SMI Conference 2024
Developing a flagship conference throughout continuity, structure, and sector insight.
Overview
The SMI Conference is a long-standing fixture in the UK maritime calendar, moving location each year and evolving alongside the sector it serves. By 2024, Tide had been working with the Society of Maritime Industries for the third consecutive year.
The 2024 two-day conference, with a formal gala dinner on the opening evening, was attended by 200 delegates and 30 speakers.
With an established audience and high expectations, the brief was about refinement: improving flow, strengthening commercial value, and ensuring the event remained relevant and well-managed.
Approach
Delivery was built around familiarity with the event and audience. Due to our long-standing relationship with SMI, we were able to move quickly and concentrate efforts where they would have the greatest impact.
We provided full-service event management across the six months leading up to the event, overseeing planning, creative development, and on-site delivery.
The agenda was handled in close collaboration with SMI and the venue team, with decisions guided by the realities of a two-day event. The end result was a programme that held the audience’s attention without overloading the schedule.
The emphasis was on access, relevance, and quality of engagement.
Creative delivery ran alongside operational planning. This included:
- Set and staging design
- Development of event assets
- A coordinated promotional approach to support attendance
We planned and managed content capture as part of the event, and not as an afterthought. Photography and video were captured across the conference and gala dinner to encourage post-event communications and future marketing.
We also undertook a branding exercise to ensure consistency year after year. A dedicated SMI Conference identity was developed—including logo, colour palette, and visual assets—giving the event a consistent and recognisable presence that could support future events without starting from scratch.
Outcome
The SMI Conference 2024 met delegate expectations and supported strong commercial outcomes. Across the conference and gala dinner, the event welcomed:
- 200 attendees
- 30 speakers
- 10 sponsors
- 15 exhibitors
Beyond the event, the refreshed conference identity and new content library provided SMI with useful tools to support future events and strengthen its long-term value in the maritime space.
The conference benefited from a delivery partner able to think beyond a single event and take responsibility for its ongoing development. This project highlights the benefits of sustained partnership—where familiarity with the client, audience, and sector enables year-on-year improvement in delivery.
