For Nor-Shipping 2025, Tide was commissioned to design and amplify the presence of the UK Pavilion, with responsibility for developing a space that worked hard for everyone involved. The Pavilion brought together 14 UK maritime companies under a shared national presence.

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The brief had several priorities, including:

1. Co-exhibitors needed visibility and space to engage effectively
2. The Pavilion needed to be highly visible and identifiable as a UK space, positioning SMI as a proactive convenor and champion of UK maritime export opportunities
3. The design project had to be supported  by a strong digital marketing campaign, in the early stages to assist with highlighting opportunities to exhibit and latterly to drive traffic to the Pavilion.

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The goal was to create a shared environment that felt coherent and easy to engage with.

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The scale and structure of the Pavilion required a delivery model that could adapt to multiple organisations, priorities, and decision-makers.

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We worked closely with SMI to carve out a precise delivery framework for the design of the Pavilion, ensuring that all roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes were defined early.

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We appreciated early on that the Pavilion needed to feel open and navigable while ensuring each exhibitor had space to tell their own story. The design had to function as a shared but highly identifiable asset rather than a collection of individual stands competing for attention.

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Key elements of delivery included:

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• Sufficient flexibility to accommodate different the multi-stakeholder nature of the design and communications.
• Clear zoning to ensure sensible dispersion of key messaging across all branded areas, with the aim of providing maximum brand visibility for SMI, exhibitors and the UK as an attractive partner to the global maritime community.  

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We developed branded materials to support and work alongside the physical event space. A bespoke brochure was produced to introduce the Pavilion, its purpose, and the participating companies. Additionally, flyers and graphics were used to guide delegates through the exhibition hall and reinforce key messages.

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Given the scale of Nor-Shipping, SMI’s on-site activity was supported by a coordinated digital campaign. This activity was aligned closely with the British Embassy in Oslo and the High Commissioner’s Office to ensure all messaging remained accurate and appropriate within a government-backed context. This required working in lockstep with SMI’s teams attending the event and staying responsive to achieve relevant approvals from all stakeholders whilst operating within exhibitor’s window of interest.

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In doing so, we were able to respond to changing requirements, manage competing priorities, and ensure the Pavilion remained visible and relevant from start to finish.

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The UK Pavilion established a coherent presence by successfully bringing together 14 exhibiting companies under a single UK identity.

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Digital activity around the Pavilion generated a notable uplift for SMI’s digital channels:

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• 85% increase in followers
• 273% increase in engagement
• 15.1% increase in reach
• 49.1% increase in impressions

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This project highlights the value of a joined-up approach- where services like event management, creative activity, and marketing can work together to build a meaningful presence for those in the maritime sector.

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