Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Sail America wraps up another successful industry conference in Newport, RI

by Sail America 2 May 17:01 PDT
Sail America © Sail America

The annual Sail America Industry Conference (SAIC) landed in Newport, RI, in mid-April, bringing the industry together for an engaging two days of camaraderie and learning. Attendees hailed from all over the country and enjoyed all that Newport has to offer.

After a day of nice weather and variable wind conditions on Wednesday afternoon, the highly contested industry regatta was held at Sail Newport, followed by an awards ceremony and opening reception for all attendees. Thursday opened with a lively presentation from our Keynote Speaker Ken Read from North Sails. Read's keynote, "Building and Leading Great Teams", was followed by Neal Harrell of Brooks Marine Group who spoke on "How to Find and Land Great Employees". Meanwhile, Don Smith of Beneteau Group spoke on "Chartering a Course to Sustainable Boat Building", and Gail Lowney Alofsin of Leadership at ALL Levels spoke on "Team Building and Leadership". In the afternoon, Tim Murphy of American Boat and Yacht Council facilitated a feature session on professional certifications and training. Attendees were offered a free tour of the Sailing Museum, which features two iconic Halls of Fame under one roof—the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

Following an exciting day of content, attendees moved to a reception and raffle with prizes generously donated by Sail America members and conference attendees. Our featured raffle item was a six-night, seven-day bareboat yacht charter aboard a sailing monohull up to 45' in length in the British Virgin Islands—a trip valued at up to $8,000!

The conference continued Friday with a short morning of panels and presentations before attendees went out to explore Newport and enjoy fresh seafood before boarding planes home for the weekend.

"I struggled to fit the SAIC into my schedule but was happy that I did. The combined value of the content and the networking made it worthwhile. There is a certain magic to getting away from the office and thinking about some of the bigger issues that surround our industry, my business, and even the way I do my own job. Throughout the conference, I kept coming up with specific people and companies who would have gotten a lot out of the event. Of course, the bigger the event gets, the better the networking and the more resources Sail America has to create a broad and dynamic agenda," said Scot West, managing director at Ronstan International.

The next Sail America Industry conference, with dates and location, will be announced early this summer.

This year's conference was presented by Groupe Beneteau Americas (Jeanneau, Beneteau, Lagoon, Excess) with additional sponsor support from Yanmar/Vetus, SailTime, The Moorings, Cruising World/Sailing World, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Spinlock, Helly Hansen, Hilb New England, Superior Charters, and Offshore Passage Opportunities.

Related Articles

US Sailboat Show Best in Show Awards
Presented at Sail America Industry Breakfast Sail America Industry Meeting: US Sailboat Show Best in Show Awards presented at Industry Breakfast. Posted on 20 Oct
Sail America's 2024 Industry Conference preview
Registration is open for the event in St. Petersburg, FL Sail America, the trade association for the sailing industry, today announced registration is open for the 10th edition of the Sail America Industry Conference (SAIC) taking place in Florida for the first time. Posted on 22 Sep
Fall Boat Show preview
Get a sneak peak from the organizers of the Newport International Boat Show and Annapolis Boat Shows Please join Sail America for an online forum to learn exciting news about the Fall boat shows in Newport and Annapolis. Posted on 8 Aug
Josie Tucci appointed to NMMA Board of Directors
NMMA is the leading trade association representing boat, marine engine and accessory manufacturers Sail America Executive Team Member, past Sail America Board President, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Moorings, Josie Tucci, has been appointed to the NMMA Board of Directors as a representative for Sail America. Posted on 19 Jul
Join Sail America at Sail Newport
Don't miss this amazing networking opportunity at SAIC 2023 Sail Newport is located inside the beautiful Fort Adams State Park with breathtaking views of the harbor and Narragansett Bay. We will be serving light fare and beer and wine. Don't miss this amazing networking opportunity at SAIC 2023! Posted on 14 Apr
Sail America presents 2023 Board of Directors
U.S. sailing industry welcomes four new members Sail America welcomed four new members to its 2023 board of directors: Beth Oliver, Offshore Sailing School; Randall Carnahan, Hilb Group NE; Dan Krier, Marine Servicenter; and Parker Stair, Bonnier Corporation. Posted on 24 Jan
Exciting content and speakers at SAIC
Hear from the experts at the 2023 Sail America Industry Conference Join industry leaders and colleagues for three days of speakers, workshops, and networking at the Sail America Industry Conference (SAIC) in Newport, RI. Posted on 22 Jan
Dates announced for Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show
To be held May 4th-7th, 2023 at WestPoint Harbor in Redwood City, California The California Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA) is very excited to inform the marine industry that the CYBA's Pacific Sail & Power Boat show will be held May 4th-7th, 2023. Posted on 2 Dec 2022
SAIC 2023 registration is open!
Hear from the experts at the 2023 Sail America Industry Conference Join industry leaders and colleagues for three days of speakers, workshops, and networking at the Sail America Industry Conference (SAIC) Posted on 30 Nov 2022
Sailing Industry Economic Outlook Report released
Sail America's report shows progress from 2021, with many sectors reporting positively Sail America released the 2022 Sailing Industry Economic Outlook Report. The report shows progress from 2021, with many sectors reporting positively. Posted on 22 Oct 2022
Vaikobi 2023 Gloves - FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERUpffront 2020 Foredeck Club SW FOOTER