More than 500 delegates attended the 19th IALA Conference in the port city of Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 26 May to 2 June 2018. A total of 94 technical presentations were made in 13 technical sessions and two special sessions over four days, and Conference participants were able to see and discuss the latest developments in aids to navigation and VTS technology in the large industrial exhibition, where a record number of IALA Industrial Members exhibited.

The Conference had a strong focus on the development and exchange of maritime digital information to improve the safety and efficiency of maritime transport. It heard that the use of Maritime Resource Names (.mrn) will be needed for the development of globally-harmonised data models to enable implementation of digital maritime services under the IMO e-Navigation Strategic Implementation Plan.