13 minute read
How the show’s “hybrid” approach will work
Welcome back
The biennial trade show is returning in physical and virtual form
It’s Trondheim � me again – but not as we know it. Aqua Nor is back, but this � me many of the par� cipants will be present in digital form only.
Two years ago, organisers the Nor-Fishing Founda� on were gearing up for Aqua Nor 2019 –the biggest event in the series to date – and looking to an even bigger gathering in 2021. We all know what happened in between to make trade fairs like Aqua Nor impossible to hold.
Now, however, plans are well advanced for an in-person event and once more, Aqua Nor is a key fi xture in the aquaculture calendar. The trade fair and conference will be returning to the Spektrum conference venue in Trondheim, Norway over 24-27 August, but it will also be a “hybrid” event with livestreaming of the speakers and sessions, the opportunity to network online and “digital stands” for exhibitors.
Speaking last year, Kris� an Digre, general manager of the Nor-Fishing Founda� on said that the concept of a digital pla� orm had already been trialled at Aqua Nor’s sister show Nor-Fishing earlier in 2020.
He added: “The par� cipants [at Nor-Fishing] have given us a lot of good feedback on what they want more of. We take this with us when planning Aqua Nor. Adding a digital pla� orm to the fair will add value for exhibitors who will have more opportuni� es to profi le themselves. It will also make it easier for visitors, who for various reasons cannot physically par� cipate, to see what is happening in Trondheim.
“At the same � me, it is important for us to preserve the physical part of the fair as much as prac� cally possible and infec� on control considera� ons allow. There is something very special about having a chat or mee� ng old acquaintances in the entrance hall area.”
Erik Hempel, Director of Communica� ons with the Nor-Fishing Founda� on, agrees. He told Fish Farmer: “The response we’ve had – especially from those in Norway – is that everyone is looking forward to mee� ng up again. They are sick and � red of Teams mee� ngs!”
The physical trade fair takes place in the exhibi� on halls of Trondheim Spektrum, as well as in tents outside the halls. In addi� on, there will be exhibitors at Skansen, Trondheim’s historic park, harbour and fortress.
The large exhibi� on areas, organisers say, will allow visitors to retain a safe distance from each other at all � mes. Aqua Nor follows the Norwegian Government’s infec� on control guide for trade fairs and exhibi� ons.
Of course, even with the best precau� ons in place some people may prefer to stay away from large events at the present � me, and par� cularly for those based outside Norway, ge� ng there in person may be a problem.
At the � me of wri� ng, visitors from outside Norway who have either had Covid and recovered, or are fully vaccinated, and can verify this with EDCC (European Digital Covid Cer� fi cate] documenta� on, will be allowed to enter without quaran� ne. As things stand, that excludes visitors from the UK, which is on Norway’s “red list” – meaning that unless certain excep� ons apply, UK residents cannot enter Norway. As with all Covid-related ma� ers, the best advice is to check regularly as the rules can always be updated at short no� ce.
For those who will be taking part digitally, however, Aqua Nor still offers a full programme, organised in partnership with
Above: The Trondheim Spektrum Opposite from top: How the digital event will look; networking outside the Spektrum centre; inside the hall
Norwegian company Netfair.
Exhibitors will have customisable “digital stands” which can be used to show videos, provide informa� on and communicate with visitors via online chat or video call.
Online visitors will be able to see live streams from events at the fair as well as broadcast interviews with speakers, and summaries of the day’s events. It is already possible to register online and the online fair will be accessible as from 1 August.
On 23 August there will be an all-digital conference on the theme “More Food from the Oceans. Blue is the New Green.” This will bring a global perspec� ve to food produc� on, both as supplier for an increasing world popula� on, and the posi� ve eff ects on our clima� c challenges by moving more protein produc� on from land to sea.
Organised by The Nor-Fishing Founda� on, independent research organisa� on SINTEF and NTNU (the Norwegian University of Science and Technology), this will include contribu� ons from academia, government and industry, with specialised sessions on exposed aquaculture, land-based aquaculture, feed resources and nutri� on, food processing and engineering and enabling technology for aquaculture.
The offi cial opening of the Aqua Nor conference itself takes place on the following day, 24 August, and will be followed by the presenta� on of the Innova� on Award 2021.
During the main conference there will be a series of presenta� ons in the Research Plaza (in-person and online) which this year is a collabora� on is a collabora� on between Nofi ma, SINTEF Ocean, NORCE, UiT Norwegian Arc� c University, the University of Bergen, the Ins� tute of Marine Research, the Veterinary Ins� tute, NMBU, NINA, Akvaplan-Niva, FHF, Innova� on Norway and the Research Council.
