I’ve just come back from the 1st annual EU Algae Awareness Summit at the Maison de l'Ocean in Paris from the 5th-7th October!
Inside the plenary during a session-break
The event was organised by the Global Seaweed Coalition in partnership with the European Commission, and the French government, with support from the Institute Océanographique of Monaco. It was filled with talks and conversations from industry leaders of both the macroalgae (Seaweed) and microalgae (microscopic algae) industry. There were also stands with samples of many different types of algae products, such as: alternatives to plastic, textiles, nutrient-rich food, ingredients in cosmetics and much more!
Seaweed plastic-alternative products from the event
The Thursday and Friday were full of high level talks and panel conversations. These included panels with leaders in the industry from five continents, founders of various algae startups, NGOs, public sector speakers and much more! The Saturday was a public awareness day, where members of the public could discover the world of seaweed and microalgae, and try some algae products for themselves!
I also had the honour of interviewing some of the very inspiring people who were present at the event, including Vincent Doumiezel, Flower Musuya, Lisa Boulton, Pierre Paslier and 5 more! - All of these videos will be added to this site regularly over the next few weeks.
Since it was a 3 day event, there was a chance to go really in depth with the information and to connect with the other participants. It was fascinating to see all of the information-filled talks about seaweed and meet so many like-minded people from across the algae industry. From company founders, to influencers, to cooks, to climate scientists, the room was packed with people. It really was a perfect networking opportunity!
The organising team at the end of the event
I am so grateful for being given a place at this summit and am very excited to share more of my experiences from those 3 days on this site!