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For Damen Schelde Marine Services, trade fairs are an important part of staying connected to the maritime industry. And while the client meetings and business opportunities are always the principal aim of visiting, there is another side to travelling to these events: bringing the team together, getting to know new colleagues and learning more about the markets in which DSMS operates. This was particularly noticeable during the recent run of three events: SMM in Hamburg, IMPA in London and a client event organised by DSMS’ agent in Cyprus.
Text: Tom Scott
DSMS attended SMM Hamburg with the full sales team.
SMM: getting the whole team together
Taking place at the beginning of September, SMM in Hamburg was the biggest of the three events, and DSMS shared a stand with Damen Marine Components and Damen Anchors & Chains. There were plenty of planned meetings, but also plenty of opportunities to meet contacts, agents and (potential) customers who stopped by. Additionally, it was a chance to meet some of the newer clients in person for the first time after previously seeing them digitally.
Besides the commercial contacts, the value of attending a large trade fair like SMM extends further, as Josine Glerum, Account Manager at DSMS, explains. “There are other benefits to be gained. For example, because we were there with the whole sales team, there were lots of opportunities to learn from each other and share market insight. In this way, it’s also good for the integration of our two new team members. It’s a perfect place for them to learn about our position in the market, our competitors, and market developments. And because we have a lot of fun together, it was very good for team building and the long-term cooperation within the whole team.”
In September, Josine Glerum and Koen van Bezu travelled to London for the maritime procurement event IMPA.
IMPA: handing over the UK
Two weeks later, Josine travelled to London for IMPA, a smaller event with a strong focus on purchasing and technical professionals. In addition to many UK-based visitors, several Scandinavian clients also attended the exhibition. In previous years, Josine has attended IMPA on her own as Account Manager for the UK and Scandinavian markets, but this time she was accompanied by colleague Koen van Bezu, who is taking on responsibility for UK sales. Josine: “So this edition of IMPA was really about introducing Koen to key UK clients and giving him some background information and context about the UK market. All in all, it was a successful trade fair!”
Cyprus: bringing disciplines together
The third stop was Cyprus, where DSMS Account Manager Diana Ponirou travelled to the Annual Principal Client Event, a technical purchasing event organised by Interglobe Marinet Services. All the major shipping companies active in Cyprus attended, enabling meetings with DSMS as well as teams from Damen Shiprepair & Conversion and Albwardy Damen.
While in the region, Diana also scheduled client meetings in Greece and Cyprus. With several updates to share, including the introduction of Schelde Engine Services, the trip provided a good combination of the client event and face-to-face meetings with customers and partners.