2023 November December Marina World

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
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