The Superyacht Forum (TSF) in November 2017 saw the industry come together in Amsterdam and take part in one of the biggest events in the superyacht calendar. With over 800 delegates attending the four-day conference, the event’s significance to the market was evident.

The new format, which combined the previous events, Make Your Mark; SuperyachtDESIGN Week; The Superyacht Owner’s Summit and Global Superyacht Forum, elevated the programme with wide-ranging topics and varied discussions.

The new programme format focused on the various disciplines found within The Superyacht Report: Business, Technology, Operations, Owner, Design and Fleet, and of the market; dedicating a ‘stream’ to each day. Delegates were able to schedule the four days to their needs and interests, and as one delegate told organisers, made it “easy to plan an itinerary”.

With TSF as the core “meeting point for the majority of the key people of the industry” as highlighted by one delegate, many named networking as the best feature at the event, creating the opportunity to make “face to face meetings, introductions and networking” as Andrew Holme, from Insigna Crew reported. With many delegates having arrived from locations across the globe, the event came as an annual opportunity to make new contacts and catch up with established acquaintances.

Best features for 2017 also included keynote speakers and workshop content, which were all driven by the 2017 theme; The 10 year blueprint,  encouraging  those in attendance to think about the future of the industry. Delegates also commented on the myriad relevant topics featured in the 2017 programme, which included a variety of out and in-industry topics. Sessions focused on the new and upcoming projects taking place for 2018 and enabled the industry to gain insight into innovative methodologies.

A few favourites throughout the four days included:

Day One: The Black Pearl Case study, which looked at the next generation of technology on a vessel adopting ‘future-thinking’ ideas; an iconic yacht changing the image and impacting the industry.

“There was a fascinating introduction about the owners motives for the project and there was a nice view into the future with the project and following projects. Very pleasant speakers with drive” comments Martin Selles, Oceanco.

Day Two: The team behind The REV Project discussed this inspiring project, dedicated to ocean research and providing a platform for the next generation. The project set to be released in 2020 – find out more here.

Within an afternoon workshop, delegates witnessed a live cyber hacking from Britain’s youngest cyber hacker-turned security advisor Cal Leeming, in a session informing the industry of the risk of cyber hacking on yachts.

Day three: A highly favoured session and a huge talking point throughout the entire event, Professor Alf Rehn provoked delegates thoughts. “His keynote was very authentic and his topics I find very relevant to the future of our markets” mentions David Arnold of Palladium Technologies. “It's the overall culture that makes or breaks any key luxury market and he asked us to consider our individual roles in this process.” Receiving a standing ovation at the close of his keynote presentation, the industry was encouraged to think about their roles in the process of innovation.

Following this, Richard Browning of Gravity, currently known as the ‘Real Life Iron Man’ took to the stage to inspire with his power jet suit, encouraging the industry to take risks in order to make change and stand out. 

The final day of the event was focused on Design and Marketing, and saw a various of favourites, including The 10 Branding Commandments from Contagious’ Paul Kemp-Robertson - who gave the industry 10 essential marketing and branding rules to follow in order to boost their online presence and communicate their businesses to the market.

Overall, the newest introduced topic at the event was that of environmental issues and our market’s impact on the ocean. Delegates were able to gain insight in TSF’s first film screenings (Plastic Oceans & Chasing Coral). These encouraged delegates to think: How can the industry build a more sustainable future for the next generations?  

The Superyacht Forum 2017 is now available to view on our post- website. To view photos, listen to podcasts and continue taking part in the discussion. Click the ‘Post-Event Login’ and follow the instructions.

To register your interest for the 2018 edition of The Superyacht Forum, click here or please email events@thesuperyachtgroup.com.

To submit ideas that you would like to see discussed at the event, please email feyi@thesuperyachtgroup.com.

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