Fairs, Forums and congresses: IAPH 2009

WINNE will attended the IAPH World Ports Conference in May 2009. The conference is a biennial event gathering all major actors in the ports sector and providing the perfect opportunity for them to meet, exchange opinions and share experiences on the latest trends in port management and operations.

The central theme for the 2009 conference reflected the need for the global ports industry to work openly with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities facing ports as critical segments in international logistics chains, both today and in the future.

Some of the most important challenges in the industry today extend well beyond the boundaries of the port and also impact many other actors across the maritime transport chain, as well as the urban communities alongside which so many ports co-exist.
The event was set to offer a vast array of panels and events to discuss the latest trends in the industry with some of the major port experts in the world as keynote speakers.

It is the first time that the IAPH conference wasl held in Italy, and specifically in the city of Genoa, which is also the country’s leading port. As noted by Luigi Merlo, President of the Port Authority of Genoa, the Conference provided the opportunity to discuss the major problems that all ports must tackle today: globalisation and world economic developments, traffic growth, security and safety, the city-port relationship, intermodality and all the other problems that ports must deal with on a daily basis while serving our communities.

The conference was held in Genoa’s prestigious old harbour and delegates had the chance to see not only Genoa’s great artistic and cultural heritage, but also the wonders of a land rich in real natural treasures.