Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2006)

MTR What is the OceanTech Expo?

RH OceanTech Expo is the first of what will be an annual trade show for the ocean technology and marine science industry.

MTR How will this exposition differen- tiate itself from other conferences and expositions?

RH OceanTech — OTEC for short — is an Industry Trade Show, not a meeting or technical conference with an expo com- ponent. The Expo is the center of the event and all things coinciding with the expo are to enhance the expo and keep attendees involved with the event.

MTR From an exhibitor standpoint, what is the attraction of participating?

RH First, OTEC is an internationally marketed event that provides companies in this industry an interactive environment conducive to developing client relation- ships and sales. Second, the OTEC sched- ule keeps attendees focused on the prod- ucts and services being exhibited, keeping the spotlight where it should be: on the technology.

MTR Aside from tradi- tional exhibit hall booths, what other way can a com- pany selling to this market participate and benefit from OceanTech Expo?

RH They can provide attendees face to face train- ing on their products in a breakout session, they can offer attendees hands on knowledge of the products thru the on water demos or they can sit in on an industry outlook ses- sion and gain insight on potential business or technology that might need to be devel- oped. All aspects of the show are geared at increasing the bottom line of exhibitors.

MTR Why was Providence, RI chosen for OceanTech Expo?

RH Providence was chosen for its cen- tral location between the west coast and

Europe, northeastern Canada and the east- ern seaboard. There is a strong base of gov- ernment agencies, universities, R&D and tech companies in this region, and it has close proximity to water for a short 15 minute commute to the on-water demos.

The convention center is easily accessible and centrally located in a clean, historic city center with dining and entertainment that is in walking distance for guests.

MTR How has the industry responded?

RH Industry response has been tremendous. As soon as people hear about

OceanTech Expo (OTEC) 2007

Set for October 2-4, 2007 in Providence

Rob Howard

Q&A

OTEC 2007 Fast Facts

When: October 2-4, 2007

Where: Providence, Rhode Island

Web: www.oceantechexpo.com

Contact: Rob Howard

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 561-732-4368 20 MTR November 2006

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