Engaging the Maritime Community: Industry Outreach at the International WorkBoat Show
Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, regularly attends maritime industry events to better understand the issues currently affecting mariners. Most recently, Phil attended the International WorkBoat Show on December 3 in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the largest commercial marine trade shows in North America, the event attracts thousands of professionals from the commercial marine, offshore, and workboat industries.
While at the show, Phil “walked the floor,” giving him the opportunity to meet and engage with a wide range of members of the maritime community. He also attended several related events held alongside the show, where he was able to
connect with industry professionals in a more informal setting and further foster relationships with these professionals and their work. These opportunities to attend industry events allow Phil to stay informed about emerging challenges facing mariners and allow him to build relationships and share both the mission of the Seamen’s Church Institute and the work within the Center for Mariner Advocacy with new members of the maritime industry.