Skip to main content

April 1-3, 2025
Hilton University of Houston
Houston, TX

3 DAYS, 50 PORTS

Join your counterparts, customers, and colleagues from more than 50 seaports from the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South America in one place over three days

REGISTER NOW!

Welcome to the 2025 Port of the Future Conference!

The 2025 Port of the Future ConferenceTM is focused on creating and revitalizing our Nation’s seaports, infrastructure, and processes – across maritime, air, land, and cyber domains. This symposium addresses the urgent and emerging issues facing ports of entry, regulators, and associated industries.

This year’s Conference brings together the leaders of more than 60 seaports from the United States and Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America to Houston – offering their vast accumulated knowledge and experiences to address the port and maritime industries’ most pressing challenges, formulate viable solutions, highlight innovations, and identify best practices.

The Conference offers free registration to its speakers and to one representative from each participating port. The 2025 Port of the Future ConferenceTM is shaped by new concepts, research and innovation, advances in technology, increased dependence on automation, enhancements in data security and information sharing, and heightened environmental compliance – all impacting the ability to move cargo and people rapidly and securely across international borders.

8 IMPACTFUL TRACKS

  • Port Development
  • Port Infrastructure 4.0
  • Intermodal Connectivity
  • Decarbonization and Alternate Fuels
  • Port Energy & Sustainability
  • Ports in Offshore Wind Energy
  • Enhancing Resilience of Port Infrastructure
  • Port Security, Cybersecurity, and Emergency Management*
  • And other Relevant Topics

SEE THE FULL AGENDA

Hear from industry visionaries, thought leaders, government agency executives, and prominent researchers on their visions for Ports of the Future, projected trends and emerging challenges, promising research, and new, innovative technology. The Port of the Future Conference has attained a stellar record of hosting premier industry leaders and visionaries. This year’s invited speakers include:

  • Admiral Linda Fagan, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard
  • Jen Easterly, Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
  • Carl W. Bentzel, Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission
  • Charlie Jenkins, Executive Director, Port Houston
  • Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director, Port of Seattle

The 2025 Port of the Future Conference offers a dynamic and highly informative agenda. This event features keynote presentations, case studies, panel discussions, interviews, and technology demonstrations – all organized into the following eight tracks, relevant to our port and maritime industries:

  • Port Development
  • Port Infrastructure 4.0
  • Intermodal Connectivity
  • Decarbonization and Alternate Fuels
  • Port Energy & Sustainability
  • Ports in Offshore Wind Energy
  • Enhancing Resilience of Port Infrastructure
  • Port Security, Cybersecurity, and Emergency Management*
  • And other Relevant Topics

*The Port of the Future Conference offers reduced one-day registration for port security and emergency management personnel to attend the April 3rd track on “Port Security, Cybersecurity, and Emergency Management.”


Special Events

It’s not all work! The Port of the Future Conference offers the following special events:

  • Port Grants Workshop (Monday, March 31st)
    On the afternoon preceding the conference, port officials are invited to participate in a Port Grants Workshop with invited speakers and grant program managers from MARAD, FEMA, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy, and the EPA to discuss upcoming grant opportunities open to U.S. ports. Join April Danos, Vice President of OD Grant Solutions LLC from 2pm – 5 pm.

  • Networking Reception (Tuesday, April 1st)
    Join our sponsors and exhibitors for a two and a half hour evening reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy the music of country music recording artists Bill Mock and Karl Waitz while networking with colleagues and perusing exhibitors’ displays.

  • Student Research Poster Contest (Tuesday, April 1st)
    The Port of the Future Conference will again host its annual Student Research Poster Contest. Posters depict research done by college and university students in the port and maritime domains. This is an opportunity for undergraduate students and teams to contribute to research in the port and maritime domains, gain professional recognition and build a network of like-minded colleagues and mentors.

  • Port Houston Tour (Wednesday, April 2nd)
    Conference participants may participate in an evening tour of Port Houston aboard the M/V Sam Houston. Interested individuals may sign up for the Port Houston Tour when registering for the conference. Register and sign up. Seating is limited to 96 persons and allocated on a “first registered, first served” basis.

    Buses will depart promptly from the entrance to the Hilton’s entrance at 4:30 pm in order to arrive at Sam Houston landing by 5:00 pm for technology demonstrations prior to the 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm tour.


Partners

The Port of the Future Conference is proud of its strategic partnerships with the following organizations: