Breakbulk Europe Conference Posts Record Attendance

NEWARK, N.J., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Recovery forecasts and upcoming challenges for the various sectors of the breakbulk industry were highlighted at UBM Global Trade's 5th Annual Breakbulk Europe Conference last week, organized by Breakbulk Magazine and The Journal of Commerce. Breakbulk Europe 2010 posted a record turnout of 3,300 attendees and 125 exhibitors, an increase of 10 percent from 2009.

"In addition to a record number of attendees this year, we saw a larger percentage of overall attendance from the cargo-owning side of the industry," said Alli McEntyre, Breakbulk Vice President and Publisher. "Overall feedback was that a large number of business contracts were negotiated during the event and in the related networking hours."  

Hosted by the Port of Antwerp, Europe's largest breakbulk port, Breakbulk Europe was a veritable beehive of activity, with robust floor traffic, entertaining and business networking throughout the two-day event. Panelists at the conference examined regulation and compliance challenges of working with global trading partners, plus the ongoing impact of the current financial environment. "Reducing the Piracy Risk" Moderator Lars Juhl called on attendees to sign a petition to all governments asking to allow the nearest warship to respond in instances of piracy.

Keynote speakers provided perspectives and outlooks from each sector of the industry, as well as worldwide economic prospects and industry research reports. Alex Azparrent of Fluor Chile detailed ongoing and new projects in South America, and Alstrom's Sandro Lepori noted the growing importance of modularization. Fred Bedford of Jumbo Shipping forecast moderate shipping growth for all markets but noted continuing industry overcapacity.

A redesigned Breakbulk.com was launched at Breakbulk Europe 2010 as part of the company's effort to continue providing the highest quality of service to the industry. The Web site accompanies the recent announcement of key personnel appointments and a global rollout of the industry-leading Breakbulk Magazine.

The JOC Breakbulk division is comprised of leading business-to-business events, a bimonthly magazine, the weekly newsletter "Breakbulk connection," and a Web site devoted solely to heavy-lift, project cargo and breakbulk commodity shipping worldwide. Breakbulk.com and Breakbulk Magazine, an outgrowth of the editorial excellence of The Journal of Commerce, deliver insightful analysis of current events affecting the global breakbulk and project cargo industries. Breakbulk events include the Breakbulk Americas, Breakbulk Europe and Breakbulk Asia conferences. For more information, please visit www.breakbulk.com or call +1-225-784-0177.  

About UBM Global Trade - UBM Global Trade, formerly Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., has been the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide since 1827. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, The Journal of Commerce Events, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of United Business Media Limited, is headquartered in East Windsor, NJ, with offices throughout the United States and in Canada and Hong Kong. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-221-5488 (+1-609-371-7700 outside the U.S. and Canada).

SOURCE UBM Global Trade