Published on: 10 March 2021
With less than a week to go before the British Marine Digital Spring Expo, taking place online between 16-18 March, British Marine is delighted to confirm an incredible keynote speaker. Martin Beck, Senior Economist at Oxford Economics, will be opening the event at 9am on Tuesday 16 March with an invaluable keynote speech titled ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’.
After an unprecedented year, this keynote session is ideal for those who are preparing for the season ahead, planning budgets, resources and looking to best navigate the uncertainties of COVID-19 and a post-Brexit world.
Focusing on the positives, Martin will cover how the lockdowns have resulted in pent-up household savings and how the prospect of a ‘staycation’ summer will affect the UK economy. This will be supported by his insights into the success of the vaccination programme this far and the government’s roadmap for reopening the UK economy. Martin will also make the case that the impact of extending the COVID-19 support schemes, the prospect of a synchronised global upturn and the Brexit deal should be seen as opportunities for an economic uplift. However, there is still the possibility of economic risk, for which Martin will give thought to the permanent damage to the economy, questioning if the government could go overboard with future efforts to reduce borrowing and whether inflation will re-emerge.
The Digital Spring Expo is free for British Marine members who simply need to register online. Companies and individuals who are not members are also invited to join on any of the days with a super ticket offer. Registration on the day will also be available.
A packed schedule of over 16 interactive sessions and more than 30 speakers will provide content for all sectors of the marine industry and makes the Digital Spring Expo a must-attend event.
To assist attendees in choosing sessions, each day is being dedicated to a theme. The first day is named ‘Road to recovery’ with sessions to aid businesses chart a post-Brexit course, and build back from COVID-19. Alongside the keynote session on day one, there will be a full agenda including an in-depth look at ‘Working with the media’ with Hugo Montgomery-Swan from Powerboat and Rib magazine. There will also be a chance for attendees to share their views in the ‘Shaping UK laws post-Brexit’ session as the panel asks for examples of EU-originated regulations which should be reviewed.
Day two will look at ‘Participation and tourism’ as another ‘staycation’ summer approaches in the UK. A session named ‘Leveraging changing consumer and market trends will look at what resources are available to British Marine members to assist with maximising the reach of watersports and attracting new customers. There is also a session focused on understanding the challenges and steps the marine industry needs to take in order to successfully transition to a Green Economy.
‘Trade’ is the focal point for the final day centring on global opportunities and exporting to international markets. Sessions will look at available funding support for businesses with a member case study from EP Barrus. Leading logistic experts GAC Pindar will also be running a session on new customs procedures following Brexit.
Networking forms a key part of any British Marine Expo and being online is no exception with four dedicated networking sessions taking place. British Marine understands that building business relationships online should be a comfortable yet professional experience. Therefore, each session, after a short introduction, will break out into smaller conversation rooms. With cameras on and friendly face-to-face chat, the smaller groups facilitate meeting new people and exchanging contacts, as well as catching up with familiar acquaintances in the industry. Participants can expect to join up to 4 different groups during the session, creating numerous opportunities to network. Opening up opportunities to the whole industry, the Wednesday morning Networking session is free to attend for all.
Register here for the British Marine Digital Spring Expo.
The British Marine Digital Spring Expo line-up
Tuesday 16 March – Road to Recovery
Keynote speaker: Light at the end of the tunnel – Martin Beck from Oxford Economics
Working with the media
Networking: road to recovery focus
Shaping UK laws post-Brexit – have your say
VAT – what’s changed?
Statistics & Research: the benefit to members
Wednesday 17 March – Participation & Tourism
Networking: participation & tourism focus
Leveraging changing consumer and market trends
Maximising opportunities in marine tourism
Afternoon networking session
The Green Economy – it’s actually blue!
Engagement and Performance: Social Media 101
Thursday 18 March – Trade
Maximising global trade opportunities
Networking: trade focus
Funding support
Completing new customs declaration for EU trade
Working together to achieve Net-Zero emissions
About Martin Beck
At Oxford Economics, Martin is responsible for forecasting and monitoring the UK economy and works on numerous UK macro-related consultancy projects. Prior to working for Oxford Economics, he spent nearly two years at Capital Economics, where he worked on Capital’s UK macro and consumer services. He was responsible for producing UK macroeconomic analysis and forecasts on a national, sectoral and industry level. Before joining Capital, he spent 11 years as an economist at HM Treasury, where he worked in a variety of macroeconomic, microeconomic and policy roles.