On an annual basis, IAPH meets in a port city where our member port resides for its annual conference more commonly known as IAPH World Ports Conference. The Conference is a world-class event assessing the indispensable role of ports in global maritime trade and brings together key industry stakeholders for learning, information sharing, networking and collaboration.
The Annual General Meeting is held during IAPH World Ports Conference, and is a plenary meeting where all IAPH members, both Regular and Associate, may attend.
The 2024 IAPH World Ports Conference
The 2024 IAPH World Ports Conference will be held from 8 to 10 October in Hamburg, Germany. The event will bring together leaders in the global port community during a period of unprecedented upheaval and opportunity.
The Conference theme is managing risk, building resilience and unlocking opportunities at ports. Taking place during 8-10 October, #IAPH2024 will be held at Hamburg Congress Centre, a state-of-the-art convention venue located in the centre of the stunning Hanseatic city of Hamburg, Germany. The host sponsor for the event will be Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).
The 2023 IAPH World Ports Conference
The 2023 IAPH World Ports Conference was held from 31 October to 2 November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE, organized in partnership with S&P Global and host sponsor AD Ports Group. Nearly 700 delegates from over 60 countries participated in the Conference. Under the theme #ReinventingPorts, participants discussed various topics, such as the revised IMO GHG strategy, digitalization and cyber security, maritime single window, and decarbonization of ports, shipping industry and beneficial cargo owners.
The regional lunch meetings, the IAPH Planning, Operation and Finance Committee meeting, and IAPH’s Annual General Meeting complemented the main conference session. In addition, the IAPH Sustainability Awards and Akiyama Awards ceremony was held at the gala dinner on 1 November.
The 2022 IAPH World Ports Conference
The 2022 IAPH World Ports Conference was held from 16 to 18 May 2022 at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, Canada, in collaboration with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. The Conference was held in person for the first time in three years since the Conference 2019 in Guangzhou, China, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly 500 delegates from over 40 countries participated in the Conference. Under the theme #ClosetheGaps, participants discussed the generational challenges that affect every port today: resilience, digital transformation, and energy transition. Regional breakfast sessions, meetings of the IAPH technical committees, and IAPH’s annual general meeting complemented the main conference session. In addition, the IAPH Sustainability Awards ceremony was held at the gala dinner on 17 May.
History of IAPH World Ports Conference
| No. | Year | Host Port/City | Country |
| Preparatory | October 9-11, 1952 | Kobe | Japan |
| 1 | November 7-10, 1955 | Los Angeles | USA |
| 2 | June 22-25, 1959 | Mexico City | Mexico |
| 3 | May 1-4, 1963 | New Orleans | USA |
| 4 | May 10-14, 1965 | London | UK |
| 5 | May 8-13, 1967 | Tokyo | Japan |
| 6 | March 3-8, 1969 | Melbourne | Australia |
| 7 | June 6-12, 1971 | Montreal | Canada |
| 8 | May 6-12, 1973 | Amsterdam/ Rotterdam | Netherlands |
| 9 | March 8-15, 1975 | Singapore | Singapore |
| 10 | April 24-30, 1977 | Houston | USA |
| 11 | May 12-19, 1979 | Deauville/ Le Havre | France |
| 12 | May 23-30, 1981 | Nagoya | Japan |
| 13 | June 4-11, 1983 | Vancouver | Canada |
| 14 | May 4-10, 1985 | Hamburg | Germany |
| 15 | April 25-May 1, 1987 | Seoul | Korea |
| 16 | April 22-28, 1989 | Miami | USA |
| 17 | May 5-11, 1991 | Barcelona | Spain |
| 18 | April 17-23, 1993 | Sydney | Australia |
| 19 | June 10-16, 1995 | Seattle/Tacoma | USA |
| 20 | May 31-June 6, 1997 | London | UK |
| 21 | May 15-21, 1999 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia |
| 22 | May 19-26, 2001 | Montreal | Canada |
| 23 | May 24-30, 2003 | Durban | South Africa |
| 24 | May 21-27, 2005 | Shanghai | China |
| 25 | April 27-May 4, 2007 | Houston | USA |
| 26 | May 25-29, 2009 | Genoa | Italy |
| 27 | May 23-27, 2011 | Busan | Korea |
| 28 | May 6-10, 2013 | Los Angeles | USA |
| 29 | June 1-5, 2015 | Hamburg | Germany |
| 30 | May 7-12, 2017 | Bali | Indonesia |
| 31 | May 6-10, 2019 | Guangzhou | China |
| 32 | June 21-25, 2021 | Antwerp | Belgium |
| 33 | May 16-18, 2022 | Vancouver | Canada |
| 34 | Oct 31-Nov2, 2023 | Abu Dhabi | U.A.E. |
History of IAPH Mid-term Conference
| No. | Year | Host Port/City | Country |
| 1 | May 19-20, 1960 | Honolulu | USA |
| 2 | March 7, 1962 | Taipei | China |
| 3 | May 26-27, 1964 | San Francisco | USA |
| 4 | February 13-16, 1966 | Los Angeles | USA |
| 5 | January 16-20, 1968 | New Orleans | USA |
| 6 | February 10-12, 1970 | Singapore | Singapore |
| 7 | May 2-5, 1972 | Lisbon | Portugal |
| 8 | March 27-28, 1974 | Auckland | New Zealand |
| 9 | April 25-27, 1976 | Curaçao | Netherlands |
| 10 | April 6-7, 1978 | Mombasa | Kenya |
| 11 | April 21-22, 1980 | Brisbane | Australia |
| 12 | May 3-5, 1982 | Aruba | Netherlands |
| 13 | May 22-24, 1984 | Glasgow | UK |
| 14 | April 9-10, 1986 | Auckland | New Zealand |
| 15 | April 25-29, 1988 | Abidjan | Ivory Coast |
| 16 | May 6-11, 1990 | Fremantle | Australia |
| 17 | May 7-8, 1992 | Charleston | USA |
| 18 | June 1-3, 1994 | Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 19 | April 22-24, 1996 | Bali | Indonesia |
| 20 | April 27 May 1, 1998 | New Orleans | USA |
| 21 | October 25-28, 1999 | Montreal | Canada |
| 22 | May 12-18, 2000 | Marseilles* | France |
| 23 | October 23-26, 2000 | Tokyo | Japan |
| 24 | October 25-27, 2001 | Auckland | New Zealand |
| 25 | April 19-25, 2002 | Abu Dhabi* | UAE |
| 26 | October 15-18, 2002 | Kobe | Japan |
| 27 | October 27-30, 2003 | Rotterdam | Netherlands |
| 28 | April 25-28, 2004 | Charleston* | USA |
| 29 | January 10-13, 2005 | Yokohama | Japan |
| 30 | October 4-7, 2005 | Los Angeles | USA |
| 31 | April 9-12, 2006 | Mumbai* | India |
| 32 | October 9-12, 2006 | Shimizu/Shizuoka | Japan |
| 33 | October 22-15, 2007 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia |
| 34 | April 14-17, 2008 | Dunkirk* | France |
| 35 | June 7-9, 2010 | Savannah* | USA |
| 36 | May 21-24, 2012 | Jerusalem* | Israel |
| 37 | April 6-10, 2014 | Sydney* | Australia |
| 38 | May 10-13, 2016 | Panama* | Panama |
| 39 | May 8-11, 2018 | Baku* | Azerbaijan |
| 40 | March 17-19, 2020 | Antwerp (cancelled due to COVID-19) | Belgium |
