There are not many fishing industry events that bring people together in quite the unique way that DanFish does. Located at Aalborg in Denmark, this year’s DanFish International has more than three hundred exhibitors from around the world – and Denmark’s HRH Prince Joachim will formally open the exhibition at 11AM on Wednesday 11th of October.
European suppliers form the majority of those taking part, and understandably, the Danish fishing industry supply sector is heavily represented in there.
However, this is a highly international event serving an industry that has an extremely international nature, located at a meeting point of northern and southern Europe, and close to the Baltic region – and with a proximity to the Russian market with its huge growth potential.
Altogether, more than three hundred exhibitors are gathering in Aalborg for DanFish, representing suppliers and services from twenty-five countries across three continents, and while it’s always a gamble to predict how many visitors any exhibition will attract, the curve has been firmly upward. 14,000 visitors attended the 2015 exhibition, an increase on the 2013 event and the number is expected to grow again this year as the exhibition itself has expanded.
‘I have been coming to the DanFish show since 2005, and I find it one of the best exhibitions,’ said Keith Coady, fleet manager at Nataaqnaq Fisheries in Canada. ‘The exhibitors and location prove to be one of the best.
The DanFish International organisers are confident that this year’s numbers will also see an increase, not least as DanFish has a reputation for not just the numbers but the quality of its visitors, bringing in fishermen and fleet managers among the decision makers who head for Aalborg in October.
A first-time visitor to this year’s exhibition will be Iain Harcus of the 33.89 metre, Kirkwall-registered trawler Aalskere.
‘For a long time everything I have come across in Denmark related to fishing is just first class, whether it be machinery, engineering, fishmarkets, harbours, boat design, boat building, fishing gear, people, the list goes on,’ commented Iain Harcus.
‘We have had close links to Denmark for a long time. I have never made it to DanFish, but I have had plenty of good reports about it. I’m looking forward to a few very interesting days when we attend this year, I’m sure it will be a great show.’
The figures speak for themselves, as 38% of the companies exhibiting at DanFish this year coming to Aalborg from outside Denmark, and a quarter of these are companies that are either new to this exhibition or are renewing their presence at DanFish after a long absence.
What is striking about this year’s line-up for DanFish is the number of shipbuilders who are signed up to take part – including a strong showing of shipyards making their first appearance here. These shipbuilders taking part as first-time exhibitors include Thecla Bodewes from the Netherlands, the Måløy Maritime Group, Simek and Norske Skipsverft from Norway, the Nelton, Poltramp and Nauta shipyards from Poland, the Nodosa, Astander and Astican yards from Spain and the Özata shipyard in Turkey.
What is clear is a robust confidence in the fishing sector, as fishing companies around the world seek to invest and build new vessels. This faith in the future of fishing is clearly demonstrated at the DanFish exhibition with its unique international nature that attracts both exhibitors and visitors from outside Denmark.
