The Technical Advisory Committee of SINAVAL, the International Fair of the Shipping, Maritime, Port and Fisheries Industries, has reached an agreement based on active collaboration to schedule the next edition of this event at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre for April 21-24 2009.

The event is sure to be an attractive meeting point for the shipping, maritime, port and fisheries industries, and an unmissable forum for sharing and discussing experiences and learning about the latest developments, technologies and services available from the leading firms in the field.

The technical staff of the organisers have drawn up a full schedule of promotional activities, including the signing of agreements with some of the most representative associations and federations in the sector, contacts with various tiers of government and an international congress in support of the event, all of which are scheduled to take place in the coming months. A considerable allocation of funds has also been earmarked for an extensive campaign to attract purchasers, which will seek to make Bilbao the focal point of shipping, maritime and fisheries affairs.

The plan drawn up by the Technical Advisory Committee also includes other initiatives, such as the organising of the 4^th International Shipping Meetings and a number of technical seminars. Work has already begun to design the layout of the congress programme for the 2009 event.

The SINAVAL team will also be making major efforts to promote the event at home and abroad in strategic forums, through participation in representative fairs at international level and through meetings and interviews with all those players in the maritime and fisheries sector whose involvement is considered determinant for the forthcoming event.

The last SINAVAL fair consolidated itself as an essential event for the shipping, maritime, port and fisheries industries, with a total of 447 exhibitors from 27 countries and 6215 visitors, mostly high-ranking specialists.