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10:28 PM Thu 11 Dec 2008 GMT
The first World Yacht Racing Forum closed its doors tonight following eight debates and several presentations held over two days at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum. Over 300 key figures from the yacht racing industry attended the conference, the schedule including 37 speakers from 15 different countries.
The feedback from delegates was a positive one, everyone agreeing the yacht racing industry needs such a Forum to debate its key issues. Pat Lilley, Chairman of the Forum, highlighted the quality of the debates in his closing speech, announcing that the event should and will be repeated on an annual basis.
Todays keynote speaker Peter Gilmour presented to a full auditorium illustrating the ways to develop a derelict area into a top level sailing destination. Just back from the Monsoon Cup - which he won on 'his' land - Gilmour captivated the audience by his enthusiasm and charisma. 'If we want our sport to evolve, he said, we need to stop asking yacht clubs to organise regattas. It is too difficult for them when they are confronted to a commercial environment. Sailing is one of the best platforms for networking, as long as the events are run properly.'
Datuk Patrick Lim, entrepreneur and founder of the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia, also mentioned various new projects he is developing in Asia. 'Sailing is much cheaper than other sports, he said. And it can bring much more economic return. On top of this, it is much more fun.'
Other promoters of the sport have also understood that the sun rises in the East. Amongst them, Albert Whitley, CEO of Oman Sail, told the audience about Oman's fascinating development and potential for our sport, with five new marinas scheduled to be built over the next five years and an ambitious sailing program taking shape. 'Sailing is the vehicle of the social and economic development of Oman', he said. The same phenomena can be observed in Korea, where Tim Coventry witnessed a huge demand for organising sailing related events such as boat shows or regattas.
The debate moved on to the impact of sailing events on host cities and nations. The potential is huge: 500'000 people followed the start of the Barcelona World Race; the Velux Ocean Race drew 300'000 people to Liverpool and huge crowds at the start in Bilbao. Rod Carr, CEO of the RYA (Royal Yacht Association), used Croatia and Great Britain as examples of nations that have used yacht racing as a focus in their strategic planning. The Olympic Games and other global events can have a major effect on a city. Barcelona, for example, became a different city thanks to the sailing events whilst Savannah, four years later, made little impact following the Games. In 2012, the site of Weymouth will look completely different as it does today; illustrating the fact sailing can be an agent for social and economic change.
The debate on the 'real' value of sailing sponsorship' led to a fascinating opposition of views, with sports marketing experts such as UBS' Annemarie Meyer and B Plan CEO Riccardo Simoneschi discussing strategies and return on investment whilst Andrew Pindar made it clear that what draws him to the sport is passion and enthusiasm. His impromptu phone call to Vendee Globe skipper Brian Thompson added a spark to his presentation, allowing the delegates to listen to this sailor, deep in the south Indian Ocean. A magic moment.
Passion and a careful strategy can both lead to great results. Annemarie Meyer said she never thought sailing would be such a successful sport for her bank - but it did, whilst Pindar's passion led the King of Bahrain to develop an interest for a single handed offshore regatta.
'One of the advantages of sailing is that there is no negative imagery in sailing, unlike Formula 1 or football', explained Annemarie Meyer. 'Another great asset of the sport is its athletes. You will never put a footballer in front of an audience. We do this all the time with sailors and it works very well.'
The Forum ended up with a debate on offshore short-handed racing, with OC Group CEO Mark Turner sharing his views with designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, yachting journalist Tim Jeffery, Hugo Boss skipper Alex Thomson and Herbert Dercksen. The debate was very rich and can't be resumed in a few lines; however the consensus is that this type of racing is very cost-effective and efficient from a commercial point of view; it provides everything the public - and therefore the sponsors - want: close racing, great pictures, technology and a spirit of adventure.
As the first edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum drew to a close, organisers of the event, Informa Yacht Group, announced their objective to develop the Forum as an annual event to help further the growth of the business side of the sport. This weeks Forum saw one of the first meetings between so many of the key figures of the sport, providing a unique opportunity for them to meet, network, and share their own ideas. 'We are very pleased with the first event' commented James Pleasance, WYRF Sales and Marketing Director. 'Now we are keen to maintain the momentum and make the Forum an annual event that provides real value and opportunities for everyone involved in the commercial side of the sport.'
by MaxComm Communication
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