SNAME’s Maritime Convention 2026 is a technical, engineer-forward week where shipbuilding, design, and operations get discussed at working depth. If you want peer-reviewed papers, ship production and repair content, and operator-grade conversations on automation, AI, and manufacturing processes, this is one of the more practical rooms to be in.
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SNAME Maritime Convention 2026 — Event Snapshot
Oct 28–30, 2026 • Houston
Dates
October 28–30, 2026
City & Venue
Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria, Houston, Texas, USA
Schedule
Pre-convention activities: Wed, Oct 28 • Technical sessions: Thu–Fri, Oct 29–30
Theme
Shaping the Future: Technologies and Processes to Improve Shipbuilding, Design, and Operations
Typical audience
Naval architects, marine engineers, shipyard and manufacturing teams, operators, equipment suppliers, researchers, and program managers
Core focus
Design and production processes, shipbuilding and repair, operations optimization, autonomy and unmanned systems, plus manufacturing methods including automation and additive approaches
The Galleria district is a convenient base for short walks to meals and quick off-agenda meetings between sessions.
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What makes it different
Technical depth, not surface talk
This convention is structured around technical content and applied engineering outcomes. It is built for people who need to improve design, shipyard throughput, reliability, and operating performance using real methods, data, and processes.
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Paper-driven technical sessions
Strong fit when you want concrete approaches, validation, and lessons learned, including peer-reviewed paper tracks and presentation-style tracks depending on content type.
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Ship production and repair focus
More practical than many general maritime events, with content lanes that stay close to planning, production engineering, scheduling, and execution constraints.
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Automation, AI, and manufacturing methods
2026 content targets the full chain from design methods to production automation and operational optimization, including autonomy and unmanned system topics.
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Moderated panels plus supplier exposure
Expect interactive panel formats alongside the technical program, with supplier participation for teams evaluating tools, processes, and implementation paths.
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Best-fit reasons to attend
Improve shipyard or repair throughput with methods you can apply, not just concepts.
Pressure-test automation and digital approaches against real production and operating constraints.
Leave with contacts in design, shipbuilding, manufacturing, and operations who speak the same technical language.
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2026 week game plan
Oct 28–30, 2026 • Houston
This week rewards preparation. The strongest outcome is a short list of production and operations problems you want to solve,
then using the technical sessions to narrow methods and the exhibit and hallway time to validate deployment constraints and references.
Suggested time split for a high-ROI week
Tune based on whether you are shipyard, owner, or supplier
Technical sessions
48%
Targeted meetings
32%
Expo and supplier validation
20%
This convention is content-dense. Treat supplier visits as validation points after you have heard two or three relevant sessions.
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Three-day flow that fits SNAME week
Before you arrive
Pick 2 to 3 problems you want to move forward. Examples: reducing rework in production, improving repair turnaround,
stabilizing energy performance, or adopting autonomy and decision support. Write one page of constraints, data inputs, and success measures.
Day 0 (Wed, Oct 28)
Use pre-convention activities to line up technical conversations and identify the right session rooms. Book two meet windows for the next days and confirm who is attending from your target list.
Day 1 (Thu, Oct 29)
Attend the most technical sessions first. Capture methods, datasets, assumptions, and what failed. Convert the best session into two supplier validation meetings and one peer conversation.
Day 2 (Fri, Oct 30)
Go deeper on implementation. Confirm integration burden, training needs, shipyard or fleet rollout steps, and how results are measured.
End the day with a shortlist and a first draft of a pilot plan.
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Fast filter questions for technical discussions
What assumptions drive the results, and when do they break?
What data is mandatory and what can be approximated early?
What is the smallest pilot that proves value?
What is the integration burden across shipyard or fleet systems?
What changed in operations to capture the benefit?
What is the verification method for outcomes?
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Outcome scoreboard
Green-light outcomes
One pilot scope drafted with success metrics
Named owner for data collection and approvals
Two implementation conversations with references
Watch-outs
Great method but no path to integrate data
Benefits depend on behavior change that is not owned
No clarity on validation or measurement
Fast wins
One peer connection for an implementation walkthrough
Short list of methods to test against your dataset
Follow-up meeting scheduled within 10 business days
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Practical notes for Houston and the Galleria district
Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria
The Galleria area is meeting-friendly and easy for quick dinners and side conversations. Keeping your hotel and evening plans nearby helps maintain momentum across a content-heavy schedule.
Venue map
The venue sits in the Galleria/Uptown corridor, which supports short commutes and easy evening meet-ups.
Getting around
Plan buffer time for cross-town travel. Houston traffic can compress meeting windows if schedules are too tight.
Rideshare is the simplest option for short hops between Uptown, Downtown, and Midtown dinner districts.
Keep one “floating” meeting slot each day for overruns or high-value adds.
Hotel zones that work
Uptown/Galleria for shortest transitions to the venue and easy coffee meetings.
Downtown if you are stacking client dinners and want walkable evening options, with added commute time to the venue.
Medical Center/Museum District if your team wants quieter lodging, with rideshare dependence.
Dinner and debrief districts
Uptown/Galleria for quick working dinners close to the venue.
River Oaks and Montrose for longer client dinners in a denser dining corridor.
Downtown if you are pairing dinners with larger group meet-ups and late debriefs.
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Night-before checklist
Top 3 sessions and 2 backup sessions saved
Two supplier booths selected for validation
One pilot problem statement written in one paragraph
Data and constraints list ready for technical conversations
