The 21st edition of the Global Seafood Alliance’s (GSA) signature event, GOAL: The Responsible Seafood Conference, will be held at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle from Oct. 3 to 6, the nonprofit organization announced on April 21.
The in-person event was scheduled to be held at The Okura Hotel in Tokyo from Oct. 24 to 27, but pandemic-associated travel restrictions made holding an in-person event in Japan impractical.
“While we are disappointed that GOAL will not be held in Tokyo this year, we are excited that GOAL is returning to the United States for the first time in 13 years, when GOAL 2009 was held in Seattle,” said GSA CEO Brian Perkins. “We chose Seattle because it fits ideally with GSA’s budding involvement in wild-capture fisheries with the rebrand from the Global Aquaculture Alliance to the Global Seafood Alliance last year, and Seattle has a rich fishing tradition.”
Added Perkins: “Nothing can replace the value of the connections made at in-person events. We’re really looking forward to gathering with our associates in-person again.”
GOAL has a 21-year history of convening seafood thought leaders from across the globe. Originally called the Global Shrimp Outlook for Leadership, the first event was held in Singapore in 2001. The event was rebranded as the Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) in 2008 and again in 2020 as GOAL: The Responsible Seafood Conference when wild-capture fisheries, ocean health and climate change began to be incorporated into the conference program. GOAL has been held in 18 cities in four continents (North America, South America, Europe and Asia) since 2001.
Today, GOAL consists of a series of virtual events highlighted by a three-day in-person event in the fall. Though the in-person event has grown from fewer than 100 attendees in 2001 to upward of 500 today, the mission remains the same — to provide a pre-competitive space for seafood changemakers to put day-to-day business aside to learn, network and socialize. The world’s leading retail and foodservice seafood buyers are always well represented at GOAL, whether virtual or in-person. Buyers play a key role in influencing seafood production practices through their corporate social responsibility policies and associated sourcing specifications.
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle since 1924, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel features 450 guest rooms and 28,000 square feet of event space. The property just completed $25 million in renovations to the hotel ballroom, main lobby area, a speakeasy behind a bookcase focused on high-end spirits, Shucker’s Oyster Bar and 4th Avenue Espresso Bar. The centerpiece of the project is the new Olympic Bar and new full-service restaurant, George, helmed by executive chef Thomas Cullen.
GSA is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Seattle is where GSA was formed in February 1997, at a World Aquaculture Society meeting.
An outline of the three-day conference program will be released by late May, and registration will open on June 1. Dates for the virtual events will also be announced by late May.
Locations for GOAL 2023 and GOAL 2024 will also be announced soon.
About the Global Seafood Alliance
The Global Seafood Alliance is an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification programs, GSA has become the leading provider of assurances for seafood globally. The organization’s work addresses the full spectrum of responsibility, from environmental responsibility and social accountability to food safety. Established in 1997 as the Global Aquaculture Alliance, GSA is headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., USA. To learn more, visit www.globalseafood.org.
