Finland’s biggest maritime event, Navigate, will look beyond its well-established local base when it returns next year. The exhibition and conference, to be held at Turku Fair Center on 1-2 June, will cater for international visitors and exhibitors with an agenda highlighting the Nordic region’s critical contribution to today’s most urgent maritime issues, as well as hosting agenda-setting perspectives from global industry leaders.

The fair distinguishes itself from established international events by showcasing the technological innovation and maritime leadership emanating from Finland and other Nordic countries. Navigate and its producer SeaFocus hope to provide a hub to encourage business opportunities and facilitate dialogue between Nordic companies and those from other regions via an intelligent conference agenda and a set of tailored events around the main exhibition and conference.

The new Navigate programme director Ulla Keino said: “Over the six shows, Navigate has developed a reputation as a vibrant meeting place for the regional maritime sector, driven by a range of innovative events and an inspirational main programme. The Nordic sector is both highly relevant to global maritime and can learn much from its counterparts worldwide, and so in 2022, we are delighted to broaden our horizons and welcome the world to Navigate.”

Highlights of the programme include two sessions that bring innovators and investors together, along with the finals of Intelligence Hunt 9, a four-month competition in which young talent teams pitch technological solutions to some of maritime’s most pressing problems. These sessions will be accompanied by conferences on decarbonizing shipbuilding and cutting-edge sustainability practices.

But the formal agenda is just the start, says Ms Keino. “Navigate prides itself on its flexibility in meeting the needs of its exhibitors and visitors, whether that is setting up business meetings across the city or helping to introduce inspiring new talent to the industry. We as producers are passionate about what we do and because Navigate is still smaller than many major international events, we can offer a truly personalised service to our partners. We invite maritime stakeholders from across the world to come and put that promise to the test.”

For more information, including the full conference agenda, visit www.navigate.fi