The time has come: SMM DIGITAL is opening from 2 to 5 February 2021.

Due to the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the 29th edition of SMM will be held as a purely digital conference. And it’s free of charge – this is how the leading international maritime trade fair demonstrates its commitment to the maritime sector in these challenging times.

On four days, SMM DIGITAL will deliver an attention-grabbing programme streamed on two channels featuring top-flight international speakers. All conferences will be streamed live to participants' computer screens. Furthermore, a number of discussion panels and interviews have been pre-recorded in the dedicated SMM studio at the Hamburg exhibition complex, all in strict compliance with all current safety and hygiene regulations. This recorded content will be broadcast on the second 'Open Stream'. The conferences will be moderated by the digitalisation expert Carmen Hentschel and the American journalist David Patrician.

The entire programme will be free of charge for all participants. "We have made this decision to make all the expert knowledge available to a wider industry audience this year – from industry insiders and SMM enthusiasts through to interested first-time participants. In challenging times such as these, an industry event should not be a luxury experience for the industry," said Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director – Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.

Varied and compact:
The conference programme will cover the leading topics of the maritime sector

The programme will start off with the Maritime Future Summit. The focal topics include artificial intelligence, digitalisation and big data. (2 February, 10:30 AM to 2:45 PM)

The Offshore Dialogue will explore how the power of the wind and the oceans can be converted to energy for humankind. Furthermore, it will highlight technologies for ocean monitoring and eco-friendly dismantling of offshore equipment. (2 February, 3:00 PM to 6:05 PM)

Economic aspects will be the centre of attention at the Tradewinds Digital Forum: Editor-in-chief Julian Bray and his guests will discuss the situation in the containership market and the importance of sustainability criteria for future ship financing. (2 February, 1:00 PM to 3:55 PM)

At the gmec – global maritime environmental congress, industry experts will exchange views about the role of shipping in dealing with the climate crisis. The guest appearances of representatives of Fridays For Future and NABU, the German nature conservation society, are expected with great anticipation. (3 February, 9:30 AM to 3:40 PM)

To complete the programme, MS&D, the international conference on maritime security and defence, will feature experts investigating current and future threats at sea, including cybercrime (4 February, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM & 5 February, 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM)

SMM DIGITAL – Communication and discussion options
SMM DIGITAL comprises two online streams, the Conference Stream featuring the well-established, discipline-specific SMM conferences, and the Open Stream. Viewers of the Conference Stream panels may submit questions online which will then be presented to the top-flight panellists at the end of each session. Furthermore, during the entire SMM DIGITAL, on both the Conference Stream and the Open Stream, viewers may communicate with each other using a Chat feature. Through the cooperation partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network, viewers may also use the MariMatch@SMM event to contact potential business or research partners and expand their own maritime networks. To participate in MariMatch@SMM free of charge, viewers must register on www.smm-hamburg.com/en/smm-streams/networking by 1 February 2021.

For the entire programme please visit: www.smm-hamburg.com

About SMM
SMM, the leading international maritime trade fair, normally takes place at the Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) exhibition complex every two years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th edition of the trade fair will be held as a purely digital conference from 2 to 5 February 2021. With the leitmotif “Driving The Maritime Transition”, SMM DIGITAL will bring together the maritime community. Its participants will be able to watch conferences featuring top-flight speakers on an online streaming platform. At SMM DIGITAL, international experts will discuss current challenges and innovative solutions for the maritime industry. The next SMM will take place from 
6 to 9 September 2022.
Photo: Hamburg Messe und Congress_Photocredit Nicolas Döring