on 8 May 2023
The Singapore Yachting Festival re-introduces on-water boating events to the Lion City
The four-day Singapore Yachting Festival (SYF), which ran from April 27 to 30, recorded 9,250 visitors over the show duration, with 52 yachts on display. The last edition of the Singapore Yacht Show, held in 2019, reported over 16,000 visitors and 90 yachts on display. The host venue was One°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, Singapore.
“From day one, the crowd was larger than anticipated; even if we had some rain in the evenings, the quality and number of visitors in attendance had already exceeded our expectations, particularly given the short timeframes and circumstances in which we had to prepare for the festival,” said SYF show organiser Wade Pearce.
The Singapore Yachting Festival was announced only in early February 2023, giving organisers three months to put together a show that normally requires a year’s preparation. It was the first on-water yacht show in Singapore since 2019.
Opening ceremony of the inaugural Singapore Yachting Festival
“We are very pleased with the organisation, we were very pleased with the crowd we met and the support leading up to the show,” said Hakan Lange, founder of Derani Yachts and an exhibitor at the show. “With just over two months to put it all together, I think it was a really good effort.”
The Southeast Asia Yachting Conference (SEA Conference) took place on April 26, one day before the start of the show. It offered the first opportunity in three years for the yachting industry in the Southeast Asia region to meet face-to-face.
Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of SUTL Group, said: “As a venue host, I was impressed by the vibrancy of the festival and the positive feedback received from the yachting industry. Together with Wade, I’m glad that we heeded the call to stage (SYF) despite the short timeframe. This has helped to reinforce Singapore’s position as the yachting gateway and tourism hub for Asia’s leisure marine industry.”
The event attracted impressive vessels from a range of brands, including Bluegame
“The Singapore Yachting Festival was a great success for ILIAD Catamarans, and the Asia launch of the ILIAD 50,” says Marcus Overman, Iliad’s sales and business development manager. “The interest in the ILIAD range was overwhelming, with boat buyers understanding the benefits of such well-designed use of living space, equivalent to most 70+ foot monohulls. To be able to conduct sea trials with direct ocean access from ONE°15 Marina made the event a complete experience for those buyers wanting to get a feel for the boat out on the water following the festival.”
“After three years without a yacht show, Azimut Yachts Singapore was eagerly anticipating The Singapore Yachting Festival and it didn’t disappoint,” says Marine Italia COO Paul Grange. The company took the opportunity to debut its Azimut 78 for the Singapore market. “It was also fantastic to see and meet many existing clients, potential new clients and yachting enthusiasts in general. At the Azimut Yacht booth, in addition to our Singaporean guests, we welcomed visitors from several countries including, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, so the Festival had a truly international feel.”
The show was also an exciting time for Julian Solari, who was recently named chief commercial officer Asia for Camper & Nicholsons, and will head up the company’s new office in Singapore.
“I think it [the show] was a success taking into account that Wade and his team had no more than two months to put it together. The whole Asian yachting industry was excited to come together again, and it was great to reconnect with many dealers, stakeholders, and owners,” says Solari. “Of course, it was a smaller show than the previous years given the context but there were a lot of qualified buyers.”
He says the city’s boating community rallied in support of the new family-friendly and interactive format. “Most Singapore boat owners visited the show, and there were a lot of new models for them to see as it was the first show since 2020.”
“I would say that it was mostly a “dealer show” this year, with the largest boat being close to 90ft, and we all look forward to next year where the most renowned superyachts shipyards as well as international superyacht brokerage houses will very probably be back, as they used to be in the past.”
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