Thank you for being part of ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2025!
The ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2025, organized on behalf of The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and Vento di Venezia, the management company of Venezia Certosa Marina in charge of the regeneration project of Certosa Island in Venice, opened in grand style with a pre-conference cocktail at Doge’s Palace in St. Mark’s Square, the heart of Venice, where the guests have been welcomed by Alberto Sonino, Founder of Vento di Venezia and Hosting Administrator & Organizer of the Conference, Joe Lynch, CEO of ICOMIA, Frank Hugelmeyer, ICOMIA and NMMA President, and Roberto Perocchio, Assomarinas President.
Day one featured the official opening session including institutional greetings from distinguished guests as Domenico Guglielmi (Rear Admiral, host of the main conference’s venue), Daniele Di Guardo (Senior Commander of the Italian Coast Guard), Luigi Brugnaro (Mayor of Venice), Francesco Calzavara (deputy president of the Region of Venice), and Daniela Santanchè (Italian Minister of Tourism).
Day one also saw exceptional keynotes:
- Alberto Galassi (Ferretti Group CEO) explored the synergy between marinas, yacht builders, and shipyards.
- Oliver Doerschuck (D-Marin CEO) provided Mediterranean and UAE market perspectives.
- Baxter Underwood (Safe Harbor Marinas CEO) presented his vision for creating industry-wide value.
An exceptional panel, “The Biggest Marina Market in the World: The US – Figures and Trends,” featured Frank Hugelmeyer, W. Brett McGill (MarineMax CEO), Bryan Redmond (Suntex Marinas Co-Founder and CEO), and Baxter Underwood discussing trends shaping the American marina sector.
More takeaways were shared with the audience throughout the day, during the panels “Maritime history of Venice and Climate change world-saving solutions from Venice, the most ancient city of the future”, “Ferrari Hypersail”, “Marina markets of the world”, “How Global Yacht Trends Will Shape Marinas idea of trends of market”, “The New TYHA Code of Practice”, “Unlocking the full Benefits of Marina Accreditation and Marina Certification”, “WOW factor in marina design & operation”, and two final panels dedicated to the role of energy in the future of marinas.
Day two brought participants onto the water with Marina Tours across Venice’s lagoon. Group North explored Venezia Certosa Marina, Marina Santelena, Marina Fiorita, and Porto Turistico di Jesolo, while Group South visited Compagnia della Vela, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venezia Certosa Marina, Darsena Le Saline, and Darsena Mosella. The tours, supported by official partners Ingemar and Plus Marine, showcased the region’s stunning maritime network.
The evening’s Gala Dinner at the Arsenale portion, managed by the Municipality of Venice through its marketing and event company Vela also in charge of the Venice Boat Show, celebrated community and excellence, highlighted by Jean-Michel Gaigné receiving the Golden Cleat Award for Lifetime Achievement. Guests also enjoyed presentations of the Venice Boat Show 2026 and the exciting announcement that Shanghai will host IWMC 2027. Official Gala Dinner partners Amer Yachts, Lamda Development, and RINA made the celebration possible and presented their strategies on the stage.
The final sessions on the third day deepened dialogue on maritime culture, Made in Italy, sustainability, investment, and digitalisation, especially during the panels “World Tour of the Amerigo Vespucci & Villaggio Italia”, “State-of-the-art of marina projects”, “Risk management”, “Why should Marinas prepare for Digitalisation?”, and “Innovation in floating marina infrastructure”.
Key insights about the marina sector were also shared during the panels “The Marina chains: The vision and proposition of the future”, “Marinas, the charter industry and boat clubs”, “Marina’s Impact Economy”, “The value of human resources and Marina staff training”, “International regulations and recommendations”, and “Reinventing Vessel Storage for a New Era”.
The conference closed with a spectacural sunset at the farewell gathering, where visitors toasted to the event with a glass of Prosecco Doc, official sparkling wine of the event.
The ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2025 produced a tremendous amount of contacts, networking, concrete business opportunities, inspiring innovative solutions and interdisciplinary visions on the future of the marine industry.
| METSTRADE 2025 |
We are delighted to invite you to the METSTRADE Stage on November 18th at 2:45 pm for the presentation of the conference magazine, video, key takeaways and industry insights. |
| JOIN US IN AMSTERDAM |