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The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is a world-leading centre for hydrography, providing data and expertise to support safe, secure, and thriving oceans. It delivers maritime navigational products and services through its ADMIRALTY portfolio, which is used by over 90% of large ships trading internationally. As a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), UKHO has, for over 200 years, produced trusted and world-leading charts and publications to ensure the safety of ships, crew, and cargo.
When we began our partnership with UKHO, maritime navigation primarily relied on paper charts and products. Over the following decade, driven by technological advancements and evolving regulations, the maritime world transitioned to digital formats. In response, UKHO developed a range of electronic charts, publications, and services to meet the industry’s changing needs. UKHO played a key role in leading the way in digital navigation by providing a wider range of solutions for mariners adopting new technologies. This leadership was partly achieved through targeted marketing strategies and tactics designed to support commercial growth and enhance customer loyalty, both of which leveraged live, face-to-face events and global exhibitions.
Headed by Shirley Chick, BLUE’s events business partner, we delivered specialist, global B2B event management services to UKHO over a 15-year period. This included the planning, creation, and execution of global seminars, exhibitions, and thought-leadership events. In collaboration with UKHO’s internal marketing team, we conceived and executed a five-year global roadshow to educate mariners on the transition to digital navigation. This encompassed major maritime exhibitions such as Posidonia, SMM Hamburg, Nor-Shipping, Marintec China, Sea Asia, and London International Shipping Week (LISW), as well as bespoke events in key port cities including Mumbai, Connecticut, Rotterdam, and Athens. We also developed and delivered annual Distributor Conferences in Shanghai, Singapore, and London, providing a platform for UKHO to directly engage, collaborate, and communicate with its sales network.
We provided proactive, best-practice advice, guidance, research, and recommendations for events and exhibitions. This involved collaborating with UKHO’s other agencies (spanning brand, copywriting, experiential, and PR) in the development of events. A core objective was to deliver and recommend strategies and approaches that would increase engagement and attendance at seminars, events, exhibitions, and conferences, while optimising best practices and ROI. Ultimately, UKHO’s proactive event strategy successfully educated over 4,000 mariners on the transition from paper to digital nautical charts and products. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategy was adapted to include UKHO’s first virtual Blue Data Conference. This all-day event featured live and pre-recorded content, shared with hundreds of participants worldwide.
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