Last year we left Gdańsk energised. The first Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Summit had delivered what we hoped it would: substantive conversations, genuine regional solidarity, and a shared sense that the Baltic Sea deserved its own dedicated stage. Partners told us they wanted to return. Some even went further – formally confirming that budgets had been secured for the second edition. We took those assurances seriously. We began building.
Today, I am writing to tell you that the summit will not take place in March.
The reason is straightforward and, I think, worth stating plainly: sponsors did not follow through. Not because the event lost its relevance. Not because the conversations we planned became less necessary. The gap between the commitments we received and the support that actually materialised has made it impossible to organise an event that meets the standard this industry deserves.
I write this not to assign blame. I write it because I believe this experience is itself a piece of industry news and honest reporting serves this sector better than comfortable silence.
This is not an isolated failure. The offshore wind industry entered 2026 weakened. Project delays, failed tenders, stalled investment decisions, and corporate retrenchments have become routine. The EU continues to publish ambitious targets. The pipeline underneath those targets keeps shrinking.
When money is under pressure, discretionary spending disappears first. Events go. Then memberships. Then the quiet infrastructure of industry dialogue that nobody notices until it is gone.
I find the pattern of broken commitments particularly disheartening. Companies that verbally pledged support, that formally notified us of secured budgets, quietly withdrew. This is not a criticism of any individual decision-maker navigating genuinely difficult circumstances. But the pattern matters. When the industry loses the habit of standing behind its stated intentions – even small ones, even for an event – something more than a conference slot goes missing.
But don’t think we are giving up just yet. Our primary objective is to reschedule the Summit for September 2026. Our coordination team is reaching out to all confirmed speakers individually to discuss the transition. We will provide specific details only after securing binding commitments from our strategic partners that organising such an event remains viable and impactful in the current climate. We remain firm in our belief that a Summit of this magnitude only carries its intended value if it receives the full, unwavering commitment of the industry’s key players.
To the speakers who prepared, the guests who booked travel, the partners who did honour their commitments: I am sorry. Your dedication to this region and to what we are collectively trying to build here is exactly why this postponement stings as much as it does.
The Baltic Sea remains one of the most strategically significant offshore wind regions in the world. The need for a unified regional voice on European and global forums has not diminished. If anything, the turbulence of the past eighteen months has made that voice more necessary.
We intend to be back in Gdańsk. But we will return only when the industry is ready to show up – not just in words.
