Italian yachting represents an industrial excellence — a pillar of Made in Italy admired and recognized worldwide. Italian shipyards design and build yachts and boats that embody the highest standards of quality, innovation, and design, supported by a supply chain that includes top-level component, accessory, and service providers.
Yet despite its success, this highly specialized and competitive industry still faces a structural gap: the lack of communication and marketing professionals specifically trained to understand its language, values, and technical complexity.
Communication in the yachting sector is often handled with a degree of improvisation or entrusted to non-specialized figures, resulting in messages that fail to reflect the culture of the sea and the industrial sophistication that sustains it. Similarly, marketing — an essential tool for enhancing brand value and strengthening international presence — is not always perceived as a strategic driver but rather as an accessory function.
Today, however, marketing and communication are as essential to the growth of the Italian yachting industry as design, production, and distribution.
From this reflection comes the university Master’s degree in “Yachting Marketing, Communication and Journalism – YMCJ”, promoted by the University of Macerata. The official call for applications can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
The program — the first of its kind in Italy — is the result of an idea I conceived and proposed, drawing on more than 35 years of experience in the yachting and maritime communication field. I was able to develop it thanks to the support of Maurizio Minossi and the Marche Yachting and Cruising Association, of which he is President, and to the openness of Rector John Francis McCourt, who immediately recognized its potential. The University of Macerata — and in particular its Department of Economics and Law — proved to be a receptive and competent partner, capable of transforming an intuition into a concrete academic project.
Directed by Professor Elena Cedrola, the Master’s program is designed as a bridge between academia and industry.
It combines the methodological rigor of the university with the hands-on experience of professionals working in shipyards, supplier companies, and yachting media. Essential in shaping the curriculum was the contribution of Roberta Sabatini (Image & Communication Manager, Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard), Tünde Harkácsi (Marketing & Communication Manager, Videoworks), and Virginia De Carlo (Marketing Director, Palumbo Superyachts). A special thanks also goes to Massimo Pigliapoco – communication strategy specialist and co-founder of the agency Tonidigrigio – for his contribution to the planning of the course and for developing the communication strategy that will support its launch.
The goal is to train a new generation of communicators, journalists, and marketing specialists capable of supporting companies and institutions, contributing their specific expertise to the promotion and growth of the entire Italian yachting ecosystem.
This is the first university Master’s degree in Italy entirely dedicated to marketing and communication for the yachting industry. It comes at a moment of particular strength for the sector: Italy is the world leader in superyacht production, and its industrial network represents a cornerstone of Made in Italy with high added value. To maintain and expand this leadership, the industry needs not only engineers and designers but also communication professionals capable of translating excellence into perceived value through appropriate language, targeted strategies, and a deep understanding of the sector.
The curriculum integrates modules in strategic marketing, corporate communication, specialized journalism, and public relations, all with direct applications to shipbuilding, components and accessories, refit, marinas, and nautical sports. The program is designed to train operational professionals ready to enter the workforce with concrete tools and to make an immediate impact within companies and specialized media.
In an era when competitiveness also depends on the ability to tell one’s story, Italian yachting needs new skills and new voices. The Master’s in Yachting Marketing, Communication and Journalism was created precisely with this mission: to train professionals capable of communicating the sea with expertise, vision, and industrial awareness.
Fabio Petrone