I’m tired. Where are my PTI-branded aromatherapy oils?

09 Jun 2011 - By Holly Birkett, Managing Editor of Port Technology International, London, UK. - Editor's Blog

Thursday 9th June – TOC Europe 2011, Antwerp.

TOC Europe has ended and I am sat in the airport departure lounge feeling a little tired and deflated. (It was only a half-day at the show today, so does that mean I can get away with writing a half-arsed half-blog?)

Whereas last year was a more low-key affair, the size and energy of this year’s TOC Europe has really reflected the revival of the market we’re currently seeing. Cargo throughput figures have been steadily increasing so budgets and revenue are up too, and all the exhibitors I spoke to said they’d had lots of interest, and some had even struck equipment orders then and there.

What the show also captured, I feel, is the renewed spirit of optimism for the future. It doesn’t appear that anyone – from port equipment manufacturers to port and terminal staff – is planning for a double-dip recession. Cost savings, as ever, are still high on the agenda, but this year environmental savings also featured prominently, both in the launch of new equipment and, for example, the new strategy of "environmental transparency" that Maersk will be implementing.

On a personal note, the last few days have been great – hard work, definitely, but it has paid off. We had some fantastic exposure at the show, and when I left the show there were only about six copies of our journal left over. I sourced some amazing leads for future articles, and spoke to some very happy advertisers. Couldn’t have asked for much more, really!

This year we distributed PTI-branded satchels at the show (a big hit with visitors), and now my mind is racing with possibilities of what we can distribute at TOC Europe 2012. PTI slippers? PTI neckerchief and waistcoat box set? PTI gonks?

I’ll sign off now, as my eyelids are beginning to droop. All that remains to say is a big thank-you to everyone at TOC Events, who really pulled out all the stops this year, and special thanks to Adam at Storm Communications too.

With any luck, I’ll see you there next year, where you can pick up your executive-style pleather wash bag with PTI-branded bath salts from our stand. "Smell like a port", the strapline will say. (That's a working title. Luckily I have a whole year to think of a new one.)