Organizers of Subsea Expo, dubbed the world’s largest underwater engineering event, said Tuesday that the event will not be taking place this year, citing lockdown restrictions, rising infection cases, and new variants of the coronavirus in the UK.
The event, which had already been postponed from February to May due to the coronavirus-imposed restrictions, is now planned to take place in 2022.
The three-day exhibition and conference is now scheduled to run from 22 to 24 February 2022, organizer Subsea UK said Tuesday.
Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, said: “With the new lockdown, rising cases and new variants of the virus, there are strong indications that this year will continue to be disrupted despite the vaccine roll-out. There is no appetite among our members and the wider industry for Subsea Expo to become a virtual exhibition so we have taken the difficult but sensible decision to wait until February 2022 when we can be more certain of being able to deliver the event safely and secure the maximum attendance from the UK and overseas.”
The organizers said that all exhibitors and sponsors would be able to carry over their bookings and any deposits to next year’s event.
"In the meantime, Subsea UK is exploring the potential of a scaled-down virtual event or series of events for the dates which had been rescheduled to May 2021," Subsea UK said.
Gordon added: “We had already secured leading figures from sectors of the blue economy to present at Subsea Expo under the theme of Oceans of Opportunity – harnessing the Blue Economy. With significant opportunities for the underwater engineering industry in the global blue economy, estimated to be worth $3 trillion by 2030, we are keen to keep the momentum building around this exciting topic with on-line events at which delegates can explore the potential, glean valuable market intelligence and make valuable connections – albeit virtually.”