Judging by the feedback from exhibitors, PolarExpo 2026 was a resounding success, delivering equipment sales, new business contacts and valuable face-to-face meetings with Greenland’s fishermen.
The fishing and hunting trade show ran October 6–8 at Ilulissat Hallen. Organizers Aalborg Kongres & Kultur Center (AKKC) and Avannaata Kommunia welcomed 2,265 visitors, nearly 20% more than in 2024, according to figures released by AKKC on October 12.
In email responses to GreenlandEnergy.com, participants described the value of meeting customers directly, understanding their needs and conducting business during the exhibition.
Equipment sales and practical support
“PolarExpo 2026 was a very good exhibition for us, and we were pleased with both the level of activity and, especially, the quality of the conversations we had,” said Jes Rosenberg, branch office manager at Furuno Danmark.
Having participated several times before, Furuno returned with established relationships in the region. This year’s show provided opportunities to reconnect with customers and meet fishermen from Ilulissat and other towns and settlements across Northwest Greenland.
Rosenberg said those conversations offered useful insight into what fishermen consider important when selecting equipment for their vessels.
“We established a number of good contacts that we will now follow up with quotations for various types of equipment,” he said.
Furuno also recorded direct sales during the exhibition, particularly of personal locator beacons, or PLBs. Products attracting the most attention included PLBs and other safety equipment, buoy tracking systems, and echo sounders designed for deeper waters.
Safety at sea was also a central theme of the exhibition’s program, alongside discussions about lost or abandoned fishing nets.
For maritime communications provider OPUS, the show generated vessel internet orders and new partnerships.
CEO Svend Erik Saxov said the company sold several of its InstantLink internet solutions for vessels. He identified InstantLink, which uses Starlink and which he said is legal for maritime use, as the company’s most popular product at the exhibition. Visitors also showed interest in DuoLink, which he described as a solution combining Starlink and OneWeb for larger vessels.
OPUS shared a stand with NORMAR Consult, whose naval architect, Eydun Berth Jacobsen, used the event to help fishing clients with vessel documentation.
Jacobsen said a significant part of his current work involves issuing tonnage certificates for small fishing vessels and boats.
“During the event, I had the opportunity to assist many of my clients in completing the necessary application forms and collecting the information required to issue these certificates,” he said.
He described the exhibition as successful and well organized, with many of the clients he met coming from Ilulissat and the surrounding areas.
Bringing communities together
Feedback also extended to the experience of visiting Ilulissat.
“The local people were welcoming, the hotels worked very well, and we certainly enjoyed the excellent food in Ilulissat,” Rosenberg said.
Asked about accommodation, restaurants, transportation and support for exhibitors, Saxov’s assessment was brief: “Everything was super.”
The Danish Maritime Authority also told GreenlandEnergy.com it was pleased to have participated in PolarExpo and appreciated the opportunity to be part of the event.
The feedback also points to a broader role for industry exhibitions in Greenland. With towns and settlements spread across vast distances, events such as PolarExpo provide an opportunity to bring communities together around shared livelihoods and interests. Visitors can meet suppliers, exchange knowledge, renew friendships and conduct business in one place. That combination of commercial and social value suggests promising opportunities for future exhibitions serving other sectors of Greenland’s economy.
Organizers have agreed to hold the exhibition again in Ilulissat in fall 2028, according to Sermitsiaq.
Both OPUS and Furuno indicated that they expect to return.
“Yes, we will attend again in 2028,” Saxov said.
Rosenberg expressed a similar intention: “As things stand today, we would definitely expect to be back for PolarExpo in 2028.”
GreenlandEnergy.com provides independent analysis of Greenland’s energy landscape, critical minerals development, and Arctic geopolitics. For corrections or feedback: press@greenlandenergy.com
