Following the State of the Market address from The Superyacht Group's chairman, Martin H. Redmayne, the first session of GSF2015, Investing For The Future, could not have tackled a bigger nor more important subject. Looking at the future of the superyacht industry and the changes needed to make it more attractive to potential clients, the session included an array of industry heavyweights adding their opinions.

Paolo Casani from Camper & Nicholson focused on the need for better communications and to “talk to customers with one voice. It is time to change the way we work,” he said.
 
With comparisons made to the commercial shipping sector, a point raised from the floor was how transparency is more difficult when looking at the secondhand market, as it becomes harder to account for costs on a vessel that is five to 10 years old.

This point led to discussions on the lifecycle costs of a yacht and the importance of warranties, before the panel summarised their thoughts on what would make the industry better for investors.
 
“I think transparency is definitely important,” said Guillaume Roche from Sunrise Yachts. “What we have to show is that we can offer a cohesive package to owners, as investors want a return on their money. We have to show that we have stability and that we have values and standards.”
 
Fred van Beers from Blohm + Voss agreed by condensing his answer into four words, “professional, reliable, sustainable and transparent”.
While Sergei Dobroserdov from Dynamiq Yachts commented on the business appeal of the market by stating that “investors are not investing in the industry but in the companies and brands. The answer lies in creating a profitable company and to do this you need to be unique. If you don’t have this, you will not attract investment.”   

Redmayne concluded the session by highlighting the need to be honest and the need to work together to achieve a better product. He also pointed to the sales process and the people involved in it. “We are short of people who can sell superyachts, there are lots of people who call themselves a broker but how many can actually sell a superyacht and know what they are talking about?”

The Global Superyacht Forum 2015 runs for three days, ending on the 18th November. Click here for more information.

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