This years Superyacht Forum Live event is expected to be one of the most hotly-anticipated and exciting in decades. My personal feeling is that the majority of stakeholders are now ready to do some positive thinking about some of the most pertinent issues facing our industry. We can praise some of the recent ingenious content and methods of communication used in the digital world until the cows come home. But at the end of the day, not much can trump physical interaction and face to face discussion - especially when it involves every key decision maker in the industry.

This year, it's really all about the future and creating a blueprint for something that will excite and expire the next generation. Thats why the overarching question at this years event is going to be, 'What should the superyacht industry look like in 2030?'

With the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals servicing as a benchmark for this years programme, The Superyacht Forum will essentially become a space for blue sky discussions about some of the most interesting topics such as; reducing the economic and environmental impact of a superyachts lifecycle, propulsion technology and future fuels, and the use of AI technology onboard vessels.

Diversity and inclusion is not only at the forefront of the discussion, its also integrated into the programme itself, which is something I find refreshing. I think I'm not just speaking for my generation when I say there's nothing worse than having to sit through a discussion on diversity and inclusion conducted by a panel of sixty year old white guys.

Day 2 will largely consist of discussions surrounding environmental impact and sustainability in all its forms. This is not only a chance to critically analyse some of the developments over the past two years, but to also hear from some of the top experts in the field. Not only are the likes of Water Revolution Foundation speaking, but also experts from outside of yachting, including members of Hydrogen Europe. One thing that this industry has been blamed for in the past is for being too insular and dogmatic in its approach to global issues.
 
So much has happened since the last Superyacht Live Forum in 2019. The industry boomed and profits soared during one of the most tumultuous periods of the century. That is in part due to the adaptability of its stakeholders, but there hasn’t really been a community wide regrouping to discuss what has changed and what needs to change going forward. Stakeholders have been gifted time, space, and money to drive innovation and create revolutionary products and ideas. And, there’s been a lot of praise for the various evolutionary strides, but an opportunity to discuss conceptual ideas and practice self-awareness is invaluable at a time like this. Especially for an industry which loves nothing more than giving itself a little pat on the back whenever the opportunity arises.
 
To sum it up, without trying to sound too self-promoting, I think the Superyacht Forum Live event this year is going to be the most important one in its history. Not only for its content and the speakers who are going to be involved, but for its timing and overarching theme. It’s an opportunity to not only identify all the elephants in the room, but to put them up on the centre stage and start discussing them, in great shameless detail. Discussing big changes for big ideas is the only way this industry can grab its future by the horns and prevent external influences and regulations from making the decisions for it. Like the late great Hunter S Thompson once said, “Those who procrastinate in their choosing will inevitably have their choice made for them by circumstance.”
 
Will you be at The Superyacht Forum Live event this year?
 

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