Genoa, international capital of the Blue Economy: in November, the BEST Summit brings the future of the sea to the Waterfront di Levante

Genoa confirms its status as an international capital of the maritime economy by hosting BEST - The Blue Economy Summit & Trade Show, scheduled from November 16 to 19, 2026, at the Waterfront di Levante, in the Blue Jean Nouvel Pavilion. This is a major event for a sector that, in Italy, generates over €216 billion - about 11% of the national GDP - and employs one million people. On a global scale, the sea represents an essential strategic infrastructure: it covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, supports more than 90% of global trade, and carries 99% of worldwide data traffic through submarine cables, intertwining economics, geopolitics, and technological innovation, while also playing a central role in the energy transition and sustainability.

Maritime freight transport, up to six times less polluting than road transport, helps make international value chains more efficient and sustainable. In this context, Italy benefits from a natural competitive advantage thanks to its central position in the wider Mediterranean and its more than 8,000 kilometers of coastline: around 60% of imports and 50% of exports are transported by sea, confirming the Blue Economy’s impact on the country’s growth and competitiveness. Genoa, with one of the Mediterranean’s main ports and a network of submarine cables connecting it to Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, is also emerging as a key logistics and digital hub.

The Waterfront di Levante provides the ideal setting for an event of this scale. The result of an urban regeneration project designed by Renzo Piano, the new seafront reconnects the city and its historic center - one of the largest in Europe - with the sea, a defining element and economic driver for Genoa. In this context, BEST, a biennial event dedicated to the maritime economy, will occupy 20,000 square meters of exhibition space and host over 250 exhibitors, combining summits and conferences, trade shows and expos, workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities.

The event will offer a platform for dialogue among institutions, energy and industrial companies, cargo and cruise shipping operators, universities and technology hubs, research centers, port operators, tourism bodies, start-ups, and international buyers, with a focus on decarbonization, new energy, blue finance, technological innovation, and sustainability. Organized by Blue Media, a company of the MSC Group active in media and events, BEST builds on the experience launched in 2025 with “Road to BEST,” a national roadshow across Italy’s main ports which, in 2026, began on February 20 in Catania and continues with stops across the country. The arrival in Genoa - strong in its maritime tradition and the recent completion of its new waterfront - marks a strategic milestone in positioning the city and Liguria as capitals of the maritime economy and drivers of the Blue Economy on both Italian and Mediterranean scales.

Written by: Emanuele Spinetta