The 31st edition of SMM in a nutshell


For four days, the international shipbuilding industry met in Hamburg for the 31st SMM: From 3 to 6 September 2024, more than 2,200 exhibiting companies turned Hamburg’s exhibition halls into the busy meeting hub of the maritime community.

The mood was excellent at the leading international maritime trade fair as well-established enterprises and start-ups alike laid out before the maritime business world the technological innovations and solutions it needs to build a green and digital shipping future. Five specialist conferences and a wide range of networking opportunities brought together high-level decision-makers from politics and business to enjoy a fireworks of presentations, discussion sessions and expert panels. Again, the key issues ensuring a successful transformation of the industry – decarbonisation, digitalisation, recruiting and maritime security and defence – were high on the agenda of SMM. 

Counting over 48,000 participants from more than 100 countries, SMM 2024 reaffirmed its position as the leading international maritime trade fair. 

Facts & Figures

the #1 meeting place for the maritime industry

The participants

  • 48,000

    participants

  • 2,200

    exhibiting companies

  • 100

    nations

  • 29

    Marine delegations

The venue

  • 90,000

    sq.m exhibition space

  • 12

    exhibition halls

Open conference format

  • 4

    Transition Stages

  • 70

    international sessions

  • 300

    speakers

  • 4

    international conferences

The SMM Networking Platform

  • 30,980

    established contacts

  • 22,745

    sent messages

  • 13,106

    scanned badges

  • 1,256

    arranged meetings

SMM

SMM is a great opportunity for everyone in the sector to come together and have conversations about the opportunities – and challenges – the maritime sector is facing.

Arsenio Dominguez
Secretary General
International Maritime Organization (IMO)

The maritime industry is of great strategic importance. Continued collaboration at the European level is essential if we are to tackle the numerous challenges facing the sector. SMM once again provides plenty of room for dialogue and discussion.

Dr. Robert Habeck
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Die SMM ist die unverzichtbare Messe für die maritime Branche. Das AI Center bietet Startups eine tolle Chance, sich der Branche zu präsentieren: Wir sind hier unglaublich beschäftigt und haben viele neue Geschäftskontakte anknüpfen können.

Madelena Ko
Marketing Manager
Tecway Maritime Technology Limited

It pays to be there! At SMM, shipowners can see the latest trends and technologies and talk directly to the people in charge about how they can make their fleets more efficient and greener.

Dr. Martin Kröger
CEO
German Shipowners Association (VDR)

When it is about problems, conflicts or topics such as maritime resilience, SMM is important for exchanging views.

Magda Kopczyńska
Director General
DG Move, EU Commission

SMM in Hamburg is an important event for the maritime industry, bringing together key players and innovators from around the world. It provides a great platform to exchange ideas, showcase cutting-edge technologies and shape the future of our industry – a good opportunity for us to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Rolf Habben Jansen
CEO
Hapag-Lloyd

Congratulations to the SMM team on orchestrating a truly successful event! In these times of great transformation, collaboration is more critical than ever and through the SMM the industry has a platform to do so. As shipping faces an era of unprecedented technological innovation this event clearly demonstrate that the maritime industry remains at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement.

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen
CEO
DNV Maritime

A man in a gray suit sits on a large anchor. Behind him is a landscape with a walkway, water, a blue cloudy sky and green mainland.

I have been attending SMM for more than 20 years and have always been very satisfied. What makes the difference in my view is the large number of exhibitors. Here I can get in touch with others with ease and sign key contracts.

Felix-Ingo Meiborg
CEO
Noske-Kaeser

Shipowners, shipyards, suppliers: Aiming for carbon neutrality together 


One theme was clearly dominant in the fully booked exhibition halls and the numerous expert discussion panels: decarbonising the shipping industry. From large ship engines for alternative fuels or smart software increasing the efficiency of on-board operations through to innovative retrofitting options, SMM covers the entire value chain of the maritime sector, delivering major added value to suppliers and shipbuilders alike.

But that is by no means all: “What also makes it so interesting for shipowners: This is where they can see the latest trends and technologies and can engage in conversations with industry representatives to explore ways to make their fleets more efficient and greener,” says Martin Kröger, Managing Director of the German Shipowners Association (VDR). This constellation paves the way for the industry to take courageous investment decisions. Doing so requires a system that rewards these investments, SMM participants from the politics and business worlds agreed. 



