Updated news: The NASF board has decided to postpone the event until June 8-10. Further information can be expected here on Matís' website in January.
In March every year for the past 15 years, managers and stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture industry have flocked to Bergen to attend a conference North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF).
The target group of this three-day conference has traditionally been managers in the fisheries, aquaculture and related industries, ie. equipment manufacturers, marketing companies, banks, insurance companies, consulting companies, etc. Although the cost of participation has been significant (the conference fee has been around ISK 150,000 + VAT per participant), between 800 and 1,000 people have attended the event each year, which shows how important this conference is for the target group. Due to COVID, it has now been decided that NASF21 will be an online event, which provides an opportunity to increase the number of participants and reduce the conference fee significantly.
The conference will take place on June 8-10 and is expected to have at least 2,500 participants. The conference fee is around 45,000 ISK + VAT (290 EUR) per participant, but then a volume discount is available for companies that register more participants. This year's program is particularly successful, a total of 130 presentations will be offered and among those present are Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, Nina Jensen, Secretary General REV Ocean, Jong-Gu Lee, Deputy Secretary General Dongwong Industries which is South Korea's largest fisheries company, Sady Delgado, managing director AquaChile, along with presentations from Yongs, Nutrco, Rabobank, Kontali, Pareto etc.
As in previous years, the program is divided into the following sections:
On June 8, six seminars will take place:
- Aqua tech, managed by Sintef
- Marsh Insurance, where insurance companies are the target group
- Yong leaders summit, where future leaders in the fishing industry are the target group
- A seminar on marine research, chaired by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research
- Seminar on research and innovation in the Norwegian fisheries sector, led by Norwegian research funds
- Seminar on international research and innovation in the fisheries sector.
The program for June 9 is divided into four parts:
- In the morning, there will be general presentations for all participants at a time, but that part is usually the highlight of the program.
- In the afternoon there are three seminars that take place simultaneously, ie.
- Aquaculture
- White fish
- Markets (Brexit)
The program for June 10 is divided into four parts:
- Pelagic fish
- Markets
- Sustainability
- Introductions to start-ups and innovation
One of the most important part of participating in the NASF has always been the opportunity to gather the main influences in the fisheries sector in one place to establish and maintain partnerships. Good and secure business relationships are always based on personal communication, and NASF has played an important role in this. This time, efforts will be made to meet those needs by offering to connect parties in micro-meetings. Different "packages" are available when it comes to such connections, but the "package" that most people are most likely to choose who is interested in taking advantage of this opportunity costs 500 EUR. For that "package", the company gets its name and presentation on the "wall" and then all general participants can book a meeting with that company.
There are still very few opportunities to get on the list of speakers or to become sponsors of NASF21.
For further information, contact Jónas R. Viðarsson jonas@matis.is or by phone 4225107.