Companies from various subsectors linked to the sea cluster will participate, from October 9th and 11th, in the Mar Algarve Expo, an event that will take place for the first time at Portimão Arena.
Companies from the areas of aquaculture, nautical equipment and components, fishing, sport fishing, canning industry, marinas, diving, shipyards, shipbuilding, salt production, and tourism, among others, will be present.
Also participating are public entities with institutional and regulatory responsibilities, in the areas of cruise and recreational ports, tourism and the sea, as well as research centers, municipalities, clubs and associations.
To highlight the business aspect, there will be a lounge, integrated in the exhibition, to promote and improve the relations between the business fabric and this one with the University of Algarve, through meetings with researchers, with a view to developing the competitive factors of companies.
This aspect also has a space for quick presentations, in which exhibitors can present their products, projects and businesses.
With regard to the technical aspect, throughout Mar Algarve, issues that concern the Algarve region will be debated in the form of seminars. For these seminars, the presence of Ribau Esteves, president of the Chamber of Aveiro and of the Ocean XXI (Cluster of Knowledge and Economy of the Sea), as well as Jorge Botelho, president of AMAL, David Santos, president of CCDR Algarve, Desidério Silva, president of Turismo do Algarve, among others.
At a time when novelties may be announced under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, this aspect is of particular importance for agents in the Algarve region.
Ocean XXI will also host some workshops of particular interest in different fields.
Mar Algarve will also have an educational aspect, which, with the support of the General Directorate of Schools, includes the visit of various school groups to the event, as well as active participation in its organization and animation, through the special participation of organization courses of events, music, theater, photography, and sound.
As for the gastronomic aspect, the fair will feature taverns that will highlight delicacies from the sea. There will also be specific actions to promote and show cooking of certain fishing resources, provided by some of the exhibitors, such as mussels and oysters (Companhia de Pescarias do Algarve) and cuttlefish and mackerel (Docapesca), in a space operated by the School of Hotel and Tourism in the Algarve.
Several exhibitors will also promote parallel animation activities.
This being its first edition, the event will target professionals in the sector, schools in the Algarve and the general public.
According to the organization, «there are several objectives of this event: from the outset, affirming the Algarve as a region with importance and dimension in the sea cluster», as well as «giving professionals from the various subsectors connected to the sea cluster the chance to meet , discuss common problems, develop businesses, and define together the future».
At the same time, Mar Algarve Expo aims to provide «its agents with an opportunity to promote and market their products to new audiences».
Signed by Maralgarve – Association for the Promotion of Knowledge and the Economy of the Sea in the Algarve and organized by L PRO Lda, a tourism consultancy and event organization company, the event has as partners Oceano XXI and Associação Algarve Anima, sponsored by Administration of the Ports of Sines and Algarve and the Algarve Tourism Region.
It also has the support of public bodies such as the CCDR Algarve, the University of Algarve, the General Directorate of School Establishments, the Employment and Vocational Training Institute and the Associação Turismo de Portimão.
PROGRAM (provisional):
Day 9
10:00 – Opening session with the presence of public entities that are partners of the event
11:30 am – Opening of the exhibition and visit to the space
12:30 – Show cooking at the food court | Algarve Hotel and Tourism School
14:00 – Seminar “The integration of public policies in the economic development model of the Algarve sea” (Auditorium)
15:00 – School visits to the exhibition space
16:00 – Coffee break
16:30 – Seminar “Business opportunities in the next framework of community programming” (Auditorium)
21: 00 - Closing
Day 10
10:00 – Opening of the exhibition space
10:00 – Seminar “New paths and training models in the development of professionals in the Algarve sea” (Auditorium)
11:00 – School visits to the exhibition space
12:00 – Statistical Information Workshop “Saliniculture”
Organization: OCEAN XXI (Parallel Room)
12:30 – Show cooking at the food court | Algarve Hotel and Tourism School
14:30 – Seminar “The economic impact of maritime-tourism activities in the Algarve, a promotion model and critical success factors” (Auditorium)
15:00 – School visits to the exhibition space
15:30 – Statistical Information Workshop “Naval Construction”
Organization: OCEAN XXI (Parallel Room)
16:00 – Coffee break
16:30 – Seminar “Attracting young people to the sea” (Auditorium)
21: 00 - Closing
Day 11
10:00 – Opening of the exhibition space
11:30 am – Workshop Presentation of the “Portugal Náutico” project
Organization: OCEAN XXI and AEP (Parallel Room)
12:30 – Show cooking at the food court | Algarve Hotel and Tourism School
21: 00 - Closing
Comments