Open conference format in the exhibition halls widely applauded


Held in the exhibition halls and open to all fair trade participants for the first time, the conferences proved to be extremely popular. On the open stages more than 300 speakers provided practical insights and discussed the industry’s most pressing issues in a total of 70 sessions.

Initiator Claus Ulrich Selbach is more than pleased about the success of this new concept: “We achieved exactly what we had in mind: to maximise the exchange of ideas and knowledge,” says the Business Unit Director Maritime & Technology Exhibitions at HMC.

In view of the numerous geopolitical challenges of our time, maritime security ranged high on the agenda. Not surprisingly, MS&D, the international conference for maritime security and defence featuring 29 naval delegations from 19 nations, was exceptionally well attended.

On other stages, the focus was on two other focal topics of SMM: decarbonisation and digitalisation. 
 

Review Programme 2024

Young talents secure the industry’s future

Maritime Career Market


Providing opportunities for employers to meet tomorrow’s skilled professionals was another focus at SMM 2024 – after all, the future of the sector heavily depends on the availability of skilled labour.

At its two-day Maritime Career Market, the flagship fair again provided a hugely popular platform for young talents, recruiters and education institutes to join hands. Companies provided fascinating insights into a variety of maritime careers while experts presented crucial career tips.  

Start-ups@SMM

 

Another part of the fair fostering inspiring discoveries was Start-ups@SMM where young companies showcased their innovative ideas in two specially designated areas. 

Here, visitors learnt exciting start-up stories and had the chance to get to know the next industry pioneers.

AI Center exhibition stand with several people in conversation

AI CENTER


One topic of special allure: Artificial Intelligence. The AI CENTER provided a host of information on the state of the art.

“The AI Center offers start-ups a fantastic opportunity to build a reputation within the industry. We were incredibly busy here and were able to make many valuable new business contacts,” says Madelena Ko from Tecway Maritime Technology Limited, summing up her experience. 

The response at SMM 2024 has been incredibly positive. The market is extremely active across all segments, and business hasn’t been better for the past 30 years. SMM is and will be the key meeting place for the maritime industry – there’s practically no customer of ours that isn’t here. Everybody is present.”

Martin Johannsmann
CEO, SKF Marine
Chairman of the Board, VDMA Marine Equipment and Systems

A global flagship fair such as SMM is always a great opportunity to put the focus on acting together in an international industry.

Kathrin Lau
Editor In Chief
Schiff&Hafen

SMM is one of the leading trade fairs for the maritime industry worldwide. As a European hub, Hamburg is very important to us. It is not only about finalising deals here; in many cases, our focus is on strengthening business relationships and exchanging views and ideas. You might say, it is almost like a family reunion.

Mathias Stern
Sales Manager
Kongsberg Maritime

This year we are seeing a lot of activity in the area of cruise ship and ferry refits. SMM is the perfect place for us to showcase our large product portfolio. Here we can present everything to shipowners and other customers all at once – from fire protection to naval shipbuilding, and through to ship interiors.

Jürgen Trost
CEO
Kaefer Schiffsausbau

SMM is the global magnet of the maritime industry. We can tell by looking at the audience profile, the quality of discussions, and even at our own participant numbers: Our experts from around the world come to Hamburg for this event. It is the perfect place to showcase our sustainable portfolio – such as our innovative joint venture Oceanbird.

Sven Schreiber
CEO
Alfa Laval Mid Europe

In a rapidly evolving global landscape, the maritime industry is at the forefront of technological innovation. New technologies and digital transformation are driving profound changes in ship design, construction, and operation. This future raises questions, and you will find many of the answers at SMM.

Dr. Reinhard Lüken
CEO
Verband deutscher Schiffbau und Meerestechnik (VSM)

Excellent mood and lively discussions late into the evenings


The new digital SMM Networking Platform created a perfect environment for striking up conversations and establishing valuable new business contacts, not only virtually but also at many meeting points at the fair and during the well-attended Wine o'clock parties at the end of the fair days.

Industry representatives were able to share ideas and establish new partnerships in a stimulating atmosphere.

All this makes SMM the pivotal platform of the maritime community, a place where face-to-face interaction and direct information-sharing are front and centre. 

 

THANK YOU

for a successful SMM 2024!


The next SMM will take place in Hamburg from 1 to 4 September 2026.

We look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful maritime metropolis of Hamburg again!
 

Your SMM Team

Stay tuned

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