Your Posidonia hierarchy of needs
Source: Splash247
Steven Jones has some practical advice for the thousands of people descending on Athens airport in the coming days.
Posidonia is running up the flags of many nations, readying for the biennial bash where the shipping industry gets to properly shed the winter blues, shimmying back into lighter-than-sensible outfits, as we hit the trail from the Athenian Riviera to the big red box that is the Metropolitan Expo Centre.
There are many ways of “doing” Posidonia, but don’t be fooled: success is about you-doing-you. No one else’s strategy can be copied. There is no blueprint, only what you can bear, what you can afford, and what you are willing to accept as success or failure. That said, you can give yourself a chance of Posidonian nirvana by addressing your own hierarchy of needs.
- Physiological needs: Remember, melted Quality Street, Werther’s Originals from home, and two handfuls of peanuts are not a proper meal. Take the time to sustain your body; business will follow. You can’t live on the contents of glass bowls alone. Eat your hotel breakfast and have a proper lunch. It’s what your mother would want! The days are long, the nights are too – so box clever.
- Safety needs: The air-conditioned splendour of the Metropolitan may appear sedate, but if you get caught between the opening of the champagne at a leading classification society’s stand and the closing of a dignitary’s keynote, woe betide you. Swimming against a human tide, jostled by minders and hangers on is no place to be. Be clever in your movements. Insiders know to jink through the halls via those little side exits. Be like Pac-Man and pop up between halls. You’ll find satisfaction from looking and feeling clever, and exchanging knowing nods with other rebels who have found the same show hack.
- Belongingness: Find your people. There’s nothing more beautiful than bonding with those who geek out about the same things. But be careful: if you find yourself trapped in an enthused conversation about the wrong data, doodahs, or sat domes, get out. Quick.
- Building up a head of esteem: For those willing to game the system, you can go double social bubble with selfies on LinkedIn. Enjoy the combined whoosh of exposure in person, and then bask in the social media buzz. Nothing lifts the modern soul like a stream of thumbs-up and breezy invitations to meet up (though they will never be taken up).
- Self-actualisation: Achieving true exhibition enlightenment is rare. The reason so many people return year after year is the hope that this time will be better. This is the Posidonia where it will finally happen. It won’t, but we look forward to 2026 already.
So, it’s not easy, perhaps some Posidonia pointers may help?
Don’t stay at the airport hotel: It might seem clever in February, and the accountants will love it, but you will always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It will be a noose around the neck of enjoyment. You’ll feel happy with your decision once, when you step across the road and deposit your bag. From then on, pure misery.
Leg day: This is when the local maritime community awaken to the event. They drive up in droves, only to find the closest parking space is the wrong side of an international airport. Then walk with purpose across the dry, dusty desert because there’s no option. A ragged baked horde, their once smart outfits reduced to looking like Papillon three years in.
Don’t compete: There are many Posidonians who have attended many, many times. The minute you open your mouth to say what your record is, you will be bettered. There is no doubt. There are those who remember the giant tents, heck even the old cruise terminal before A/C was invented. If you try to score you will be beaten.
Feet matter: They matter even more by day two. From the first whisper of a blister to the dull ache and then the screams of swollen toes, take care of your feet. The right shoes are paramount. The Brits are the worst culprits, resplendent in brogues or heels, the look cannot be sustained. The Dutch and Norwegians tend to get it right. Trainers and pants are a thing now people.
Hydrate well: A certain breed of show goer exists to simply hoover every free beer, to bounce between stands scooting down lethal cocktails from exotic flag states. They go full tilt from 1500 to close. The fortunate within this tribe manage to make the last coach back to town, though that is a miserable experience. The tardy face the forlorn taxi fight: standing in the heat, 2,000th in the taxi queue with the start of a hangover already brewing. The struggle is real.
We came here to party: Those who want to get up to get down, beware. The bigger the parties, the longer the queues. If you time your arrival wrong, you’re doomed. Don’t even think about volunteering to go the bar, you will never be seen again. Some audacious partiers now even smuggle in their own wine. True story. Happily swishing through the throng, fuelled by their own retsina and giddy on smug. Find these people, they will give you a drink and a laugh.
Plaka dining: Your tummy and feet will demand sustenance by Wednesday night, listen to them. Yes, you’ll end up on a rickety chair on a tiny terrace of an impossibly steep hill as scooters buzz past. As the heat rises and you reach for another slab of burnt Halloumi, possibly packaged and sold by Wrigley’s, make sure to remember these are the good times. Embrace them!
Leaving on a jet plane: Finally, it’s time to fly back to reality. Posidonia has one more trick: the better angels of networking will deliver all the people you’ve exhausted conversation with right back to your side. What could be a chance to sit and chill becomes the longest of goodbyes to the people you won’t see again till next Posidonia. Smile and wave, smile and wave.
The best times and business success are in your hands, have a great show and happy hunting.

The original article: Splash247 .
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