Yachting Racing Forum – Is World Sailing up for a real challenge?

by Rob Kothe and the Sail -World Team on 14 Dec 2015 The Yacht Racing Forum was conceived and initially run by Informa Yacht Group, the first two forums were in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2008 and 2009, Estoril Portugal in 2010 and 2011 Gothenburg, Sweden 2012, 2013, Barcelona 2014 and last week in Geneva under its new owner Maxcomm Communications.

The most important feature of the Yacht Racing Forum is that it really is a Who’s Who of the Sailing Industry, event managers, designers, builders, administrators, media and more, the people who actually make it happen.

While the sailing private industry sector has been vibrant and innovative, by comparison the sports peak body World Sailing, (ISAF with a coat of paint) has appeared to be dysfunctional by many in the industry, for decades.

It has suffered from questionable decision make progresses and in recent times, ineffectual leadership.

In 2016, if ISAF now World Sailing is serious about improving its relevance to the world of sailing, then we need to see more evidence they are listening not just talking.

The World Sailing annual conference is all about the 140 or so national sailing bodies, with hundreds of decisions to make, it’s not a place that this body can interact with the industry, but the Yacht Racing Forum is.

In Sail-World’s opinion, the presence of World Sailing Vice President Gary Jobson and two key staff, Head of Events Alistair Fox, Head of Technical and Offshore Dr. James Smithick at the forum was a very positive step forward for World Sailing and certainly gained their organisation some respect.

Sail-World interviewed Bernard Schopfer, the principal of Maxcomm: ‘Maxcomm Communications, my company has been involved since day one in Monaco so we know the event inside and out and we are very attached to it. We were very pleased to be able to acquire the event last year in a very friendly way and to be able to give it the energy.

‘We know the event has huge potential and now we feel the tremendous efforts put into the event by James Gradwell, Dobbs Davis and my Maxcomm team have yielded great results.

‘We are really developing this whole event with a long term vision and that is the message of durability and sustainability and seriousness that we want to bring out to the partners, to the commercial partners, the delegates and all the brands involved in yacht racing.

‘We want to develop this event and we want everybody to understand that its favourable for them to attend and a good place that they can make business and help improve the sport. Basically discuss the issues of the sport and improve it.’

'We want the venues to have a good understanding of what a good operating forum can bring them and we are actually discussing with similar possible venues for next year, for 2016 and will announce that this spring.

'We are going to Aarhus, Denmark in 2017. The Danes are organising the World Sailing Championships in 2018 so for them it is really fits into a commercial strategy.

‘I think all the subjects were really interesting this year. Knut Frostad was very well received as was Francoise Gabart (winner of the 2012-2013 Vendee Globe) Ian Walker who won the Volvo Ocean Race, fantastic and Gary Jobson and his team made an impact.

‘All in all, we have the key people from the best events. We have the designers who make the best boats, we have the photographers who take the best pictures etc. I think all in all we are very pleased to have everyone and that people recognise how important this event can and will be.

'We are very pleased with that Volvo was one of the very first supporters and Knut has always been supportive of the Yacht Racing Forum which is something we are very pleased with and his support also came very early.

‘On the other hand, World Sailing came in only recently but the fact they have joined us also seems to prove that we are going in the right direction and that they acknowledge the fact that the event is very important.’

Sail-World very much agrees with Schopfer.

In fact, the most potent symbol that World Sailing is now committed to serious reform would be the presence of World Sailing President Carlo Croce, and his seven Vice Presidents, at the 2016 Yacht Racing Forum, along with the new CEO or Secretary General and World Heads of Events, Marketing and Technical and Offshore - all interacting with the movers and shakers of our sport.

Do we imagine that might happen?

How about it World Sailing? Mark your calendars?