Audience highly pleased with new event concept

Change is in full swing. The Turkish shipbuilding industry is reinventing itself, expanding into new lines of business. In particular, naval and specialised vessels, such as tugboats, research ships and floating power stations, are filling the order books. By occupying niche markets, the local shipbuilding industry wants to reconquer its former strong position in the global markets, which took a severe hit during the financial crisis and the economic downturn. There was a strong sense of anticipation at SMM Istanbul, as well. “Top-level industry representatives spent these two days with in-depth discussions of future developments in the Turkish shipbuilding industry as well as other key topics that are currently on the minds of shipbuilders and suppliers,” said Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. This year SMM Istanbul, one of two international subsidiaries of SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair in Hamburg, returned to Istanbul for the third time. As in previous years, the event, which took place on 26 and 27 February 2014, was organized by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH jointly with its Turkish co-operation partner, Goca Exhibitions. “SMM Istanbul has again underscored its importance as a major platform for the Turkish shipbuilding industry in impressive ways this year. The new convention format of the event, combining an industry exhibition with a conference featuring distinguished speakers, was a great success,” says Fairs Director Ebru Goca of Goca Exhibitions.