Press Release

Last call for the ESPO conference 2016: register now and join us on 2 and 3 June in Dublin!

20 May 2016

On 2 and 3 June, the European Sea Port Organisation is gathering for the 13th edition of its Annual conference. More than 200 participants are already expected but a few seats are still open.

Let us guide the late deciders through this highlight for the European port business and policy makers:

 1° The theme: Are European ports moving fast enough? The 2016 ESPO Conference will look into ways to improve the efficiency of maritime transport and ports, this from different angles: How to remove the remaining barriers in maritime transport and how to come to a real internal market for maritime transport? How to set the digital agenda for ports? Big data: what is in for European ports? How can ports benefit from new trade agreements? Is Brexit a possible game stopper?

The speakers: as always the ESPO Conference features a remarkable line-up of both high level and/or “off the beaten” track speakers. Confirmed speakers include: Jakub Walenkiewicz, Principal Market Analyst-Market Intelligence, DNV Market Research; Gerd Muysewinkel, Policy Officer, Maritime transport and Logistics, DG MOVE European Commission; Carmen Caro Jaume, Senior Manager, Indirect Tax Global Trade| EMEIA Tax Centre, Ernst & Young, Alan Long, Chairman, IPCSA; Capt. Stein Inge Dahn, President European Maritime Pilots Association; Stavros Hatzakos, Chairman of the ESPO Cruise and Ferry Port Network; Bruce Weinelt, Head of digital Transformation, World Economic Forum; Lars Jensen, Chief Executive, Cyberkeel; Benjamin Hodgson, Senior Research Scientist, BMT Group; Ronald Veldman, Maritime Business Analyst, Seabury Cargo Advisor; Knut Fleckenstein, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the Port Regulation; Kurt Nagle, President & CEO, AAPA-American Association of Port Authorities; Prof. Dr. Theo Notteboom, Full Professor and High-End Foreign Expert (SAFEA, State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs), Transportation Management College, Dalian Maritime University (DMU); Sean Potter, Managing Director of DFDS Seaways in the UK; Henrik Hololei, Director General, DG MOVE European Commission; Mark Frequin, Director General for Mobility and Transport, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment; Pat Cox, Former President of the European Parliament and EU Coordinator for the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General, ESPO and Martina Fontanet, Senior Policy Advisor, ESPO.

Jeremy Rifkin: what do you think about having a top-economist and influential thinker who has been and is advising Presidents of the European Commission and different Heads of State on our speakers list? Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism will give a keynote address on the theme of “a Third Industrial Revolution and a Zero Marginal Cost Society”.

The debate: ESPO conferences are more than listening to a series of speeches. ESPO Conferences seek for the real debate. Panellists enter in an active exchange of views with different port authorities. The following port representatives are getting ready for the debate: Santiago Garcia-Mila, Chairman, ESPO; Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive, Port of Dublin; Alexandru Craciun, Commercial Director, National Company “Maritime Ports Administration”SA Constantza; Hervé Martel, CEO, Port of Le Havre; Julian Skelnik, Director, Port of Gdansk Authority; Chairman, Baltic Ports Organisation; Ramon Gomez-Ferrer Boldova, Deputy Manager Strategic Planning, Port Authority of Valencia; Kimmo Mäki, Managing Director, Port of Helsinki; Johan Röstin, CEO, Copenhagen Malmö Port; Wolfgang Hurtienne, Managing Director, Hamburg Port Authority; Tim Waggott, CEO, Port of Dover; John Mullins, Chairman, Port of Cork and President of the Irish Port association; Dimitrios Makris, CEO, Port of Thessaloniki; Paolo Costa, President, Venice Port Authority; Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive, Port of London Authority; Victor Schoenmakers, Director Corporate Strategy, Port of Rotterdam Authority and Marc Van Peel, President, Port of Antwerp.

This year, these debates are in the hands of Claire Byrne. She is an Irish radio and television broadcaster on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), where she has specialized in current affairs programmes.

5° The host: The Port of Dublin, Ireland’s premier port, is more than just our host. They are doing more than one can expect from a host. And we have a slight impression that we do not know everything yet.

6° The Admiral’s Ball: If you would not be convinced by the first five ingredients, this is the one that might do it. The traditional conference dinner has made way for the Admiral’s Ball. The Admiral’s ball is a gala black tie evening celebrating the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s honorary Admiralty of Dublin Port. The event also launches the Dublin Port Riverfest, A sophisticated evening of fine dining and premium entertainment is promised.

7° The #myportforTurku photo exhibition: the ESPO Conference will be the first host of the photo exhibition. From 21 March to 25 April 2016, European citizens were invited to send up to three photos of their favourite ports from Europe with #myportforTurku. The Commission received 579 pictures, representing 166 ports, from 234 authors from 24 countries. On 17 May, the European Commission announced the 50 winners of the #myportinturku photo competition. The 50 selected pictures are currently on display in Turku until 22 May in the framework of the European Maritime Day. As part of the official sponsors, ESPO will be welcoming the selected pictures during the ESPO Conference in Dublin – a good opportunity for the Conference delegates.

All details about the programme and registration can be found on the ESPO Conference Website.

Time is running: grasp one of these last seats and join us for this not-to-be-missed event!

Related documents


No attachments.