About Seawork
Seawork is unusual among trade exhibitions because so many of its exhibits float. Held at Mayflower Park on the Southampton waterfront, it describes itself as Europe's largest on-water commercial marine and workboat exhibition, and it combines quayside and indoor stands with vessels berthed alongside pontoons.
The show serves the working side of the maritime world rather than leisure boating. Exhibitors cover workboats, patrol and pilot craft, offshore energy support vessels, subsea services, marine civils, propulsion and power, deck equipment, safety systems and port services. Visitors are trade buyers and specifiers, including vessel operators, shipyards, naval architects, port and harbour authorities, government agencies and offshore energy companies.
What sets Seawork apart is the chance to show equipment in its working environment. Exhibitors can choose between pontoon berths, open-air plots, shell scheme stands, waterfront space and demonstration areas, and many combine a vessel on the water with a shore-side stand for meetings. Speed@Seawork gives builders and operators a way to demonstrate craft at speed, while the Seawork Awards and a conference programme add reasons for visitors to stay on site. Marine civils is a recognised strand of the show, and conference sessions have covered topics such as decarbonisation and Women in Maritime.
For companies whose products are best judged in action, from workboats to winches, a buyer stepping aboard or watching a demonstration can do more than any brochure, which is why many exhibitors return year after year.
Next edition
Seawork 2027: what to expect
Seawork 2027 runs from 15 to 17 June at Mayflower Park, Southampton, and the organiser notes that it will be the show's 28th edition.
Space options again include pontoon berths, open and shell scheme stands, waterfront plots and demonstration areas, so the first decision for most exhibitors is whether they need water space, land space or both. Berthing arrangements, boarding access and demonstration slots should be agreed early with the organiser, as they shape everything else about the stand.
Outdoor structures on the waterfront need to cope with wind and changeable June weather, so weatherproofing, secure flooring and protection for screens and literature are worth building into the brief from the start.