Singapore Yacht Show 2016: A Sparkling Finish to a Sparkling Event..

The 2016 edition of the Singapore Yacht Show (SYS) was blessed with near perfect weather, and closed out on Sunday evening with the traditional cacophony of horns, and a general feeling of a good job well done. The broad consensus was that the Show has really matured now into its role as the principal yachting industry platform for the whole of Asia, including China.

At the top end of the event, five fabulous superyachts took centre stage – the Benetti 56m M/Y Lady Candy, Amels 55m M/Y La Familia, and Fraser Yachts line up which featured the 50m M/Y Sensation, Triple 8, a 43.5m from Royal Denship, and the 34m Azul A by Moonen. The presence of La Familia was a carry on from 2015, when Amels’ Victor Caminada said at the time, “this is Asia’s number one show, and we’ll be back in 2016 – with a yacht!” And they were.

Lisa Peck of Fraser Yachts commented how delighted they were: “three yachts in the Show and a strong team of brokers in attendance. All three yachts had a good flow of traffic and qualified prospects onboard and we look forward to following up on the enquiries generated at the Show.”

Multihull Solutions, Asia agent for FountainePajot and a number of other multihull brands, reported sales of three yachts totaling €2.7m, and two further orders to be finalised for €1.4m within the next week. “It was an extraordinary success; we were very impressed with the organisation, and the quality of clients coming through each day,” said a happy Mark Elkington, Managing Director. He reported “unprecedented interest” from visitors from Australia, New Zealand, Noumea and all the countries in Asia, including China. He continued, “The Singapore Yacht Show is a truly regional event. We are strong supporters, and are absolutely delighted to be here. This is Asia’s number one show in terms of quality visitors.”

SYS featured a number of premieres and regional debuts, the most visible being the Sunreef Supreme 68 catamaran, Eagle Wings, which hosted a spectacular show on the Friday evening complete with showgirls flown in from Paris, a top-deck chanteuse, a colourful light show and even a fireworks display.

Biggest exhibitor in the Show by number of units was Princess Yachts with 11 boats in the water ranging from 27m to 13.5m, and a spectacular and very well-attended floating bar and lounge. Global Marketing Director for Princess Yachts International, KiranHaslam, said: “It has been wonderful to see SYS grow organically with each instalment, but the leap forward this year was something truly special. The high calibre of guests visiting our 11-yacht display was just spectacular. We are now working very closely with the organisers and are confident that the Singapore Yacht Show will eclipse many other international shows within a short span of time, and it will one day, perhaps, be one of the most important shows in the international boat show calendar. Huge congratulations are in order to the entire team for setting the stage for Singapore to be considered one of the best yachting industry business hubs in the world.”

Mike Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson Marine and one of the biggest exhibitors at SYS, remarked that “We consider the Singapore Yacht Show to be the most important show in South East Asia, attracting visitors from around the region, not only Singapore. The Show has a great atmosphere, and in addition to having a great selection of boats, both power and sail, the event provides wonderful opportunities for social activities and networking, and the activity all along the pontoons was never less than exciting.”

A successful yacht show is very much more than the sum of its parts. When the recipe is right, there is something for exhibitors and visitors alike. Whilst the stated objective of the show’s organisers, SYE Pte Ltd, is finding new consumers from around the region to bring into the yachting and boating community, there is clearly an important B2B side to the Show evolving.

Trade visitor Dylan Wills, principal designer of Wilson Associates and part of the design team on many superyacht projects, including the 88m Perini Navi S/Y Maltese Falcon, said, “The Singapore Yacht Show 2016 was truly memorable – it is a show that rates among the best in the world. The organisation, hospitality and presentation were superbly managed.”

Another European industry supplier looking for new markets in Asia, was Italy’s Marina Planet. MatteoScalise, their Sales Manager, was delighted with the show: “I would like to thank all of you for what you gave to me (and I imagine to all the people involved) from the personal and professional point of view. The Singapore Yacht Show was absolutely the best show I have ever been to in my life – and I have been to so many….!”

MaryAnne Edwards, CEO of AIMEX (the Australian International Marine Export Group, Superyacht Australia & Australian Commercial Marine Group), was equally enthusiastic, saying “We thought the Show was great – well organised – and the Asia Pacific Yachting Conference that preceded it was very worthwhile too.”

To attract new consumers, there were a good many social events, parties, entertainment and a chance to take a proper look at boats otherwise only visible online. Existing boat owners are interested in the indoor exhibits which ranged from superyacht toys to generators and other boat hardware, not forgetting the VIP Lounge (sponsored by MontAzure) provided a hub of entertainment and ambience second to none. Once again, the Captain’s Lounge – Powered by MTU, was a retreat space for industry professionals where some serious conversations could take place away from the hubbub on the docks.

Aside from boat premières, the SYS ‘Black & Red’ black tie Gala Dinner notched up a first with a floor show by Singapore’s first and foremost burlesque artiste SukkiSingapora, brilliantly backed up by celebrated jazz songstress Zoey Jones. That was a night to remember, with a five-star menu from the W Singapore-Sentosa Cove, and an After Party at the uber-cool Woo Bar featuring DJ AlineMagnier – Zoey Jones even singing along to the sounds…

The SYS is a ‘sister’ show to the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS), and event organiser Andy Treadwell points out that not only are the two complementary, they are in fact essential to each other. Due to be scheduled at opposite ends of the season, the two superyacht-centric but all-embracing shows formed the core of his business plan for Asia written back in 2010. “Singapore is the principal international business hub of Asia – easily accessible, and a place where buyers can take in the Show and conduct some non-boating business at the same time. This makes it regionally attractive. TYS is a destination show, right in the middle of the best-known cruising grounds in the region – the Andaman Sea and PhangNga Bay. At our Show in Phuket, prospective buyers – and equally importantly, prospective charterers – can see and even try out yachts in their proper habitat, so to speak, at the beginning of the season.”

Next year? “We always strive to do it better, year on year,” said Treadwell. “We are always learning, getting ideas on how to improve, and we are gradually getting the universal support from the industry that we need if that industry wants the show to succeed. We are working with great partners in the shape of our host venue ONE˚15 Marina Club, Sentosa Cove, and we have every confidence that 2017 will, indeed, be even better than 2016.”

There are big changes afoot in the Asian boating industry, particularly where regulations and licensing of charter operations are concerned. And SYE is right in the thick of it. Treadwell explains: “We are getting amazing support from the Thailand Government, because, as a completely neutral but highly passionate organisation, we are perfectly positioned to help drive those changes and move both the leisure marine industry and the high-end yacht tourism market one more step forward in this part of the world.”