Oceanology International 2020 Goes Virtual
Oceanology International 2020 is to be held virtually, bypassing the current doubts over worldwide travel and quarantine restrictions, while bringing the maritime industry together in a fresh, innovative way through the Oi Connect event and meetings platform. Moving to a virtual exhibition ensures that it will be open to everyone, sidestepping travel times and logistics and uniting the global ocean tech community.
Event organizers Reed Exhibitions has also postponed Oi Americas – originally planned to be held in San Diego in February 2021 – until 2023. Oi Connect 2020 will instead serve a worldwide audience in what promises to be the largest coming-together of the maritime industry since restrictions began, joining the best of both shows in a single, truly international event.
“The announcement by the UK government that exhibitions will once again be disallowed from 1 October 2020, combined with global uncertainty as the coronavirus pandemic continues, have confirmed our decisions to move forward with a 100% virtual event, Oi Connect, and to postpone Oi Americas,” said David Ince, events director, Reed Exhibitions. “While it is of course disappointing to temporarily relinquish the undisputed benefits of physical meetings, demonstrations and networking opportunities, we need to take collective responsibility for the safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff.”
Showcasing the Marine Science Community in a Virtual Way
“The team at Oi are well advanced in converting their two years of planning for the physical event into a unique and exciting opportunity to showcase the global marine science and oceanology community in a different, virtual way. We wholeheartedly look forward to blazing a new trail in virtual events with Oi Connect, aiding the maritime industry in moving forward and demonstrating how resilient it can be.”
Oi Connect is an AI-driven meetings and virtual event platform, going far beyond conventional videoconferencing facilities and building on the core values of physical oceanology events to create a forum in which participants can discover innovation, learn about the latest developments in the maritime industry, attend presentations and hold face-to-face conversations. Once a registered attendee has created their personal profile, this powerful tool will assist in finding valuable networking connections and generating high quality 1-2-1 meetings. The attendee will be able to search visitors and exhibitors, identify key contacts based on their areas of interest and job types, build relationships and create business opportunities – resulting in a pre-planned roster of private virtual meetings throughout the event. A team of matchmaking professionals will support the service, assisting with arrangements, aiding with any technical questions and managing the online meetings lounge.
Oi Connect will also facilitate the oceanology conferences which provide technical and business insights and an opportunity to explore how connections can help underpin and grow the industry.
Oi Connect will be launching to exhibitors and visitors shortly and is open for anyone to attend virtually. The Oi team will be sharing full details to the community soon and will be on hand to ensure that both visitors and exhibitors are fully supported in their use of the platform and to help maximize their engagement with the global maritime audience.
