Attendance at Shenzhen's TOC Asia 2009 tops 2008 meet by 16pc

THE TOC Asia 2009 conference March 3-5 held by the port city of Shenzhen, adjacent to Hong Kong, recorded a 16 per cent increase in visitors over last year's trade show, say organisers.

The high number of local visitors to the event, plus the fact that many exhibitors have already rebooked for 2010, demonstrates the growing relevance of TOC in the Asian terminal and operations industry, a statement said.

More than 60 companies participated in the three-day exhibition, showcasing new innovations, such as Gottwald Port Technology which introduced its new mobile harbour crane that tackles the problem of cargo handling in river ports. Local companies such as Total Softbank and JiangXi Huawn Brake Co Ltd exhibited, alongside global players including Liebherr, APS Technology, Draka and ABB Crane Systems.

For the first time, seminars from leading industry experts took place on the exhibition floor, allowing visitors and delegates alike to hear presentations on a range of topics from crew welfare to terminal conversion.

TOC Asia in Shenzhen has proved that we, as event organisers, have to work harder and smarter to continue to offer the market a valuable forum to meet, discuss and debate the critical issues surrounding our industry, said TOC event director Paul Holloway.

This year's plenary sessions focussed on managing uncertainty in the current financial downturn followed by other prominent topics including the increase in container volumes between Asia and Africa as well as terminal capacity across Shenzhen and Hong Kong CT10's role in the region.

To round up this year's show, delegates at TOC Asia were invited on a tour of Da Chan Bay Terminal One. The facility is managed by Modern Terminals.

Said Mr Holloway: China is without doubt the most important player in terms of global export and we believe it will pioneer Asia's recovery from the economic downturn.

Source: Portnews