Superyacht conference hits town

The Australian Superyacht and Marine Export Industry Conference (ASMEX) will be a two day event 17 and 18 May, and will bring together key industry stakeholders, boat builders, service providers and marine industry manufacturers. A key focus of the conference will be promoting Australia as a key cruising destination plus looking at the excellent refit and repair services and facilities available. The conference will address key issues facing the Australian Superyacht and Export industry and explore current and future opportunities.

SYBA CEO MaryAnne Edwards said: “This is an exciting initiative SYBA have been working on for some months. It is designed to profile the Australian Superyacht Industry and provide an excellent platform for the industry both in Australia and globally to network, share ideas, understand issues and work with key industry stakeholders to look at ways to grow the Australian Superyacht sector. The conference will also provide an overview of key global markets and in particular how Australia, NZ, Asia and the Pacific can work together to drive more business for the region.”

Edwards advised that Barry Jenkins had been appointed conference chairman and he was excited by the prospect of hosting this inaugural conference at Sanctuary Cove.

“it is a timely initiative for the industry given the recent publicity generated globally as a result of the Queensland & Victoria floods, Tropical Cyclone Yasi and the fires in Western Australia. It is important for us to get a message to the rest of the world that the industry has been largely unaffected by these events and the Marine Industry in Australia is alive and well,” said Jenkins.

The conference is on very solid ground with support from the Queensland Government, The Dept of Innovation, Industry, Science & Research, The Gold Coast City Council, Austrade, AIMEX and Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.

Jenkins said a very targeted and interesting programme has been developed involving relevant industry topics, quality guest speakers and key networking opportunities for both Australian and International attendees.

The conference will be the key Superyacht and Export specific event in Australia for 2011 and will bring together the main players in the industry value chain. It is envisaged the conference will attract a strong number of industry from both Australia and overseas.
The conference dates are 17-18 May 2011.

Conference attracts interest from China

Superyacht Australia’s conference branded ASMEX 2011 is attracting attention worldwide with registrations already received from the Middle East, China, Taiwan, USA, NZ.

Chairman Barry Jenkins announced sponsorship for the conference from the Tianjin Binhai New Area. Zong Guoying, Leader of the Binhai New Area Delegation who will speak at the conference holds a Doctoral Degree in Economics, having worked overseas for over ten years.

On the 9th January 2010 Zong was elected as the Head of the Tianjin Binhai New Area. As such he is the Deputy Party Secretary of the CPC Tianjin Binhai New Area Committee (elected in 2009) and Chief Executive of Binhai Administration.

Binhai’s Administrative structure includes three Municipal Districts, Tanggu, Hangu and Dagang covering an area of 2000 square miles and a population of 1.47 million. Zong Guoying will talk about the opportunities for business partnerships with the Australian superyacht and marine export Industry. Jenkins said there is a lot of interest from the Australian Industry regarding the Chinese market so it is very topical to have someone as important as Zong Guoying attend the conference.

The Australian government has a strong network of offices in China to assist Australian companies to do business in this region.  AIMEX has been organising the Australian pavilion at the China International Boat Show  in Shanghai for the past 8 years and has created a strong link with China opening up a number of business opportunities for Australian manufacturers. Many of Australia’s iconic marine brands are now represented in this market Barry Jenkins said “a key focus for the conference is to inform SYBA & AIMEX members of the opportunities that are presenting themselves globally to drive business, having a representative from the Binhai Govt come out here specifically to attend the conference is a prime example.”

Austrade chief executive to addres conference

Austrade Chief Executive Peter Grey will speak at the Conference. Grey was appointed as chief executive officer of Austrade in January 2010. Immediately before joining Austrade Grey was Australia’s Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva.

MaryAnne Edwards said: ”Peter has huge experience in international trade relations having held a number of significant ambassadorial positions with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade exposing him to key global markets. His considerable knowledge of global markets will provide a valuable contribution to the conference programme and be a drawcard for many delegates.”

The Australian Trade Commission – Austrade – is the Australian Government’s trade and investment development agency. Operating through a global network of offices in more than 100 locations in over 55 countries, Austrade offers practical advice, market intelligence and ongoing support to Australian business.

Both Superyacht Base Australia and the Australian Marine Export Group work closely with Austrade in a number of global markets with both the organization and their members utilizing the services of their local and global network.

Peter Grey will provide an overview of the support Austrade offers to industry in identifying opportunities for exporters in overseas markets and how this can help Australian companies in the marine sector.