The Global Superyacht Forum (GSF) took place between 17^th and 19^th November 2014 in Amsterdam. With a series of workshops held by interesting and innovative keynote speakers, this year’s event has been labelled a huge success and, as per usual, ran alongside the equally important METS trade show in the Dutch city. 

Whilst there was plenty of evening entertainment on offer to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the forum, there were also plenty of interesting talking points raised in discussions made by the keynote speakers. Approximately 500 delegates were invited to the event to listen to the speakers, and the audience ensured that there was a great platform for discussion of innovative ideas.

One such speaker was Hein Velema, Sales and Marketing Director of Italian yacht manufacturer ISA Yachts, who chose to discuss the warranty on new-build superyachts. When Hein joined ISA Yachts in 2013, he plugged an original idea of increasing the warranty on new builds to two years; something that ensures the company stands out from other superyacht manufacturers who tend to offer just a one-year warranty. As the company’s trademark is ‘Trusted to deliver’ this is another key aspect in ensuring the company lives up to this. 

Throughout his keynote speech, Hein was interested in engaging with the audience at the workshop about the idea of a 5-year warranty period, hence the title, “5 Years Warranty, the New Industry Standard.” It is debates like this that have allowed the Global Superyacht Forum to blossom into an important industry event. The conclusion for this year according to Hein was that, “Most people agreed that a one-year warranty is very poor, but a full 5-year warranty as an industry standard is still far away.” This appears to be particularly true as it is difficult to give the warranty if the yard has no control over the maintenance of the yacht.

Other interesting topics raised during the event included a speech made by Tim Delaney, who is in charge of the branding of M/Y SOLANDGE, who like Hein, is keen to reach out to potential owners with new ideas. He feels that in order to encourage people to own a yacht, it is important to sell the lifestyle that owning a yacht offers; the opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones.

The Global Superyacht Forum was once again used as a means to find a united goal for the superyacht industry, with the focus this year clearly being on the service provided by the industry and how to gain trust and encourage potential buyers. We look forward to the 21^st instalment in 2015 and see what interesting points will be raised there.