, Haropa, Blue Water Shipping, North Sea Port, the Port of Dover, the Port of Dunkirk and Fednav International Ltd., to name a few.
For 2020, the event has developed its relationships and formed further partnerships with key international industry networks and associations to attract key cargo owners, carriers, ports and forwarders from around the globe. Project Professionals Group (PPG), Project Freight Network (PFN), Worldwide Ship Agencies Association (WWSA), CLC Projects, Cargo Connections, and Project Cargo Network (PCN) will be in attendance offering training, networking and social events.
A key focus for Antwerp XL is innovation, and how it can help the breakbulk community overcome challenges and obstacles facing today’s industry. The Innovation Start-Up Zone, supported by PortXL, has been moved to the front of the show floor and will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the future of breakbulk as it showcases the industry’s most exciting new businesses and technologies.
Antwerp XL will once again provide a platform for breakbulk professionals to learn, share, and be inspired. The conference programme will provide access to in-depth sessions and debates, with leading shippers, ports, freight forwarders and carriers exploring key market themes, such as innovation, sustainability, the economy of breakbulk, IMO 2020, energy transition and more, and equipping visitors with essential knowledge for being successful in the modern breakbulk market.
The popular Flows Magazine roundtable breakfast seminar returns in 2020 to explore the latest industry trends, along with several other breakfast and lunch to be announced. The NextGen debate will explore ideas and opportunities around starting a career in breakbulk, career development and what makes a potential employee attractive.
Visitors can also bolster their expertise and take their career up a step with one of the training programmes on offer. Registration is already open for PPG’s project forwarding course, designed specifically for the professional development of people involved with project cargo logistics management. The Project Freight Network will offer “The Shippers Perspective” in their renowned training for project freight management.
An increased number of networking opportunities will be on offer to the breakbulk cargo community at Antwerp XL 2020. Before the opening ceremony and reception, a tour of the Port of Antwerp will introduce participants to each other and the port’s historic breakbulk facilities. Late night networking will also help visitors connect with the wider industry. Antwerp XL Connect, the official one-to-one networking platform, will allow users to schedule meetings with suppliers and prospects. In addition to doing business, the event is committed to providing the opportunity for professionals, be they cargo owners or representatives from EPCs, freight forwarders and ports, to identify partnerships and maximise visibility within the industry.
Mark Rimmer, Antwerp XL Divisional Director, commented: “We are proud to host a focussed event on the niche of maritime breakbulk at the heart of the industry in Antwerp. This is its home and where it will always stay. By being dedicated only to maritime breakbulk – not road, rail or air – the growing event will be tailored to serve this section of the industry. Antwerp XL 2020 will offer more exhibitors, more content and more business opportunities than ever before.”
Antwerp XL takes place from the 21st to the 23rd April 2020 at the Antwerp Expo, with tickets going on sale in mid-November.
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