29th IAPH World Ports Conference starts with record attendance

02 Jun 2015 17:01 Economy

Over 900 guests discuss intelligent port schemes // IAPH World Ports Conference hosted by Hamburg again after 30 years


The IAPH World Ports Conference is Hamburg’s guest again after 30 years. Over 900 international representatives of the worlds of business, politics and science as well as over 60 representatives of the press have been assembling in the Hanseatic City for the five-day ports conference. Olaf Scholz, Hamburg’s First Mayor gave a preliminary starting signal in the course of a Hamburg Senate reception at City Hall held yesterday, Monday. A Welcome Dinner held at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in the nearby New Stock Exchange then enabled delegates to warm up for conference week.


The official opening of the 29th IAPH World Ports Conference in the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) followed today, Tuesday. Grant Gilfillan, IAPH President & Chief Executive Officer/Director of the Port Authority of New South Wales, Australia, ceremonially opened the conference. Welcome speeches followed from Enak Ferlemann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator for Economics and Jens Meier, Chairman of the Management Board Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). The scene for this opening event was set by a spectacular stage show: A container on passage from Tokyo, where the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is based, to Hamburg, the location for this year’s gathering, enabled the audience to take a voyage to the smartPORT in the truest sense of the word. Trampoline artistes, drummers and light installations enlivened the scene. Along with an exchange of professional experience, the days of the conference aim to promote the idea of networking that is boosted by an exhibition and trade fair and a multi-faceted supporting program.


Please find photos for press release on www.iaph2015.org/press.

Hamburg Port Authority