For quite some time Capital Link’s events have gone digital due to the pandemic.
Do you believe that in 2022 maritime events will start again with physical presence?
Back in December 2019 the globe was shocked by the outbreak of this new pandemic that not only threatened human life extremely seriously, but also, because of the initial inevitable preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection, it changed dramatically people’s everyday lives & businesses, and led to lockdowns and social distancing. These restrictions in turn had a negative impact and led to the shrink of most of the biggest economies around the world. Back in March 2020, three weeks before its due date, when most other events were cancelled or postponed, we decided to proceed with our flagship 14th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum and convert it into a digital forum adapting to the current reality. We thought that it is especially in periods of uncertainty and crisis when we need to keep our sense of community, the industry connectivity, and the information flow. Thankfully, the event was very successful and since 2020, to date, we have hosted 22 large-scale, high-quality Forums and 28 Webinars the majority of which focus on maritime transportation and U.S. investment products, in the United States, Europe and Asia, in key industry centers, such as New York, London, Oslo, Hamburg, Athens, Limassol, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong. We saw that the digital format of the events allowed for an even larger speaker and delegate roster and caliber, therefore, our virtual conferences are now integrated into our digital product line, along with our webinars, podcasts, and dedicated maritime website - adding a unique and complementary benefit to all our industry partners.
Whilst we all visualize a post-pandemic future and return to normality, we undoubtfully live in a fundamentally transformed world. We observe scientists, analysts, and politicians heading towards “opening-up” and being optimistic that a post covid-19 era will gradually come until the end of 2022. We are also delighted that major shipping events such as Posidonia & Cyprus Maritime, are being rescheduled with physical presence for 2022. Capital Link adopts this approach and, abiding by the applicable laws and protocols, plans to host most of our shipping events in 2022 as in person events. However, the digital aspect has become part of our daily life and thus we expect that it will continue to play a dominant role in the way people communicate and connect. We believe that travel and attendance of physical events will become more selective. While digital events can deliver premium contact, the in person networking is irreplaceable and in person events will have to provide premium content and networking opportunities. We believe that Capital Link is well positioned to continue serving as a link of this global industry.”
* Managing Director - Capital Link Inc.
The answer was provided for NAFS magazine issue 143 in its special report “WOMEN in SHEPPING”