The future of Europe’s ports in the face of globalization will be the main topic of discussion during the autumn conference of the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA), slated for October 2 and 3 in Athens.
Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Greece’s Minister of Shipping, Maritime Affairs and the Aegean, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at 12:15 PM on October 2, following a morning session which will include Neil Dekker, head of container research at Drewry, and Dr. Theo Notteboom, president and professor at the University of Antwerp’s Institute of Transport and Maritime Management (ITMMA).
Welcoming delegates to the conference with opening remarks will be Derk van Mackelenbergh, president of ECSLA, and Nikos Dimoulas, president of the Greek Cold Storage and Logistics Association.
Afternoon activities will include input from Captain Fu Cheng Qui, general director of Piraeus Container Terminal; Dimitrios Theologitis, head of the Ports Policy Unit, DG MOVE, European Commission; and Steven Bouckaert, senior manager at Maritime Transport and Business Solutions.
Additionally, ECSLA for the first time is organizing direct, face-to-face meetings among sellers and buyers of goods and services. On the agenda are three 90-minute “speed networking” sessions, during which time a series of up to 18 scheduled 15-minute appointments for suppliers with coldstore and logistics operators will take place.
Conference activities on October 3 will kick with a morning update on developments from Brussels and the EU presented by Christine Weiker, secretary general of ECSLA. Next will be the first speed networking session, followed by the organization’s annual meeting and lunch.
A study trip to Piraeus Port will take place in the afternoon. An invitation-only dinner will be served in the evening, at which Odisseas Athanassio, chief executive of Lamda, will speak.
Representatives of companies interested in becoming speed networking partners may obtain more information on how to do so by contacting Ms. Weiker via e-mail (c.weiker@ecsla.eu) or by telephone (+32 2 286 94 92). Additional details regarding the conference, including registration and hotel booking forms, are available by visiting: www.ecsla.eu
