BPC 2020 postponed and a new webinar on the horizon

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on the way we work, meet and network. Face to face meetings have been put on hold all over the globe, as we moved to the online realm. Considering the participants’ safety and health our utmost priority, the Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) decided to postpone the annual Baltic Ports Conference (BPC) until next year.

BPC 2021 in Tallinn, Estonia, 2-3 September, 2021

After discussing the matter internally, both among the Board Members and with our hosts, the Port of Tallinn, we’ve decided to push the BPC by a year. This will allow us not only to ensure the health and safety of our audience and speakers, but also prepare a programme tailored to the challenges the global economy and the maritime sector are facing right now. These will have a lasting impact, one that we would very much like to discuss in detail, as always presenting our participants with relevant and up-to-date insights.

Bogdan Ołdakowski, Secretary General, BPO, underlined the importance of traditional events, "For many of us this year is different than any other one before. Due to a ban for travelling, caused by COVID-19 pandemic, we have mostly switched to online meetings and webinars. We hope many of our members, colleagues and friends will join us for our next online webinar, planned for this September. However, nothing substitutes face-to-face gatherings of people from Baltic ports, related industries, policy makers, researchers, consultants, etc. Keeping that in mind we would already like to invite you to the BPC 2021, which will return next year. We would also like to thank the Port of Tallinn for agreeing to host us in 2021. We’re looking forward to seeing you all again."

Valdo Kalm, CEO, Port of Tallinn, offered a glimpse into some of the topics we will be discussing next year, "Port of Tallinn is glad to host our partners and industry stakeholders once again in order to set sight on the opportunities and challenges ahead of us. The beginning of 2020 has changed considerably how we see the world of today, but one thing has remained high on the agenda even stronger - our future success in all fields of life lays in green, sustainable and smart solutions. Thus we are looking forward to exchange ideas and best practices with our friends and colleagues, in order to steer the shipping industry towards our common goals - sustainable and eco-friendly solutions and technologies that help to foster our most precious natural asset, the unique Baltic Sea."

So what about September 2020?

Rest assured, postponing the BPC does’t mean we will be sitting idly in the upcoming months. Following the success of BPO’s first online webinar, we are already working on a new project.

The webinar will take place on the dates previously occupied by the BPC 2020, i.e. 3-4 September, 2020. During a number of sessions filled with expert presentations and panels, we will discuss the current situation and how it affects port business in the Baltic and around the world, challenges faced by policymakers and more.

The full programme will be unveiled soon, so keep an eye out for more information.

Should you have missed our previous webinar tackling the European Green Deal and air emission reduction in ports, you can watch it in full on our YouTube channel.