Special edition of Boat Builder Awards announced for 2020

Superyachts in a marina © METSTRADE

IBI and METSTRADE have announced a special one-off edition of the Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement in 2020. It will acknowledge the challenges, ingenuity and resolve of our industry in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and accommodate the safety of those attending the final announcements.

Headline sponsored once again by Raymarine, this year's Awards will involve a special two-and a half hour award ceremony and networking event at RAI Amsterdam on the first evening of METSTRADE (Tuesday, November 17th), with five key awards - two of which will be entirely new categories spotlighting the industry's response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The two new special awards for 2020 will be:

Exceptional Commercial Achievement in an unprecedented year, sponsored by Kohler

This award is for boatbuilders that have implemented strategies or protocols that not only protected their business and team but also enabled them to emerge strongly from lockdown.

Community Support Initiative, sponsored by Fusion

This award is for a boatbuilder and its employees who showed great social awareness by channelling resources, expertise or manufacturing capabilities to aid wider community COVID-19 crisis support.

The organisers have also retained the three regular awards that focus very specifically on the industry's priorities of people, skills and the environment.

Environmental Initiative, sponsored by Confindustria Nautica

This award recognises boatbuilders that have maintained their focus on sustainability, even in the midst of other challenges. Examples include reducing the environmental impact of production processes or of boats and yachts, recycling initiatives and support of environmental campaigns.

Rising Star Award, sponsored by Lumishore

Individuals nominated in this category will be aged 35 or under, working for a boatbuilder and will have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business, from design and production, to management, buying and any other boatbuilding discipline. Nominees should be no older than age 35 on 17th November 2020. Top honours in this category last year went to Dominator Yachts' Angela Pernsteiner and Riviera's Kyle Davison.

Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Side-Power

Nominees will have made a significant impact on the boatbuilding businesses that they have been associated with in their careers. Past winners have included Azimut's Paolo Vitelli, Sunseeker founder Robert Braithwaite CBE, David King, the founder of Princess Yachts, Groupe Beneteau's Annette Roux and the Healey brothers, Robert and William, who founded Viking Yachts.

"Given the unique times we find ourselves in, we felt this year's Awards was the perfect opportunity to highlight the heroic work undertaken by many of our boatbuilders and their employees in keeping the industry moving forward in these uncertain times," said IBI Editor and Chair of the BBA judging panel, Ed Slack.

The evening will kick off from 6pm with welcome drinks and a 30-minute award ceremony in the RAI's Forum conference room, followed by a networking reception, sponsored by Sunbrella. The evening will conclude at 8.30pm.

"Recognising the current business climate and the need to maintain social distancing protocols, the 2020 Boat Builder Awards, in association with Raymarine, will necessarily be in a different format, to keep all participants safe and reflect the different circumstances that we have all experienced," said METSTRADE'S Director Niels Klarenbeek. "However, we think its role, to mark the unique efforts of our industry in these challenging times, is more important than ever."

In keeping with this year's slimmed down event, the nomination process has been simplified too - those wishing to nominate can send a 'tip' or suggestion to the judges at bbaentry.co.uk explaining which category they are nominating for and why. Nominations will open on 21st July.

Social distancing protocols mean attendee numbers will be strictly limited and awarded on a first come, first served basis with tickets available on boatbuilderawards.com from September, priced at €25.

www.metstrade.com