The biggest event in the American superyacht industry’s calendar, the American Superyacht Forum, is now just a week away. The three-day forum, which will be held at the Hilton Marina in Fort Lauderdale, runs from 16 to 18 May.
Ninth annual American Superyacht Forum held at the Hilton Marina in Fort Lauderdal
Details for the event, which is hosted by The Yacht Report Group and organised by Superyacht Events, are now almost finalised with more speakers confirmed in the last few days. Jose Bared, of Jones Boat Yard in Miami, will speak on lessons learnt over his previous decade in the industry – from how he weathered the storms of the economic downturn to the changes he’d like to see happen. Jose’s keynote speech, ‘Owners investing and operating in the industry’ is on Day One. Other names added are Kristina Hebert of Ward’s Marine Electric and Michael Moore of Moore & Co who join the opening keynote session ‘Writing A Business Plan For America’. For Day Two’s panel of senior representatives from major American shipyards, Paul Engle from Bradford Marine, Gavin Higgins from Derecktor and Todd Roberts of Marine Group Boat Works are the latest additions. This shipyard panel will host a dynamic Questions and Answer debate to explore the future of new build and refit in the USA.
Applications for delegate places are set to reach the 250 mark. From around the globe delegates of every sector in the industry, from captains, to designers, brokers and lawyers will meet in Fort Lauderdale Florida to discuss and develop the future of the American superyacht industry. Through keynote speeches, workshops and networking events, they will effectively establish how the industry needs to change to be more profitable and compete with markets such as Europe. In true Fort Lauderdale style, the three-day forum will close with a four-hour deep-sea sport fishing tournament. A relaxed barbecue is followed by prizes donated by Chelsea Clock for the winning competitors.
Organisers are also planning for two superyachts to be on display at the forum. Further details are yet to be announced
