Day one of The Superyacht Forum (18th November), ‘The Business Day’, is set to deliver a programme of future thinking keynotes and workshops devoted to the business of superyachts, addressing what the next generation of business models will look like, how they will transform, improve and grow the industry, and who will be at their helm. What is the superyacht industry’s current pipeline of projects across various sectors? Who will be running our businesses in the future and how will they differ from the businesses of today? Questions that we must ask now, in order to ensure the next generation of the superyacht industry is prepared with the answers.

What is the superyacht industry’s current pipeline of projects across various sectors? Who will be running our businesses in the future and how will they differ from the businesses of today? Questions that we must ask now...

Our sessions will cover pressing issues such as the workshop, ‘Flag & Class – Conflicts of interest’, whereby a candid debate between a group of advisors, owners’ representatives and surveyors, including spokespeople from Lloyd’s Register, RINA and ABS, will challenge the status quo and endeavour to conclude by presenting a more transparent approach to the build process. As owners continue to request larger yachts and on-board systems become more sophisticated, the role of classification in ensuring that the vessels being built are safe and operational is ever more important and we must endeavour to develop a better understanding of the owner’s expectations where it concerns their asset and what the various parties involved can do to become more transparent and effective.

Alongside this, ‘The Next Generation’-focused workshop, with the future of operations at its heart, will ask panellists Jo Assael (Dohle), John Wyborn (Bluewater) and Laurence Lewis (YPI Crew), who will drive, operate, maintain and manage the everchanging and growing fleet in the coming years? As we look towards a new generation hoping to enter the superyacht industry, either as a deckhand or in a management role, this workshop will map out the steps needed to ensure that issues relating to the proficiency and longevity of crew are dealt with.

With ICOMIA Refit Group at the helm of the workshop ‘Next Generation Infrastructure’, this panel will look closely at ownership cycles, lifecycle modelling and how the industry supports the client and the fleet. As superyachts become increasingly large and complex, at the same time superyacht owners are expecting ever more to be achieved during refits in shorter periods of time. It is imperative, therefore, that the next generation of infrastructure will be able to cater effectively to the demands of superyacht owners. This session will consider the infrastructure itself, but also explore how the assets can be managed from a maintenance perspective in order to ensure that refit periods are as efficient as possible and that the client is satisfied and able to get maximum utility out of the asset.

Central to the conversations at The Superyacht Forum will be the inevitability of our growing dependence on technology and how by embracing technological solutions in line with the strengthening of human capital, there are myriad benefits to be had, as well as considering the evolving consumption habits of superyacht owners and the changing ways in which they use their vessels.

The onset of greener technologies will be explored within the closing keynote of ‘The Business Day’, as Swedish entrepreneur Konrad Bergström, founder of X-Shore, will outline what it really takes to develop and implement new ideas in the superyacht industry. Despite initiating the process in 1996, Bergström has waited until now to bring the product to the superyacht market and will explain to delegates the challenges he faced up to this point and - arguably of most interest to delegates - how he overcame them.

Remaining tickets to The Superyacht Forum 2019 are available here. Join us from 18th – 20th November, in association with METSTRADE, and enjoy three days of engaging workshops, thought-provoking keynotes, and interact with leading minds from our market to learn about the subjects that you and your clients need to know.

Profile links

YPI Crew

The Superyacht Forum

Döhle Yacht Crew

Icomia

Bluewater

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