RX will bring back the Asia Pacific Maritime (APM), an important maritime, workboat and offshore exhibition and conference for South-east Asia, to Singapore this month, a move that signals Singapore’s continued importance as a business hub for the region as well as the maritime industry’s eagerness to resume face-to-face business.
In an interview with TTGmice, Yeow Hui Leng, group project director of RX, said: “As a maritime tradeshow that has been anchored in Singapore for more than 30 years, APM’s return as one of the first in-person tradeshows goes beyond symbolic reasons. It signifies the readiness and eagerness of our clients in the maritime industry to resume business face-to-face.
“The progressive relaxation of Covid restrictions and the resumption of business travel and events in Singapore is a welcome sight to the MICE industry.”
For 2022’s edition, APM takes into consideration various travel restrictions and people’s keenness to travel. Exhibitors or trade visitors who are not able to travel to Singapore can participate in APM Online+, which will be made available from now until June 30, 2022.
The in-person event will be held from March 16-18, 2022.
As to how different the in-person and online versions will be, Yeow said all speakers over the three-day conference will be physically present for face-to-face engagements, with no video call-ins.
“Conference sessions will be available on demand after the show, via APM Online+. We will be following up with additional webinars on the platform, featuring overseas speakers who were unable to attend in-person,” she elaborated.
For APM, where the latest engines and navigational systems take the spotlight, the opportunity to demonstrate and see the products on display is something that cannot be replicated online, Yeow stressed.
“Tradeshows are one of the best places to feel the vibe and vibrancy of an industry,” Yeow ascertained.
APM also doubles up as a platform to profile Asian voices in maritime, as well as acts as a buy, sell, and network event, which in turn helps drive industry growth.
An example would be the signing of an MoU between the Association of Singapore Marine Industries and Korea Marine Equipment Association at APM this year, with the objective of facilitating collaboration and business growth in the shipbuilding and offshore sectors.
When asked if the pandemic would cause regional shows to replace massive international versions, Yeow said the market has room for “mega and regional events, so long as the products are well defined with clear purpose, and strongly executed”.
However, she acknowledged that the pandemic “does act as a catalyst to expedite consolidation; weaker shows may not return”.
