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Superyacht UK Tour of Excellence 2008
Over 70 UK companies benefited from the recent Superyacht UK Tour of Excellence, which ended last week. 26 international Superyacht representatives completed a successful four-day visit to companies along the south Coast, which involved site visits, networking events and exhibition showcases. The tour is organised by Superyacht UK, an association within the British Marine Federation, and supported by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
The delegates, made up of yacht management companies, project managers, yards, brokers and designers, visited a number of UK businesses including eight yards; Pendennis Shipyard, Devonport, Southampton Yacht Services, Endeavour Quay, Hythe Marine Park, Ocean Quay, Fairlie Restorations and Cockwells, as well as a number of equipment companies including Raymarine, Flagship Training, Lewmar and Oceanair.
Tom Chant, International Commercial Manager for the British Marine Federation said: “The Superyacht sector is a British success story, worth over £300 million and employing in excess of 3,000 people. It is important to continue to promote this sector and last week’s event was a fantastic showcase and a great opportunity for British companies to network with potential buyers.”
Similar events organised over the past five years have resulted in millions of pounds of business for UK marine companies and early signs from this visit are equally as positive.
Sam Crockford, a delegate from project management company Saranna said;
"The Superyacht UK Tour of Excellence is not only an excellent forum to learn more about what UK sourced products and services can be provided to our industry, but is also a first rate opportunity for networking and meeting like minded professionals."
Nicolas Vacquier from Althaus Yachting said “The tour really gave us a thorough exposure to the UK Superyacht industry, allowing us to visit a great number of shipyards, designers, architects in the yachting world and to exchange views with some of the key decision makers internationally. We now have very interesting contacts in the UK with whom we will most certainly collaborate on future projects.
Another delegate, Rod Hatch, Captain added: “The event was a very worthwhile experience, allowing quality time with serious people.”
Julie Tucker from Design Unlimited, who hosted the delegates said;
"We were really pleased with the meetings we had for the Tour of Excellence. We got some very good feedback from the delegates who had visited our offices and are hopeful that this will lead to some future projects."
ENDS
Companies involved in site visits and presentations to delegates
Cockwells
Design Unltd
DEVONPORT
Dixon Yacht Design
Endeavour Quay
Fairlie Restorations
Flagship Training
Hythe Marine Park
Lewmar
Ocean Quay
Ocean Safety
Oceanair
Pendennis Yachts
Raymarine
Southampton Yacht Services
Notes to editors
The British Marine Federation is the trade association for the UK leisure marine industry. It represents companies including boat builders, chandlers, hireboat companies and marinas.
UK Trade & Investment is the UK Government's international business development organisation, supporting businesses seeking to establish in the UK and helping UK companies grow internationally. The services offered by UK Trade & Investment bring together a network of business sector specialists and support teams in British embassies and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts all around the world, as well as key experts in government departments across the UK. UK Trade & Investment works with a wide range of partner organisations in the UK, including Regional Development Agencies and the Devolved Administrations, Business Links, Chambers of Commerce and trade associations. For more information, visit the web site at www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.