The Professional Conference runs from 25-27 August and covers a range of topics including exposed (off shore) and land-based aquaculture; the latest developments in aquafeed; food processing and engineering; and enabling technology for aquaculture.
Also running throughout the conference will be a series of six seminars, three in English and three in Norwegian. The topics will be: improving the industry’s image; towards a new era in fi sh farming – land based and off shore; aquaculture as major supplier of seafood in future (English); and tax in Norway; cod farming; seaweed cul� va� on (Norwegian).
Meanwhile, the digital element is not the only new look for Aqua Nor this year. The event has a new logo showing two fi sh, with the symbol’s outer circle symbolizing the cage. The organisers have chosen to retain the colours from the previous logo – blue and red – thus taking some of the show’s history into the future.
The Nor-Fishing Founda� on says: “The two fi sh that swim in rela� on to one another symbolise the two parts of the hybrid fair; the physical and the digital, the fair as a mee� ng place, and the interac� on between exhibitors and visitors – breeders and suppliers.
“In the future, dressed in our new and modern ou� it, we will con� nue to be the most important mee� ng place for the aquaculture industry – physically and digitally. A mee� ng place for passionate souls, with hearts that beat for the sea and the fi sh.”
Whether par� cipants will be fi gura� vely swimming together in the exhibi� on halls at Trondheim, or online, Aqua Nor 2021 off ers a packed programme. For more informati on see aquanor.no/en/ FF
SAVED
from the sea
Show visitors at Trondheim can see the service boat that was nearly lost in a storm
One par� cipant at Aqua Nor 2021 very nearly failed to make it. The service boat AQS Tor will be offi cially christened as part of the trade fair, and conference which takes place over 24-27 August this year.
In April of this year, the brand-new AQS Tor was being transported to Norway when the Dutch cargo ship carrying it, the Eemsli� Hendrika, was wrecked in a severe storm. The cargo vessel’s crew were forced to abandon ship amid 45 to 50 � high waves, and the weather was so bad at one point there were fears it might be lost.
The AQS Tor was swept off the Eemsli� Hendrika’s deck but, amazingly, it survived the rough seas and a salvage team managed to secure the service boat and bring it back to safety.
The value of the AQS Tor, which was being delivered to Norway by Moen Marin, the world’s largest supplier of workboats to the aquaculture sector, is es� mated at around £5m.
Moen Marin, AQS (the fi sh farming services business which will be opera� ng the boat), and Aqua Nor will be exhibiting the service boat at Trondheim and the christening will be open to all the show’s par� cipants. The event will also broadcast on the digital trade fair’s online pla� orm.
Kris� an Hjertvik, technical manager at AQS said: “AQS Tor was soon fully repaired a� er the accident, and we are very much looking forward to showing it at Aqua Nor, and of course to rent it out for its fi rst assignment this summer.”
The boat will be ready to take on its fi rst mission as early as the beginning of July.
Hjertvik added: “The christening will take place at 4:00 pm on Wednesday during Mass - that is, August 25. It will be a public ceremony that all par� cipants at Aqua Nor can a� end. In addi� on, the boat will be open to visitors who want to have a closer look at it.”
Hjertvik hopes the presence will inspire others to look at the aquaculture industry. He says: “AQS Tor has already become a well-known name in Norway. We want to show it off during the exhibi� on, both because we are proud of it and the journey it has survived, but also to inspire others to work at sea and join this fantas� c profession.”
The brand-new service boat was completed at Moen Marin in Croa� a, and was on its way home to Norway when the accident happened. During the accident, the cargo ship posed the greatest environmental threat, with several tonnes of fuel and oil on board.
Hjertvik says: “The Norwegian Coastal Administra� on and the rescue company thus naturally had to priori� se rescuing the cargo ship. In order to save AQS Tor, we fi nally chose to hire the salvage company Stadt Sjøtransport ourselves. A� er the salvage, AQS Tor was transported to Florø, where the vessel remained for a week for inspec� on and a report on the extent of the damage. Hjertvik believes that the extent of the damage would have been much greater if they had not saved the boat themselves. A� er a tender round, the vessel was sent to Moen Ver� at Kolvereid, where the repairs were started.
He added: “Right now, we are just wai� ng for a few parts, then the boat is ready to be put into opera� on. AQS Tor will be an excellent service boat for the aquaculture industry, in addi� on to being equipped with ROV [remotely operate vehicle technology] and can thus be used for other assignments such as control of submarine cables and pipelines.” FF
Above: AQS Tor being towed Left: Kris� an Hjertvik
