From 2027 onwards, the Global Shrimp Forum is set to take place in June.
The decision has been taken by the GSF board, led by Managing Director Willem van der Pijl, in consultation with several of the Forum’s longstanding partners.
Since its inception in 2022, GSF has taken place in the first week of September. This year’s edition, which marks its fifth anniversary, will be taking place in Utrecht between the 1st and the 3rd and will welcome delegates from all over the world, and all aspects of the shrimp and aquaculture value chain.
While the Forum continues to attract an exceptional standard of guests and has built on its success with each new edition, in recent years, the international seafood and aquaculture calendar has become increasingly crowded between August and October. Events such as TARS, Vietfish, the Shanghai Seafood Show, Seafood Expo Asia in Singapore, the Global Seafood Alliance conference, Conxemar, and the Qingdao Seafood Show all take place in this period and increasingly compete for the same audience. Coupled with an increasingly congested industry calendar, there are other external factors which have led to the change, with the first week of September marking the return to school following the summer holidays for many European nations, as well as Labor Day weekend in the United States.
GSF Managing Director, Willem van der Pijl, said,
“After careful consideration of the factors at play, we believe that this is a solution which best suits our partners, delegates and audience. While September has worked well for us historically – and I’m sure will make for another fantastic edition this year it’s become an increasingly busy time of year for the industry, coupled with the fact that it can be challenging for those guests with children who may be going back to school, and for our American friends who are travelling on or around Labor Day weekend.
“June gives us more space in the global calendar, while keeping sufficient distance from Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona and the 4th of July period in the United States. The Board and I are convinced this move will help us further strengthen GSF as the leading global meeting place for the shrimp industry from 2027 and beyond.”
The Forum will once again take place in Utrecht in 2027, and with GSF2026 right around the corner, Willem and the rest of the team will be on hand to discuss the proposed changes further, as well as responding to any questions or concerns on email, which can be sent to secretariat@shrimp-forum.com.
