In 2018, the seed of an idea began to grow when Marketing in Maritime held its inaugural event at an automotive attraction on the outskirts of London.
The brainchild of the late Steve Parks, former managing director of Wake Media, in collaboration with fellow marketing agencies Bray Leino and Oakwood, Marketing in Maritime was an immediate hit with professionals eager to connect with peers and keep up to date with latest trends.
What began as an occasional conference and networking event has now evolved into an annual ‘MiMbership’ programme designed to educate, facilitate professional development and foster business connections.
To date, Marketing in Maritime has built a 15,000-strong professional network, welcomed over 2,000 event attendees and engaged marketers from more than 250 organisations. Its latest live event during 2025’s London International Shipping Week drew a 200-strong audience to hear leading speakers deliver insights about teamwork, talent and transformation in maritime marketing.
The initiative has now reinvented its event programme to provide quarterly ‘MiM-Masterclass’ webinars, more live events and a ‘MiM-Lounge’ at key tradeshows as well as regular, informal meetups for business networking, known as ‘MiM-Meets’. Centred around a brand-new online portal containing a member forum, insights from marketing experts and a library of educational resources, Marketing in Maritime aims to be the leading professional development platform for marketing professionals working in marine and related businesses.
Andy Ford, Marketing in Maritime Director, says, “Marketing in Maritime is now a year-round educational platform as well as a community-led networking initiative, combining the fun and inspiring elements it’s known for with expert-powered learning. We’ve created both an online hub and a full event programme to support marketers with their development and help them stay at the forefront of marketing tech and best practice.”
Empowering marketing teams
For maritime companies, Marketing in Maritime can provide expert-led education and insights for marketing teams, with guidance on best practices across a whole range of disciplines that set the benchmark for marketing excellence in the industry. With 8-10% of revenue typically being invested in marketing across B2B industries worldwide, the importance of developing teams to help hone their skills and expertise can’t be overstated.
Kae-Ley Brann, Business Manager at Marketing in Maritime adds, “Whatever stage of career a maritime marketer is at, there are always new trends and technologies to learn. I urge all employers in the marine and energy industries to look at Marketing in Maritime as a valuable asset for their marketing employees, providing expert insights, potential mentorship, connection with peers and professional development to help them perform at their best and, in turn, help their businesses to grow. Such development is also vital for employee satisfaction and retention, with around three quarters of employees citing opportunities to learn as a huge factor when they consider staying in a role.”
MiMbership tiers are tailored to cater to both marketing professionals on the tradeshow circuit and teams based at the company HQ or working remotely, so there’s a full programme of online events and resources as well as the option to join in-person events at key exhibitions.
Expert advisory board
As a community steered by its own members, Marketing in Maritime’s evolution is influenced by an Advisory Board of eight industry experts who help to oversee its evolution amid ever-changing practices and industry challenges.
Mark Warner, Global Client Marketing Director, Lloyd’s Register is one such Board member and has been an advocate of Marketing in Maritime since its inception. Mark said, “The role of Marketing in Maritime is critical. It’s vitally important that maritime marketers come together as a community and share best practice and wisdom. We need to build on the widespread expertise that sits across the thousands of companies engaged in marketing to the maritime world. Some marketers will have vast B2B marketing knowledge but limited industry expertise - others will know their ‘capes’ from their ‘handies’ but will be less fluent in the intricacies of marketing automation, A/B testing and maintaining brand reputation whilst creating a thought-leadership position. However, ALL at some point could do with guidance, a nod of understanding and a shoulder to lean on when it’s most needed.”
Masterclass series in motion
A cornerstone of the educational stream within Marketing in Maritime, a new MiM-Masterclass series kicked off in April with a 90-minute webinar exploring ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Generative AI’. Speaker Andrew Davis is one of the most respected digital strategists working in marketing today and he guided the audience through the opportunities and harsh realities of AI in marketing in an interactive session that has set the bar for the Masterclasses to come.Next up is a MiM-Masterclass diving into event mastery during Posidonia, with a panel of event experts examining how to use events to drive real conversations, build trust, and move opportunities forward.
How to get onboard
Three levels of ‘MiMbership’ are available – free, digital and full – providing joining marketers with access to an online portal, which includes a host of interactive features, a discussion forum, event booking and a growing library of videos, podcasts, marketing guides and practical templates. Read the MiMbership brochure to find out more.
Businesses of all sizes have the opportunity to get involved and power the programmes that enable professional upskilling and peer collaboration. Find out how your brand can get involved and aligned with marketing people, skills and professional growth by downloading the sponsorship brochure.
Marketing in Maritime’s growth is thanks to the generous support of its partners and sponsors, including: Seatrade Maritime, Innov8 Social, and The Motorship.
To find out more about Marketing in Maritime and the new MiMbership options, visit www.mimcrowd.com
