Now in its sixth year, Ocean Talks is a face-to-face event that aims to bring together the superyacht industry and the world of marine conservation via meaningful conversation, inspirational talks and networking. Sponsored by the Ocean Family Foundation (OFF), this year’s event features three world-renowned speakers and over a dozen exhibitors which showcase the best and latest ocean-saving projects, initiatives and products.
When is it?
Ocean Tallks is taking place on June 8, 2023, to coincide with World Ocean’s Day.
The event is from 5pm to 8pm.
Speakers start from 6.30pm.
Where is it?
Ocean Talks is being hosted in London at The Magazine at Serpentine North Gallery.
How do I get a ticket?
Tickets are available free by registering here.
Speakers and exhibitors
Keynote speaker: Cristina Mittermeier
Marine biologist, activist, conservation photographer and co-founder of SeaLegacy
Cristina Mittermeier is one of the most influential conservation photographers of our time, as well as the co-founder of SeaLegacy, a world-renowned non-profit that uses strategic communications at the intersection of art, science, and conservation to protect and rewild the ocean for the benefit of biodiversity, humanity, and climate within our lifetimes.
Keynote Debate: Science, Innovation or Legislation: what will bring true change and reverse our ocean crisis?
Panellists: Sian Sutherland and Oliver Steeds OBE, chaired by Lilly Barclay
Lilly Barclay
Founding member of the Ocean Family Foundation and co-founder of A Plastic Planet + PlasticFree
Lilly Barclay is a founding member of the Ocean Family Foundation (OFF), sponsor of Ocean Talks, which seeks out existing or start-up conservation projects that have a positive impact on marine life and ocean health. She is also co-founder of A Plastic Planet (see below).
Sian Sutherland
Co-founder and chief changemaker - A Plastic Planet + PlasticFree
Sian Sutherland is co-founder of A Plastic Planet, working directly with industry and governments to inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. In 2023 they launched PlasticFree, the first materials and systems solutions platform, empowering 160m global creatives to design waste out at source. Multi-award winner, including Female Marketer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and British Inventor of the Year, Sian is passionate about igniting social change and creating brands and businesses with soul.
Oliver Steeds, OBE Chief Executive of the NEKTON Foundation and co-founder of Yachts For Science
Oliver Steeds, founder of NEKTON and critically acclaimed journalist, reveals the story behind the recently-launched global Ocean Census, the largest programme in history to discover ocean life, as well as developments in our Yachts for Science initiative which aims to matchmake yachts with scientists
Exhibitor: Beach Cleanup
Amazed by the amount of plastic floating in our oceans, Dutch superyacht design studio Vripack partnered with North Sails to develop waste bins and bags from reclaimed sails. These will be given to those to take the beach cleanup pledge. Supported by the Ocean Family Foundation, Vripack will actively promote beach cleanups among the owners and crew on board yachts designed by Vripack.
Exhibitor: Brodie Neill
Acclaimed furniture designer Brodie Neill is committed to using ocean plastic waste, repurposing microplastic found in beach cleanups to create stunning pieces that will last the test of time and raise awareness of the problem. One of the highlights of his work includes the ‘Gyro Table’. Showcased at the 2016 London Design Biennale, it features a kaleidoscopic mosaic pattern depicting the atlas of the world. Over half a million fragments of ocean terrazzo were used to create this work.
Exhibitor: Far Cabinet Makers
Is it a surfboard, or is it art? Furniture maker and keen surfer Frazer Reid handcrafts exquisite wooden surfboards using sustainable wood from self-regenerating plantations in Spain. The results from Far Cabinet Makers are boards that are not only eco-friendly and completely one of a kind, but also make for a completely unique surfing experience - they are smoother on the water and, as Frazer attests, a ‘pleasure to surf’.
Exhibitor: Nature Squared
Nature Squared was founded in 2000 by Paul Hoeve & Lay Koon Tan to provide innovative, earth-centric natural materials for design and luxury living. Using the mantra, “Nature’s Waste, Our Value”, it uses material innovation and artisanal skills to upcycle grass, seeds, bark, nuts, seashells, eggshells and feathers into radical new forms. Sustainability means environmental and social responsibility and the two are inextricably linked. Nature Squared designs around organic waste streams that they divert from landfill thus averting methane production, and use materials that are not endangered, protected or threatened, sourcing predominantly from industries such as farming and fishing and transforming what would normally be considered waste.
Exhibitor: The Ocean Family Foundation (OFF)
Founded by four sea-loving families who feel a responsibility to protect the world’s oceans, OFF seeks out and donates to existing or start-up marine and ocean-orientated conservation projects. As well as Ocean Talks, OFF supports Oceans Without Borders, Yachts for Science, Worldrise, Volvo Ocean Race, Save the Med, Trash Hero, UKSA and A Plastic Planet, among others.
Exhibitor: The Ocean Film Festival
The Ocean Film Festival showcases the best short films about seafaring voyages and marine conservation, both above and below the sea’s surface.
Exhibitor: A Plastic Planet
Founded in 2017 by Frederikke Magnussen (also a speaker at Ocean Talks and a founding member of OFF), and Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet has one, singular goal: to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. Earlier this year, they launched PlasticFree, the world’s first materials and systems solutions platform to help creatives design waste out at source.
Exhibitor: Sea Change wine
Sea Change's goal is to combine their love of great wine with a desire to do something to help protect our oceans. Hundreds of millions of plastic capsules are used every year: non-recyclable, non-biodegradable – and worst of all unnecessary - which is why you won’t find plastic wraps around the corks on their bottles. They use natural corks and the paper for labels comes from certified sustainable forests and is made partially from grape waste. Sea Change also helps fund marine conservation projects and charities with every bottle sold.
Exhibitor: Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd UK’s aim is to protect our delicately-balanced marine ecosystems. It oversees a number of local and international projects – from beach clean-ups and highlighting the problem of ‘ghostnets' (lost and discarded fishing gear), to teaming up with organisations to stop dolphin and pilot whale hunting in the Faroe Islands and campaigning against commercial whaling in Iceland.
Exhibitor: Yachts for Science (YFS)
One of the reasons that only a fraction of the ocean floor has been mapped, and less than 10% of marine life has been discovered, is that marine scientists find it very difficult to access the ocean. Yachts for Science aims to change this. By matchmaking boats with scientists, YFS hopes to utilise the thousands of boats that are travelling the globe as platforms for research.
Exhibitor: OCEANR
Founded in 2016 by water sports obsessive and keen environmentalist, Tom Cotter, OCEANR offers high-end apparel created from recycled plastic. Used to outfit staff at resorts including Richard Branson’s Necker Island and numerous superyacht crews, each purchase equates to 1kg of plastic waste being removed from the world’s oceans.
Exhibitor: Round Britain eRIB Challenge project
Seventeen-year-old Harry Beasley hopes to break a world record this summer and raise awareness of alternatives to fossil fuels - by driving 1700 nm around Britain in an electric boat. The teenager and his mum will be at the event to showcase their project and explain how it is aiming to mobilise boat manufacturers, harbours and ports in a green transition. For more information visit Round Britain eRIB Challenge project.
Apply for a ticketFor more information, please contact events@boatinternationalmedia.com or follow the hashtag #OceanTalks.