COUNTDOWN TO THE START OF INTERFERRY 2021 IN SANTANDER
Next October, between 2 and 6, the oldest congress in the maritime sector will be held in Santander: Interferry. This great annual meeting, which for reasons of Covid had to be canceled last year, will celebrate what will be the 45th edition with the theme "The future is ferries". A meeting that will be a showcase of solutions and positive perspectives in response to different issues of great interest to society such as the Covid crisis or climate change, as well as other major challenges.
"It has never been more important for the entire ferry industry to come together to defend their collective interests, and we are delighted that the board has chosen our bid to host the conference this year," said Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu. "Santander is a great venue, served by a French ferry company with predominantly British customers. Tourists love this region and we can't wait for delegates from around the world to experience it for themselves."
Interferry in 2021 will be hosted by Brittany Ferries, which has been serving Santander since 1978 within a route network covering France, northern Spain, the UK and and Ireland.
"It is an honor for Brittany Ferries that the InterFerry Conference will be held in Santander. As organizers of the 45th Interferry Conference, and after more than 40 years operating in Santander, we are proud to host the convention in our home port, where senior representatives of the ferry industry will discuss new ideas, markets, strategies and technologies. Particular emphasis will be placed on environmental sustainability and solutions for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, innovative ship and shore design technologies, safety systems and supply chain logistics," explains Roberto Castilla, director of Brittany Ferries in Spain.
The event will be attended by around 300 industry professionals from all over the world and as Castilla says: "They will know first hand the city of Santander, a city that they will enjoy discovering all its attractiveness, its natural beauty and its extraordinary gastronomy.
For the president of the Port Authority of Santander, Francisco Martin, the celebration of Interferry in our Port is a "great opportunity" both "to facilitate cooperation networks within the ferry world and for the tourism industry of Cantabria, which for 5 days, will host more than 300 delegates.
Martin thanked Brittany Ferries for its "firm commitment" to Cantabria, after 43 years operating in the region, "launching new routes, building larger and more sustainable ships, promoting the passage of English tourism in the region and creating jobs". The president of the port has also highlighted "the commitment to the future" that both Brittany Ferries and APS are making so that the Cantabrian infrastructure "remains suitable for the French shipping company's traffic with the construction of a new ferry terminal and the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas to the new ships in the fleet".
The Minister of Industry, Tourism, Innovation, Transport and Trade, Javier Lopez Marcano, stressed that the Interferry conference is "an injection of promotion of the port of Santander and activity for the tourism and commercial sector of the city.
Lopez Marcano explained that the presence of 300 conference attendees is a "boost" that will revitalize the hotel and hospitality sector in low season and also "will make known Cantabria and Santander worldwide".
In this regard, he noted that holding a convention of this nature with the Port of Santander as host represents "prestige and brand image" of this infrastructure "transcendental" for the economic development of the Autonomous Community.
He also thanked Brittany Ferries for its "loyalty and contribution to tourism and commercial development of Cantabria" and said that the shipping company is "one of the great allies of the region" through its connections with the United Kingdom.
The head of Industry and Tourism has finally highlighted the "interest" of the contents of the meeting, in which he expects progress to be made in key areas for the future such as sustainability, innovation in the sector and the development of new technologies.
The pandemic forced Interferry to cancel last year's conference planned in Hobart, Australia. The long-planned 2021 event is going ahead following an initial decision made in May - based on a detailed analysis of existing and planned anti-Covid measures - and ongoing monitoring of the situation since delegate registration opened in June.
CEO Mike Corrigan comments, "Registrations to date are similar to previous years. With the traditional surge in registrations occurring in the final month before the conference, it is clear that there is a lot of pent-up demand from industry professionals to reconnect face-to-face, share current experiences and explore future strategies."
The October 4-5 speaker program, the centerpiece of a five-day networking event, will also include input on innovation, IT security and safety initiatives, as well as several sessions dedicated to environmental issues, such as new sustainable construction, the drive towards zero emissions on ships and shore and the latest regulatory developments.