The Salone della Nautica di Puglia (SNIM), taking place in Brindisi, is drawing to a close after its most attended edition ever, confirming its position as one of the most significant events on the Italian yachting calendar. More than 300 boats on display, 200 exhibitors, and a strong institutional and industrial presence turned Brindisi’s port into a meeting point for the Italian and Mediterranean nautical supply chain for five days.

“This edition marks a key milestone: Apulia is consolidating its position as an emerging hub of Italian yachting,” stated Giuseppe Meo, President of SNIM and CEO of the Brundisium Nautical Hub project. “The role of Southern Italy in the sector is becoming increasingly relevant thanks to the available areas, local skills, and the incentives provided by the Special Economic Zones (ZES), which enable the development of both new builds and refit activities.”

SNIM, part of the network of regional boat shows under the patronage of Confindustria Nautica, highlighted the vitality of a region aiming to become a production and training hub for the marine industry.

Among the key events of this edition was the round table “Yachting through the eyes of great Italians abroad”, which gathered international industry leaders: Andrea Frabetti, CEO of the British shipyard Sunseeker; Gianguido Girotti, CEO of the French Bénéteau Group; Stefano De Vivo, President of Wosa Yacht; Eleonora Pitasso, Managing Partner of the brokerage company The Wayve; and Luca Dini, the Florentine architect and world-renowned yacht designer involved in the Sindalah artificial island project in Saudi Arabia.

They were joined by Lamberto Tacoli, representing The Italian Sea Group, and the leadership of Confindustria Nautica: President Piero Formenti and Vice Presidents Marco Monsurrò and Vincenzo Poerio, who reaffirmed the strategic value of cooperation between territories and nautical exhibitions.

“Regional boat shows represent, and will continue to represent, a complement to the Genoa International Boat Show, without any form of competition,” Formenti stated during the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the trade association and SNIM, one of the seven regional shows under Confindustria Nautica’s patronage. “Events like SNIM give boating customers the opportunity to see up close products and vessels that the local industry, for logistical or size reasons, cannot present in Genoa. This approach is perfectly aligned with Confindustria Nautica’s mission to maintain a direct connection with both the sector’s operators and end customers.”

Engineer Vincenzo Poerio, CEO of Tankoa Yachts, highlighted a crucial issue: training. “Our first priority must be to train young people. Italian shipyards receive orders from all over the world, but there are not enough skilled Italian hands to build these yachts. If we don’t bring new generations closer to the trades of yachting, we risk losing our expertise and leadership.”

Brundisium Nautical Hub: a €60 million investment in yacht building and training

Another central topic at SNIM 2025 was the Brundisium Nautical Hub project, a €60 million initiative to create a centre dedicated to yacht production and refit, combined with a training campus for marine industry professions.

The hub will initially cover 4 hectares of seafront land with 350 metres of quays, expandable to 14 hectares within Brindisi’s Special Economic Zone. The goal is to start operations by January 2027.

The promoting company, already established, includes four partners: Ice Yachts and Flart Cantieri, each holding 30%; Corset, a company specialising in fibreglass processing, with another 30%; and Sea Event Agency, organiser of SNIM, with the remaining 10%.

Once fully operational, the project aims to create 1,000 new jobs and foster strong integration with the local education system.

A permanent training school will be established within the hub to develop technical and craft skills — including marine electricians, upholsterers, laminators, and painters — with courses funded by the Apulia Region.

In parallel, the ITS Academy for Sustainable Mobility in Brindisi, also directed by Meo, will continue its activities. The academy already offers two-year post-diploma courses with a 92% employment rate among graduates.

With the closing of the show scheduled for October 13, SNIM 2025 confirms the expansion of a sector looking to the future with a dual vision: growth in nautical tourism and the development of a local yacht industry.

Brindisi thus positions itself as a new production and logistics centre for the Italian boating sector, combining shipbuilding, port services, and education.

As Meo concluded, “This integrated model can turn Apulia into a competitive platform in the heart of the Mediterranean — a place to build yachts, train professionals, and attract international investment.”