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34. Emcee for SEA Asia 2025 Opening & Conference | Melvin Ho
A Milestone Edition for Asia’s Leading Maritime Event
I had the privilege of emceeing SEA Asia 2025 — the 10th edition of Asia’s leading maritime business event. Held from 25 to 27 March 2025 at Marina Bay Sands, this was my first time hosting SEA Asia, and I’m truly grateful to Informa Markets and the Singapore Maritime Foundation for the opportunity.
Having emceed numerous maritime and formal conferences over the years, I was excited to bring that experience to an event of this scale — over 20,000 attendees from more than 90 countries, 500+ international exhibitors, and 60+ content sessions across three packed days.
Final checks before the big opening.
The Opening Ceremony
Day 1 kicked off with the Opening Ceremony, where I had the honour of welcoming our Guest of Honour, Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The ceremony featured welcome addresses from Mr Sukumar Verma, Managing Director of Informa Markets Singapore, and Mr Hor Weng Yew, Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation.
One of the highlights was a video tribute from Mr Chris Hayman, Chairman Emeritus of Informa Markets, who co-founded SEA Asia back in 2007.
The launch segment was a real showpiece. Six distinguished VIPs took the stage, placed their palms on glowing pedestals, and they together ignited the 10th edition of SEA Asia. My job? Keep the energy high, the instructions clear, and make sure every VIP how they would play a part.
Country pavilion organisers and VIPs on stage for the official group photo.
We then welcomed Country Pavilion Organisers from Singapore, China, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Turkey, and the United Kingdom for a group photo — a powerful visual of just how international this event has become.
Three Days of Maritime Thought Leadership
After the ceremony, I stayed on as emcee for the full three-day conference programme. Each day had a distinct theme:
• Day 1: The Big Picture Shipping Outlook — covering global supply chains, risk management, and shipbuilding macro trends
• Day 2: Maritime Energy Transition — tackling fuel markets, LNG bunkering, marine electrification, and IMO 2030 targets
• Day 3: Maritime FutureTech — exploring AI in shipping, cybersecurity, maritime connectivity, and smart ports
Across the three days, I introduced and facilitated transitions for 12 panel discussions, 3 presentations, and a fireside chat. The speaker lineup was world-class — leaders from organisations like ABS, Pacific International Lines, DNV, CMA CGM, Lloyd’s Register, Chevron, PSA, Maersk, MOL, and many more.
With panels running back-to-back and speakers from very different backgrounds, the key was keeping transitions tight, pronunciations accurate (there were quite a few international names!), and the energy consistent from the first session to the last. For a conference of this size and complexity, preparation made all the difference.
Looking Back
Hosting SEA Asia 2025 was a real milestone for me. Three full days of live conference hosting, an opening ceremony with VIP protocol, country pavilion introductions, exhibitor awards, and a welcome reception — all at one of Singapore’s most prestigious venues.
A big thank you to the Informa Markets team for trusting me with their important maritime event. And to the Singapore Maritime Foundation for their partnership in making this event what it is.
If you’re planning a conference, exhibition, or large-scale industry event and need an emcee who can handle VIP protocol, complex multi-day programmes, and international speaker lineups, I’d love to hear about your event. Check out my conference emcee page or my showreel, and please let me know :)