Yacht Racing Forum 2015 to take place in Geneva, Switzerland   20 May 2015

Yacht Racing Forum 2015 to take place in Geneva, Switzerland

Members of the yacht racing community from all over the world will spend two days networking, debating and doing business over December 7-8 in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva is an easy-to-reach location situated at the heart of Europe that plays a pivotal role in international yacht racing.

19 May 2015 - The Yacht Racing Forum 2015 will take place over December 7 - 8, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. Now under new management, and with a powerful driving force, the event will reassemble the key personalities from within the yacht racing industry worldwide; athletes, event organizers, sponsors, designers and builders, insurance and financial companies, specialized media and more…

Whilst located in a landlocked country, Geneva has been playing an important role in the international yacht racing scene for the past few decades. Indeed, Geneva is the only European town to have a club who has hosted the America’s Cup (between 2003 and 2010); five Whitbread Round the World Race campaigns were born on the shores of the lake whilst many technologies used on race boats all around the world have been created by local engineers, including composite sail technologies like 3DL, 3DI or TPT to name a few. Geneva and Switzerland also play a significant role in the international yacht racing scene thanks to the financial support of its corporations: these include logistics and transport companies, private banks, luxury good makers, watchmakers and more.

« This rich heritage is a strong foundation for a successful Yacht Racing Forum in 2015 », says Bernard Schopfer, CEO of the event. « The local economic support and long lasting involvement in international yacht racing means that many of the sports’ key players are already strongly connected to Geneva and Switzerland. The Forum is the perfect place to meet and discuss ideas, since it provides a perfect opportunity to meet outside of the context of a sailing competition. We are pleased to see that we are on track to achieve our objective of creating a great platform for business for all involved in the sport we cherish. »

Geneva is an easy-to-reach location, situated at the heart of Europe. The Forum will take place in the Hotel Intercontinental; a prestigious venue located 300 meters away from the United Nations, UNHCR, ICRC or World Meteorological Organisation to name a few.

The Yacht Racing Forum 2015 will be split in three distinct conferences on Day One: Business and Marketing, Design and Technology and Risk Management. The day will end up with a gala reception that will provide a great opportunity to meet and network with the sports’ key personalities and network in a pleasant environment. Day Two will host a plenary session and focus on topics of general interest for both sailors, event organisers, designers or sponsors.

« The sessions we have had on yacht racing design and technology have been important opportunities to highlight the immense progress being made in this part of the sport, » says Dobbs Davis, technical editor at Seahorse Magazine. « We look forward to once again attracting the top talent in this field and giving the delegates and media a unique opportunity to hear what they have to say and discuss their ideas in person. »

Negotiations are currently underway for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the event. "Our goal is to manage the Yacht Racing Forum with a long term vision in order to guarantee the sustainability of the event to delegates, exhibitors and partners,” says Schopfer. "The delegate fees have also been reduced significantly in order to encourage participation from a broad range of companies, clubs and individuals who represent all levels of yacht racing, from local events right up to the America’s Cup.”

The Yacht Racing Forum is the only business-to-business conference that brings together the key players from across the yacht racing industry. The event will provide the chance to discuss the issues facing the sport and to share best practice. It will facilitate business development through providing quality networking opportunities with decision makers from all areas within the industry.

The World Yacht Racing Forum will take place on 7-8 December in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Hotel Intercontinental.

ENDS

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