GMBA, a global consulting group specialising in the marine industry, last week attended the ICOMIA Boating Industry Conference hosted by Marina ONE15 in Singapore.
Oscar Siches GMBA on stage
During the conference a number of GMBA Consultants actively participated in panels and discussions, sharing their expertise and insights on various topics. Day one saw Oscar Siches GMBA Spain, talk about ISO standards for marina management and operations followed by a session on the importance of incorporating environmental, social, and economic factors into design and management. Day 2 started with a session moderated by Jouko Huju, GMBA Finland, on the importance of attracting people into boating with a lot of interest shown in the shared boating models which are becoming more popular as an entry point to boating.
Jouko Huju GMBA Finland, Ronnie Wang China, Darren Vaux ICOMIA President
This topic was followed by presentations on the economic value of boating and the transformative benefits for local communities. A key focus of this topic was the importance of understanding the economic impacts of the industry to allow stakeholders to be better armed with facts and figures when holding discussions with government officials and politicians. MaryAnne Edwards, GMBA Australia who moderated this session stated, “We all know politicians will not take up a challenge unless they are convinced the cause will have positive effects on the community and enhance their popularity, and we have also learnt that bureaucrats and bankers need a level of information that puts a security blanket over their decision making”.
Maryanne Edwards GMBA Australia, Johnathan Sit SUTL Grp, Sam Do Vietnam, Ewa Stachurska Simpson Marine
Kenta Inaba, GMBA Japan, participated in the session on Advocacy talking about his experiences in lobbying for changes in regulations that affect the superyacht sector in Japan. Kenta has had remarkable success in advocating for the industry in Japan and talked about how important it is to have the ear of government and the importance of working within government parameters.
Kenta Inaba Japan, Stephen Beng Phillips, Andrew Scott BIA Australia
Finally, YP Loke, GMBA Singapore, talked about the importance of collaboration amongst Marine Industry Associations in Asia. YP has been instrumental in working with ICOMIA to support developing regions in Asia and has contributed significantly to the industry in Singapore. YP was also the supreme social event planner for ICOMIA and GMBA. The advancement in the marine sector in ASIA was evident when 80% of the delegates and speakers were from this region and heavily involved in all discussions over the 2 days of the Conference. Originally at the conferences held in Singapore the mix of attendees and speakers would have been 80% Western and 20% from Asia.
YP Loke GMBA Singapore, Veda Pretorius GMBA Sth Africa, Annika Linqvist GMBA Sweden
GMBA South Africa, Chairperson Veda Pretorius, who was also in attendance commented; “The conference fostered a collaborative environment for meaningful discussions and knowledge sharing. The presence of key government representatives highlighted the growing recognition and support for the marine industry in Asia paving the way for positive development and opportunities in the region. Congratulations to ICOMIA on their organisation of this event and GMBA will certainly be looking forward to the next conference.”
