Waterways for smart transport
Challenges & successes
Economic Seminar
Organized by COVENTURIS and CreaDelta
A one-day working seminar on inland waterways transport took place
with a focus on operation, finance and innovation
Objective
The aim was to facilitate business relations in the inland waterways transport sector and to create awareness on the related opportunities considering its growth across Europe and the competitive advantages it can offer compared to other means of transport.
Speakers and attendees represented diversity amongst the whole value chain including SMEs, start-ups, large companies, clusters, research groups, investment firms, pilots, operators, city distributors, etc.
Actionable insights along the day
It started with interactive presentations providing key lessons learned, success stories, addressing challenges and failures and inspiring with innovation and trends.
Leading up to afternoon co-creation workshops where participants actively collaborated in subgroups on the topics of their choice to generate ideas, solve problems, improve working relationships or share feedbacks. Animated with professionals, the interactive workshops stimulated the development of business opportunities and creativity through collaborative working.
Several questions have been addressed such as:
- Why inland waterways transport can also be profitable for SMEs?
- What are the operational constraints?
- What can be changed to ease the access to finance?
- How a city can benefit from waterways to improve urban transport?
- Is there room for tech startups in such environment?
- Why is it a growing transport mode across Europe?
- Why open data could benefit all stakeholders?
- How legislation can support the uptake?
- Should education and training be stimulated?
Speakers and moderators
Yves Houard
Maritime Pilot
Maritime &
Transport Expert
AGENDA
8:30 – 9:00 Welcome coffee and registration
9:00 – 10:30 Morning session 1
- New opportunities for SMEs: The case of André Celis and AB Inbev
- Waterways in Belgium : an underrated asset
- Key elements of the financing of the inland waterways transport sector
- Dynamic waterways management fostering prosperity and sustainability
- Successful expansion across Europe using inland waterways transport
- A pilot’s perspective on the constraints and complementarities
Mr. Nick Celis, André Celis
Mr. Bernard Piette, Logistics in Wallonia
Dr. Christa Sys, Holder of the BNP Paribas Fortis chair on transport, logistics and ports at University of Antwerp
Mr. Frans D’Haese, Waterwegen & Zeekanaal
Mr. Emmanuel Maes, Group De Cloedt
Cdt. Yves Houard
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30 Morning session 2
- How smart technology can help the transportation sector to comply with regulations
- Software solution for the carriage of dangerous goods
- A logistical platform for palletized goods using inland waterways
- The four waves in the inland waterways sector: models and approaches to support the transition
- Real-time ship location for transport management
- Virtual reality for immersive training environment and navigation e-learning
Mr. Erik De Herdt, Lex.be
Mr. André Hage, DN&T
Mr. Antoon Van Coillie, Blue Line Logistics
Prof. Cathy Macharis, MOBI Research Centre
Mr. Stephane Helsmoortel, Canaleye
Mr. Hervé Verloes, Poolpio
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 16:30 Afternoon session
Each participant will come back with added-value elements aligned with its own centre of interest.
You will be able to address problems in an open environment, challenge ideas and co-create track of solutions that will be exploitable immediately.
Three parallel workshops are foreseen on the following thematics:
- Operation
For organizations that consider using this transport mode but question the feasibility and would like to know how to start and for those willing to develop further their operations.
- Finance
For investors and banks interested by this growing sector to diversify their portfolio or for companies looking after solutions to bridge the financial gap.
- Innovation
For actors interested by ICT, operational, technological or cross-sectoral innovations. To discuss new business models and ‘barriers to adoption’.
16:30 – 18:00 B2B Meetings and Networking
Who should attend?
SMEs, Large companies, City logistics companies, Maritime and inland operators, Cargo operators, Shipowners, ICT companies, Banks, Investment firms, BE and EU Authorities.
Presentations and workshops will be in English.
4 October 2016
8:30 to 18:00
Transforma Bxl
Coworking & innovation space
1140 Evere, Belgium
Supporting organizations
Organizing partners
Any questions ? Get in touch
Please email us at info@coventuris.com or use the contact form: