2023 November December Marina World

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IWMC 2023 Customers, culture, comms and carbon The 2023 ICOMIA World Marinas Conference (IWMC) held at the Tivoli Conference Centre in Vilamoura, Portugal in October was hailed as one of the most successful events in the long-running series to date. Hosted by the Portuguese Association of Ports and Marinas (APPR) and expertly moderated by professional broadcaster Shirley Robertson, IWMC 2023 was held over three days and attracted more than 350 delegates from the international marina community. The opening session was attended by Maria do Céu Antunes, the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Food, the Secretary of State for Fisheries, the Vice-Mayor of Loulé, the president of the Algarve Tourist Board and other national dignitaries. Isolete Correia, president of APPR and CEO of Vilamoura Marina, opened the proceedings. Although technology and its advantages played a major part in the conference discussions, emphasis was placed on the importance of people right from the outset. “Recreational boating enriches people’s lives,” said ICOMIA president Darren Vaux. “It’s not about ‘boats’ but about the sense of calm evident in being in and around the water – the increase in well being and the physical benefits. Recreational boating matters, and thus marinas matter.” ICOMIA Marinas Group (IMG) chair, Martinho Fortunato, took up Left: (l to r) Moderator Shirley Robertson chairs a panel discussion with Elsa Nicol, Falco; Tone Britovsek, Marina Master; and Idan Cohen, Pick-a-Pier. Right: Discussing the industry around the globe (l to r) Oscar Siches, consultant; Suzanne Davies, MIA; John Hogan, Superior Jetties; Cédric Le Rest, MM&C: and Jon White, TYHA. ICOMIA president, Darren Vaux, makes one of the opening addresses to a packed audience. the baton: “Industry must focus on people and not just technology. It’s very important to keep this in mind.” With “people” on the agenda, keynote speaker Bill Yeargin, president/CEO of Correct Craft, Inc spoke about the economics of culture, and the need to establish team-building and core values that act as continual guidelines. “Leaders need to be energisers and provide clarity,” he said, encouraging broader horizons, team projects and constant communication and honing of the cultural objective. “Culture is not an expense but a high-return investment,” he stressed, and it’s vital to be “a learner and not a ‘knower’.” Retaining staff is also, of course, a key issue and a global concern. Yiannis Kalogerakis, CEO at JMK was forthright. “Many marinas today are over-managed and under-led. People leave people not marinas.” The customer base “Marinas will be the hospitality hubs in the future and offer a marina ‘guest’ experience – let’s not call them ‘customers’,” urged Kalogerakis. But what of the new ‘guests’? “Your new customer will not be an old salt but someone who’s made a swift decision to just try boating,” noted Superior Group CEO John Hogan. And these swift deciders may well come via a Boat Club route. According to Arturo Gutierrez, general manager (EMEA) for Freedom Boat Club (FBC), one in five club members graduates to boat ownership. FBC currently has 5,000 boats and 90,000 members and is welcoming increasing numbers of women and young people into its fold. There are significant financial advantages in having a Boat Club on a marina site www.marinaworld.com – November/December 2023 27