Antwerp: Where Blue Economy Innovation Scales Up

Antwerp Convention Bureau is deepening its focus on the blue economy, positioning the city as a living laboratory where water-linked innovation, sustainable chemistry, and smart port technologies converge at scale.

From the River Scheldt to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Antwerp’s strength lies in the way academia, startups, industry, and government collaborate to turn ideas into real-world impact. At the heart of the city’s offer is a structured “innovation pipeline” that carries breakthroughs from research to full industrial deployment.

Four anchor initiatives map that journey end-to-end and together they enable delegates to see theory become practice across a single destination:

• BlueApp provides state-of-the-art labs and a pilot hall where university researchers and companies co-develop solutions in water reuse, CO₂valorisation, hydrogen, and next-generation materials - accelerating the path from prototype to practical application. Site visits and hands-on demonstrations can be integrated into conference technical programmes.
   
• BlueChem offers startups high-tech laboratories, business support, and mentorship from established industry partners. This gives event organisers a direct line to emerging innovators across circular chemistry, waste-to-value, and water technologies.
   
• NextGen Demo turns the port into an open-air testbed, where pilot plants can prove and de-risk technologies - from advanced electrolysis for green hydrogen to bio-based chemistry from food waste streams - in real industrial conditions. Technical conference tours illustrate scale-up in practice.
   
• NextGen District, with its own event spaces, then provides the space and services for first-of-a-kind facilities to scale, clustering circular manufacturers and sustainable chemistry leaders side by side to share resources and accelerate adoption.

“Antwerp doesn’t just host conferences, we are building communities that connect people to the places and partners that make change happen,” said Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, CEO of Antwerp Convention Bureau. “When event organisers choose Antwerp, their community has the opportunity to connect with our community, including key industries and the blue-economy. This allows us to welcome congresses and summits that want to shape a programme in a city that is truly relevant to their attendees.”

Antwerp’s meeting philosophy turns the city into an extension of the conference. Organisers can pair plenary sessions with lab walkthroughs at BlueApp or BlueChem, arrange boat tours across the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and NextGen District, and spotlight innovations such as hydrogen-powered tugboats. This immersive approach is one reason major sector gatherings - including the Annual Summit 2025: “Uncharted Waters” - choose to anchor in Antwerp.

“Delegates want relevance and real-world learning,” added Pivc Coudyser. “Here in Antwerp we can create opportunities that mean they can meet experts in the morning and see an industry in action that afternoon. That is the kind of tangible value that grows communities, strengthens research-industry ties, and leaves a lasting legacy for society.”

An open invitation to blue economy organisers

Antwerp Convention Bureau offers end-to-end support for organisers - from venue matchmaking and programme design to technical tours and legacy planning - ensuring every event makes the most of the city’s interconnected ecosystem. Event organisers ready to shape the future of the blue economy are invited to co-create their next conference in Antwerp - where innovation moves from lab to port to world.

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