On the morning of Thursday 5 November, the AIVP World Conference will feature two workshops: one focusing on port resilience in the face of extreme weather events, and the other on methods that help port cities to innovate in partnership with local stakeholders.
The programme will therefore be divided into two parts:
- From 9.00 am to 10.30 am, the ‘Ports of the Future’ workshop will immerse participants in a ‘serious game’ that will test their port’s preparedness for climate change;
- From 11.00 am to 12.30 pm, the workshop ‘Understanding local stakeholders and innovating in port cities’ will introduce participants to the Flow Forward approach, designed to initiate and implement tangible actions in response to complex challenges.
These workshops will be interactive, encouraging participants to move from the role of listener to that of active participant, with role-plays and group exercises designed to foster the sharing of experiences and discussion. Places are limited to 30 for each session.
[Workshop No. 1] Ports of the future: is your port ready to face extreme weather events?
From more violent storms and prolonged heatwaves to episodes of flooding or drought, extreme weather events are becoming both more frequent and intense, and ports are on the front line. Whether it’s infrastructure, operations, staff safety, or the continuity of goods flows, nothing is immune to this new reality, which compels every port to assess its capacity for resilience.
Organised by We Right Click, a partner in the European SAFARI project, the workshop ‘Ports of the Future: Building Resilience to Extreme Weather. Is your Port Ready for the New Era?’ tackles the issue in an original way, namely through a ‘serious game’ – a simulation game designed to confront participants with situations that are as realistic as possible.
Divided into teams, they will face increasingly severe weather scenarios and will have to make decisions under pressure. As the game unfolds, it reveals the areas in which a port’s resilience allows it to withstand challenges, as well as those in which it falls short.
Based on real-life cases, this collaborative experience will provide lessons that can be directly applied. Participants will be able to:
- Identify the vulnerabilities affecting many ports;
- Compare their practices with those of other ports;
- Develop a clearer vision of the next steps to be taken to adapt.
This workshop is part of the SAFARI project.
[Workshop No. 2] Understanding and Involving Local Stakeholders to Foster Innovation in Port Cities
Commercial shipping, passenger transport, recreational boating, water-based leisure activities and even urban development along riverbanks and waterways are becoming increasingly diverse and widespread. This coexistence raises issues of safety, accessibility and quality of life, and brings together a wide variety of stakeholders – with sometimes divergent expectations – around the table. How can cities, ports and their stakeholders capitalise on these challenges to turn them into innovations?
The second workshop of the morning offers a practical answer to this question, using the ‘Flow Forward’ approach developed by the European project Connected River. Inspired by design thinking and start-up methodology, this approach prioritises agility, user involvement from the very earliest stages of transformation, and small-scale experimentation. Its motto, ‘Be like water’, sums up its spirit: to adapt constantly, just as water does.
During this workshop, participants will use tools to map out the journey from a shared ambition to its realisation:
- Formulating a common vision;
- Putting it to the test through experimentation;
- Organising collaboration between stakeholders;
- Defining the measures to be implemented.
The workshop will feature case studies and collaborative exercises. These will help participants identify the obstacles that most commonly hinder innovation, adopt new ways of working, and draw up an operational roadmap. Participants will be able to leave with new tools and ideas applicable to their own projects.
This workshop is part of the Connected River project.
Practical information
- Date: Thursday 5 November 2026
- Workshop 1 – Ports of the future: 9.00 am to 10.30 am
- Workshop 2 – Innovation in port cities: 11.00 am to 12.30 pm
- These workshops will run alongside the plenary sessions.
- Places are limited to 30 per workshop.
