Seafood Expo North America rescheduled for 11 to 13 July, 2021

The 2021 edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will take place Sunday, 11 July, to Tuesday, 13 July, organizer Diversified Communications announced on 3 December.

The trade show, which brings together seafood suppliers and buyers and which also features an educational conference, will take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Last month, Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based Diversified "determined that the continued magnitude of the public health and safety issues caused by COVID-19 requires the postponement" of the original dates in March 2021. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns and operates SeafoodSource].

“While the summer is an untraditional time of year for this event, we are pleased to have been able to find new dates in 2021 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center that will allow our seafood community to gather once again,” Diversified Group Vice President Liz Plizga said. “We’ve had conversations with seafood buyers and industry professionals who have expressed the need to reconnect and are eager to meet in-person in July.”

During the week of 14 March, 2021, Diversified will be hosting a virtual conference dubbed Seafood Expo North America Reconnect, consisting of live and pre-recorded educational sessions offered online, with the goal of providing insights on emerging market trends and topics relevant to today’s evolving seafood business environment, according to Diversified.

“Until we meet again in Boston, we are thrilled to present our first online conference program, Seafood Expo North America Reconnect that will take place during the week of March 14, 2021,” Plizga said. “This is a great opportunity for the industry to stay connected, informed and create conversations leading up to the conference program in July.”

The 2020 version of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America was postponed and eventually canceled as the COVID-19 crisis made holding the event untenable. Plizga said Diversified is closely monitoring the local, national, and global situation surrounding the virus and its implications for holding a live event, and said the company will continue to work with the venue and the appropriate authorities to ensure the health and safety of Diversified’s customers, attendees, vendors, employees and local community.

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director David Gibbons said he is eager to welcome back the seafood industry to Boston in 2021 for the expo.

“We’ve been hosting Seafood Expo North America in Boston for four decades, and we look forward to welcoming the seafood community back to the city in July next year,” Gibbons said.

Plizga also announced the 2022 edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will take place in March 2022 in Boston, in the same timeframe as in past years.