SEEDA drives INTERREG funds into Ramsgate, Dover, Portsmouth and Southampton. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is gathering together logistics professionals from across Northern Europe this week for a high-profile conference in London on logistics issues which are likely to affect the Trans-European economy over the next 10 years.

The Ambassador of Belgium, Jean-Miguel Veranneman de Watervliet will be in attendance at this Thursday's event, entitled 'Future Logistics in North West Europe', alongside ports and logistics delegates from across Belgium, England and France.

SEEDA is bringing together Managing Directors of logistics companies, port Development Managers and logistics and transport Managers in order that they can share best practice and knowledge and create contacts for potential future business.

Speakers at the conference will represent all three countries with topics to be discussed including partnership and competition in rail freight and port logistics, the economic impact of ports and issues shaping transport networks in Northern Europe 2015. The keynote speaker will be Alan Bennett, Director General of the Rail Freight Group.

SEEDA's Head of Transport and Infrastructure, Detlef Golletz said: "Participants in the conference will have the opportunity to draw on the expertise and intellectual capital of some first class guest speakers and industry experts, find new customers and suppliers and gain unparalleled access to contacts in key business support organisations. It is important for us to gather together to look at how logistics will change over the next few years and discuss how businesses can adapt to that."

The conference forms part of the IMPACTE project, which has a total project value of more than 10 million Euros, with a 30 per cent ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) grant rate. Via the IMPACTE project, which is INTERREG IIIB NWE funded, SEEDA is making investments in Ramsgate, Dover, Portsmouth and ABP Southampton.

The conference will be held at The Conference Centre for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 1 Victoria Street, London on Thursday 27th September from 12.00 noon to 6.00pm.