Singapore Yachting Festival: A huge success with over 9,000 visitors
by Singapore Yachting Festival 7 May 2023 18:02 NZST
27-30 April 2023
The four-day Singapore Yachting Festival (SYF) came to a close on Sunday, 30 April, with 9,250 visitors, 52 yachts and 72 businesses participating in the event. The Festival, which took place at the ONE °15 Marina Sentosa Cove, was a huge success, with a solid display of yachts, and plenty of activities on the water for all generations.
The Singapore Yachting Festival brought together the region's top yachting industry, showcasing the latest boats, equipment, and services. The event provided an opportunity for visitors to browse, compare, and purchase the latest yachts and equipment, while also enjoying the festivities on the water.
Organiser of the Festival SG Marine Guide founder, Wade Pearce was delighted with the feedback from exhibitors: "From day one the crowd was larger than anticipated, even if we had some rain in the evenings, the quality and number of visitors in attendance had already exceeded our expectations, particularly given the short timeframes and circumstances in which we had to prepare for the Festival. Having similar yachts and products on display piqued the interest of the visitors, giving them the opportunity to experience, and compare the quality and service they would receive if they were to purchase a yacht or product from that business, for example, Sanlorenzo SX88, Ferretti 860, Princess Y85 and Azimut 78 in display. This is something I heard many times during the event, and essentially why it is important that the products on display are right for the market".
Non-stop action on the water was a key component of the events success, experiential activities such as the SEABOB underwater scooter, HOBIE four-person kayak and RHIB RIDE tours out to the Southern Islands, complemented with live demonstrations from WAVESHARK e-foiling technology and THE KINETIC OPTION e-surfboard (featuring a visit from Spiderman himself) had the event a buzz. All these activities centralised off the AQUABANA'S 'largest-ever dance party lounge' equipped with Heineken Bar and DJ booth.
Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of SUTL Group, enthused "As a venue host, I was impressed by the vibrancy of the Festival and the positive feedback received from the yachting industry. Together with Wade, I'm glad that we heeded the call to stage (SYF) despite the short timeframe. This has helped to reinforce Singapore's position as the yachting gateway and tourism hub for Asia's leisure marine industry."
Preluding the Singapore Yachting Festival was the Southeast Asia Yachting Conference (SEA Conference) 26 April, which offered the first opportunity in three years for the yachting industry in SEA to gather, and present a regional update on immigration and marine facility upgrades.
Conference coordinator Suzy Rayment and executive director of Asia Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA) commented "after three years of little or no connections, APSA was very keen to support the SEA Yachting Conference and we were delighted to host our members and guests at the 'Asia Superyacht Night' on Wednesday."
The Singapore Yachting Festival was a huge success, highlighting the interest that Singapore and the region has in the marine lifestyle; testament to the yachting industry's continued maturity.
For more information on the Singapore Yachting Festival, please visit the official website at singaporeyachtingfestival.com.