Beach to boardroom – London calling
Palm Beach might be sunny and glamorous but no less star-spangled is next week’s Superyacht Investor London conference.
Our annual jamboree will bring together the engine room of yachting for two days of insight, foresight, moving and shaking. Plenty of shaking.
Buzzing from the beach, we’ll hear from some of the biggest names in the industry, quiz them on the issues and press the flesh with old friends and new.
See the full agenda and speakers here
We’ll hear from a phalanx of financiers talking about the economy, tariffs and trade wars and the appetite for lending.
We’ll talk to representatives from shipyards about the landscape in 2025 and find out how the smaller yards look to cut through.
There will be a comprehensive insurance panel talking through the claims process with some high-profile examples including the Bayesian tragedy.
Four of the world’s leading sales brokers will discuss their alpha tendencies, debate the hot topics in broking and pontificate on the art of a deal.
Watch out for gems such as this from Jamie Edmiston at Superyacht Investor London last year: “I always say never ever buy a yacht if you could not afford to give it away.
“If it’s a worry, don’t get into it … there is zero pleasure to owning a big expensive yacht if you have to worry about whether or not you can afford it.”
Patrick Coote, then MD Europe Northrop & Johnson said during the broker panel last year: “One of the big headwinds we have as an industry is good brokers vs bad brokers. Anyone can print a business card and be a yacht broker. Half the world thinks we’re car salesmen that are just winging it and then earning huge amounts of money. I vehemently disagree with that.”
Championing the role of a broker, Will Christie added: “There is a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes that nobody realises. We repackage someone swearing and shouting on the phone and take it to the owner and say, ‘they’re a bit upset about this’. That’s why I believe brokerage will continue to play such an important part on this industry.”
Leading owners’ reps will discuss why they are a vital link in the new-build chain and how they reduce risk and disappointment for owners.
Listen out for lines like this classic from Peter Wilson, president, MCM Newport last year: “I’ve signed so many NDAs I can’t talk to myself anymore.”
Antiquated industry
A panel of leading superyacht lawyers will get into it over pre-purchase surveys, while yacht managers will discuss the scope of yacht management companies and the role of captains.
“The word ‘management’ is completely misused. When you say yacht management, it is so many diverse services that you do for an owner and it needs to be clearly explained to them,” said Marianne Danissen, group head of yacht management at Camper & Nicholsons last year.
We’ll talk about the lessons and issues of yacht seizures and the risk of buying a seized yacht. The US market is sure to be a big talking point and we’ll hear from experts in the region on trends, habits and attitudes of American yacht owners.
We’ll have breaking news for classification societies, talk cross-border transactions, crypto and fintech start-ups and we examine how to make operational transactions smoother for all concerned.
Finally, we’ll hear about an industry ripe for disruption and what that might look like. Warming up on this theme, Tim Davis, CMO, Burgess said last year: “It’s a hugely antiquated industry with such potential.”
So load up on questions, practice your networking moves and sign up for Superyacht Investor London if you haven’t already.
From the beach to the boardroom. See you next week for the big one.
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