Previous Events
OWIB was held first time in 2007 under the name Offshore Wind Network Event. Since, the concept have been improved with each yearly event and the number of participants have increased drastically.
Article from the Danish newspaper Børsen, September 8 2010.
Article from newsmagazine ON/OFF News, September 2010.
Speed dating was the strating signal - an example of a success story, September 2011.
Testimonials from past years participants
“Overall an excellent format for gaining exposure in a focused manner to key players in the supply chain. As a small company promoting a new product, the event proved to be a valuable opportunity to gain feedback from more established industry players and of course face time with potential clients which ordinarily through traditional methods would be difficult to achieve.
When compared to the usual process for promotion and specifically the costs involved, the event represented excellent value for money.”
Director, GEV Offshore Ltd
"OWIB is a very efficient way of meeting potential customers and suppliers. Everyone I had meetings with were very positive and constructive in their approach to network. I am sure everyone both contributed and benefitted to the network."
CEO, Masytec A/S
“The offshore vind business is a highly international industry with an increasing number of businesses. OWIB gathers the industry and paves the way for dialogue with new cooperation partners in the industry. The concept with many short meetings is spot-on and OWIB is an important event for Siemens Wind Power.”
Director of Offshore Engineering, Siemens Wind Power
“This was an intensive event for all parties but it was well organized and succinct. The times were strictly adhered to - an excellent concept, well done to all concerned.”
General Manager, Petans Training Ltd
“As one of the market leaders in offshore wind it is very important for Vattenfall to have knowledge sharing with other main actors in that area to develop our business the best way and most of all having valuable information how to lower costs of energy.
By joining the OWIB we have the possibility to meet other main players in the offshore business and through presentations, networking and discussions get important inputs to move offshore wind business in a more matured direction.”
Head of Generation, Vattenfall Wind Power, Denmark
“As the market leader in wind power, Vestas aims to bring offshore wind on par with onshore. OWIB lends the opportunity to meet with other industry players to discuss the key issues facing offshore wind today; therefore OWIB is a significant event in helping us reach our goal.
An offshore wind farm is a long term investment designed to last 20 years. Therefore the Cost of Energy over the lifetime of the wind power plant and the Return on Investment are the most important factors for investing in offshore. OWIB provides the forum to raise this awareness and present offshore wind as an important inclusion in the world-wide energy mix.”
Director, Head of Supply Chain Management Operations, Vestas Offshore
"The 'speed meetings' is an extreme smart solution, when you wish to expand your network and thereby finding beneficial contacts for your business."
Key Account Manager, EU Montage Danmark
"Great event - looking forward to next year"
Project Manager, JUTLANDIA Terminal A/S
"I thought it was an excellent event which provide the opportunity for making good quality contacts."
Marketing Coodinator (Renewables), Gardline Renewables
OWIB 2011
Orders for safety equipment, deals on supply of constructions for offshore wind turbine towers, new collaborations across borders and great media interest. The OWIB – Offshore Wind International Business2Business Event 2011 – was a positive experience for many participants, and several of them secured specific orders at the gathering, which took place in Esbjerg Concert Hall.
No fewer than 308 people from 11 countries turned up for the OWIB, where interested manufacturers, suppliers, energy companies and organisations had brief, informal meetings. 1,700 meetings were held in one single day, and many guests from abroad also went on guided tours to some of the Danish offshore sector’s key companies and on a helicopter ride to the offshore wind farms Horns Rev 1 and Horns Rev 2.
Offshore Center Danmark is responsible for the OWIB. Development Manager Morten Holmager says:
“We’ll now evaluate the results, but we had much positive feedback already in the days immediately after the event. The OWIB isn’t a traditional conference; it ‘s a meeting place for players in the offshore wind sector, and the aim is to gather the sector. This has resulted in many new collaborations and specific orders, and a lot of people have begun talking about collaboration in future.”
Thousands of business cards changed hands during the OWIB, and one of those who made a sale already at the gathering was sales manager Peter Enevoldsen from Procurator. He secured a order for supply of personal safety equipment with the customer’s logo from a specific company that had asked to meet Procurator at the OWIB.
Peter Enevoldsen said:
“The reason for us to take part in the OWIB was to meet a lot of companies and acquire new contacts. Many of the people we met today expressed their interest in entering into agreements, so it’s been very rewarding for us to be here.”
The OWIB took place for the fifth year running. This year the event was organised in collaboration with Invest in Denmark, which is an organisation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The aim of the collaboration with Invest in Denmark is to make visible the OWIB in relation to foreign companies interested in establishing themselves in Denmark.
Offshore Center Danmark’s Morten Holmager says:
“Invest in Denmark has communicated the message about the OWIB in the countries that have begun to take an interest in offshore wind farms such as France, Germany and China, and it was very positive to have participants from all these 3 countries at the OWIB. I’m convinced that we’ll see even greater international interest in visiting the OWIB in future, and we’ll now embark on preparing the framework for next year’s event.”
Some of those reporting on the OWIB were the Chinese Xinhua News Agency and a French TV-crew – a total of 18 invited journalists and photographers - and the event has made it into the headlines in, among others, Chinese media.
More photos below.
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OWIB 2010
OWIB 2010 was joined by 125 participants, among others:
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Click on the image below to see the invitation for OWIB 2010.
OWIB 2009
Offshore Center Danmark hosted November 17th the Offshore Wind Business2Business Event 2009 in Esbjerg, Denmark. 60 participants from companies and organisations from Germany, The United Kingdom, France, USA and Denmark participated in order to exchange business cards and discuss future projects and ideas within the offshore wind sector with potential business partners and sub suppliers.
Each participant had the possibility to pin point companies and organisations they wanted to meet with, and Offshore Center Danmark arranged more than 200 meetings during the event.
One of the British participants attending the conference was David Wood from Suffolk County Council. David Wood had meetings with several Danish companies in order to attract projects to the Suffolk region in East England, but as a business partner in the international offshore wind project POWER Cluster he also emphasises the need to co-operate in the international offshore sector in common.
”The main purpose of this event is to enable businesses to work together, collaborate across Europe and to bring businesses together. We have to learn from each other and bring the offshore wind marked forward in order to fulfil the targets set by The European Union”, David Wood said in between a long range of meetings.
Measured by capacity England is the number one nation in Europe regarding planned offshore wind farms, and David Wood hoped during the conference to motivate companies withn the offshore wind sector to engage in the East England region.
“In Suffolk one of the key industry is the energy sector. And without support and encouragement through different energy projects it will not develop to its full potential. One of our initiatives is to ask business to consider establishing projects in our region. And hopefully the companies can benefit from our offers”, David Wood said.
After a busy day the participants had the opportunity to se the harbour facilities during a one hour sight seeing with Port of Esbjerg’s Head of Maritime Deprtment, Torben Jensen, as host and commentator during the trip.
Offshore Wind Business2Business Event will be held next time in the autumn of 2010.
Presentations and photos from the event:
See presentation from Offshore Center Danmark here.
See presentation from the Danish Energy Agency here.
See presentation from windcomm schleswig-holstein here.
