From January 19 to 27, our association sent one of its employees, Théo Fortin, to meet the port-city stakeholders in Florida, one of the most important coastal regions in the United States. Once again, we presented our association to the cities and counties of Tampa and Miami-Dade, as well as to the ports that surround and support them. Théo Fortin also took part in the POWERS conference, organized by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), and manned a stand to introduce our association to the members of this major organization. The AAPA has been one of our partners since 2006. Théo Fortin was received by AAPA CEO Cary Davis, who is a friend of port cities and paid particular attention to the new activities set up by our association, for which we thank him. With representatives of American port cities, and Florida in particular, we highlighted two flagship initiatives developed by our association: the Agenda 2030 by AIVP and the AIVP Antoine Rufenacht Prize. The second initiative is spearheaded by Géraldine Knatz, former President of AAPA and former CEO of the Port of Los Angeles, California.
The AIVP Antoine Rufenacht Prize is therefore firmly integrated into the American port-city landscape, thanks to its prestigious jury chairwoman, Mrs. Knatz. A number of participants expressed interest in the award and could apply to showcase some of their port-city development projects. Théo Fortin met many American port authorities whose concern for the sustainability and societal integration of their operations is very pronounced: for example, the Port of Seattle, the Port of New York – New Jersey, the Port of San Francisco, and of course the welcoming host, the Port of Tampa Bay. The next AIVP mission to the USA will take place in April, with the Seatrade conference in Miami. In the meantime, all AIVP members in North America are invited to attend the Port Center Workshop, to be held in Montreal (Canada) on March 14 and 15.
