WELCOME

Colleagues, Friends and Industry Partners,

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 34th Annual Interferry Conference scheduled for Istanbul from 14-17 October 2009. The conference theme this year is “At The Crossroads – Choosing the Best Route Through Challenging Times”.

As you can tell the theme has a double meaning. Throughout its long history Istanbul has been at the geographical, cultural and trade crossroads between Europe and Asia. At this particular moment the ferry industry and shipping industry in general is at a crossroads too. Not only do we face the normal business challenges but now we are staring at the unknown in terms of the credit crisis and a global recession. The innovative spirit of ferry operators and their suppliers in the face of ever-changing political, financial and technological demands will be examined in full.

As conference speakers will show, future growth can be encouraged by companies with the will to embrace pro-active strategies that enhance and extend their service offerings in a climate of collaboration. The Interferry/IDO team has been hard at work planning the details of the conference. The event will be held at the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel in central Istanbul overlooking the Bosphorus. As well as an outstanding line-up of speakers from all over the world, we will have a number of special Turkish guests from government and industry. And of course no Interferry conference would be complete without a wide array of social and networking events.

I am looking forward to welcoming you to my city, Istanbul. If you haven’t visited for a while you will see many improvements in infrastructure. If this is your first visit, be prepared to be overwhelmed by a truly unique city.

Dr. Ahmet Paksoy
President, Interferry; General Manager, IDO