Line-up released for the first ever Global Shrimp Forum

The Inaugural Global Shrimp Forum, which will take place in Utrecht between the 6^th – 8^th September has confirmed its detailed conference programme and announced the first 50 speakers. Another 50 speakers will be announced over the next couple of weeks. For the first time, the event will bring together the global business’ senior leaders, to address the most important questions facing the shrimp industry worldwide.

It is set to be an event packed with crucial insights that will take its place as an essential fixture in the seafood calendar. Tickets are selling fast and are available through the Global Shrimp Forum website.The event will kick off with a plenary opening, chaired by Chris Ninnes, the CEO of Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Chairman of the GSF Foundation, which will set the stage for what the two-day event has in store. The opening will also feature a range of keynote speakers such as Walter Faaij of Green Culture Lab, who will share their perspectives on how the shrimp industry can help solve the world’s largest challenges.

The programme for the event consists of nine in-depth half-day seminars, chaired by multiple contributors including Amy Novogratz, co-founder of Aqua-Spark, Guus Pastor, President of the Dutch Fish Federation, and Ronnie Tan, the aquaculture lead of the US Grains Council. The seminars will cover a variety of different topics ranging from Feed and Genetics to Finance and Investment.

Another key seminar topic up for discussion is Market and Retail Outlook. The session will be chaired by Gerhard Zurlutter, who until very recently was the international seafood buyer for Coop Switzerland. The seminar will delve into the various pressure points impacting shrimp trade and production and explore how macro-economic and retail trends are impacting shrimp consumption patterns. We will zoom into the topic by having global retailers and brands discuss their current and future expectations for sourcing shrimp, and we will hear about innovative initiatives the industry takes to be ahead of the game in meeting market expectations. The seminar will feature key speakers including Ragnar Nystøyl from Kontali Analyse.

In addition, the Shrimp Production Review and Outlook seminar will explore the ambitions of the five largest L. vannamei shrimp producing countries and how each of these major producers differ from one another. It will present the latest production data of the major shrimp producers, the drivers of growth and consider each country’s export performance. The speakers and panellists will include Ravi Kumar Yellanki of Vaisakhi Bio-Marine for India, Olivier DeCamp of Grobest for Vietnam, a representative of Japfa for Indonesia, and Gabriel Luna of Luna Shrimp for Ecuador. They will also provide an overview of what is to expect in the short-term and longer-term future. The seminar will be chaired by Travis Larkin, president of Seafood Exchange.

For more information on the seminars, please head to the Global Shrimp Forum website to view the programme.

Willem van der Pijl, joint founder of the Global Shrimp Forum said, “This is a long-anticipated event which will finally bring together the biggest names and some of the largest players in the global shrimp industry. It is the perfect opportunity to hear from other experts and get in-depth insights into the most important matters facing the industry today.”

The event has also been backed by over 30 sponsors from across the shrimp sector including Santa Priscilla from Ecuador, Thai Union from Thailand, Minh Phu from Vietnam, JAPFA from Indonesia, Sandhya Aqua from India, and Klaas Puul from the Netherlands. To view the full list, take a look at the dedicated sponsors’ page.