Shippers Unite at Breakbulk Events

After nearly two years of digital interaction, this year’s Breakbulk Middle East conference in Dubai was full of buzz, as industry professionals got the chance once again to rub shoulders with colleagues, customers and competitors.

Attendees totaled 3,374 for the two-day event, visitors increased 7 percent, with representatives from 2,134 companies attending the in-person gathering – a 28-percent increase over 2020.

At the top end of the exhibition hall, just along from the main stage, the Breakbulk Global Shipper Network, or BGSN, lounge was a hive of activity, a go-to place for owners of industrial projects to catch up, grab a coffee and talk business.

The BGSN has been an invaluable networking platform for executives operating at the top end of the project supply chain in sectors such as oil and gas, energy and renewables, mining and minerals, construction, forestry, industrial manufacturing and aerospace.

Shippers worldwide come together at the three annual Breakbulk conferences in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to meet with partners, keep on top of market trends, explore new opportunities and source new suppliers.

The BGSN team, led by Ben Law, is now ready to take the network to the next level. “It is about feeling part of an exclusive club of people who all do a very similar thing,” he told Breakbulk at the BGSN lounge in Dubai. “We are looking to really grow the program.”


Building Relationships

According to Law, motives for joining the BGSN are varied. Some members just want to interact socially, others see it as a serious opportunity to do business. The network has in the past facilitated a range of activities designed to foster professional relationships.

Thomas Sender Mehl, director of global sales and operations planning and supply chain excellence at Denmark-based KK Wind Solutions, remembers a particularly entertaining session at a Breakbulk Americas event based on the concept of speed dating.

“It is set up, then you have five or 10 minutes, and you shift around, talk to different companies,” Sender Mehl said. “We were three or four guys from the company, and we just met all these other people. That was really good.”

For Sender Mehl, the benefits of the program are clear. “You share knowledge, and also connections, so for example we worked with one shipping company, and the director said, ‘we have these challenges in Korea’, and I said, ‘we also have that’. Then you talk. It is super valuable for a lot of companies.”

Ruediger Fromm, head of logistics for high voltage grids at Siemens Energy, and a member of the Breakbulk Middle East Advisory Board, has been networking at Breakbulk events for more than a decade, and has enjoyed plenty of confidential discussions with fellow shippers about market trends and challenges.

“A very good advantage of this network is that sometimes you are entering markets where you simply do not have the experience, and then you can ask somebody else, ‘OK, so I know you had a project in Brazil’ for example, could you give me some information? What about difficulties? Or how is the market over there?’ "

Members who sign up to the network enjoy a number of benefits, including free passes to Breakbulk events, entry to the BGSN lounge at each event with complimentary breakfast, lunch and late afternoon beverages and snacks, access to private meeting rooms and a free subscription to the print version of Breakbulk magazine, published six times per year.

Participating companies also get the chance to take part in panel events, webinars, education programs, seminars and Thought Leader contributions for the magazine and the fortnightly BreakbulkONE digital newsletter.

BGSN member Stephen “Spo” Spoljaric, corporate manager of global logistics at engineering firm Bechtel, as well as an advisory board member for Breakbulk Americas, said his company has a long history participating in the Breakbulk conferences. “As a major shipper, we feel that there is reciprocity between us and the logistics service providers and that is the reason why we continue to get engaged,” he said.

“Shipping is still very much a relationship business. Attending Breakbulk events allows for many of the parties to get to know each other, building trust and making new connections. Bechtel is a global company and having a footprint in logistics around the world is key to our success. This network offered by Breakbulk helps our employees and partners to offer local and regional knowledge to solve complex logistics challenges.”


Digital Ambitions

As it stands, interaction among members is mostly limited to the three Breakbulk conferences, the world’s largest gatherings for the breakbulk and project logistics industry. However, pandemic-enforced rules that restricted opportunities to network and do business face to face have underlined the importance of having a digital presence.

The BGSN management team plans to incorporate a digital platform into the network, giving members the opportunity to maintain contact away from the conferences.

“It is this idea of engagement,” Law said. “We want them to attend all three events in the year if they can, and really increase the physical engagement, but then we also want to have the platform and the opportunities digitally for them to benefit if they are not here in person, or in addition to being here in person.”

According to Law, such a platform could incorporate podcasts, webinars, online Q&A sessions, social media and much more.

Members of the network who spoke to Breakbulk were receptive of the idea to year-round, digital collaboration through groups or personal communication: “A digital platform would improve (the BGSN), make it a bit easier to get in touch, or to stay in touch, and exchange more information,” Fromm said. “I think it is worth trying.”

Breakbulk Europe will take place this year in Rotterdam on May 17-19. Alongside the main stage, this year’s event will feature an innovation stage, complimented by an all-new Discovery Zone in Hall 1.

Breakbulk Americas 2022 is returning to the George R. Brown Center in Houston, Sept. 27-29.

Colombia-based Simon West is senior reporter for Breakbulk.

Photo 1: The Breakbulk Global Shipper Network Lounge was a hive of activity at Breakbulk Middle East – a go-to place for owners of industrial projects to catch up, grab a coffee and talk business.
Photo 2: Ben Law, Breakbulk Events & Media
Photo 3: Thomas Sender Mehl, KK Wind Solutions
Photo 3: Ruediger Fromm, Siemens Energy
Photo 4: Steve "Spo" Spoljaric, Bechtel 

Breakbulk Global Shipper Network is available to all shippers. Apply HERE!