Luca Rizzotti, Founder and President of The Foiling Week and all initiatives part of the We Are Foiling events ecosystem, presented The Foiling Organization, the professional association of the foiling world, today at the Yacht Racing Forum in Malta.
The Foiling Organization is a new project that will set a stable association for industries and professionals of the world of foiling such as: boat yards, component manufacturers, designers, universities and research facilities, sailors, sailing schools and MNAs, events and institutions.
The main goals of The Foiling Organization are:
to promote foiling for cruising, racing and commercial shipping worldwide by bringing together all parties in the development of a foiling sector able to shape industry and government attitudes and policies:
to create a clear sectorial network approach with like-minded organizations and individuals that can share ideas, skills, technical and market information, resources for the development of cruising, racing and commercial foiling;
to promote the economic value of foiling to the industry through the Media by organizing foiling related events;
to incubate and assist in securing funding streams, project collaborations, grant applications, researches and the pooling of resources;
to act as a central education hub for the foiling sector, the media, NGO's, equipment producers, shipbuilders, ports, government and the general public;
to facilitate the establishment of common approaches and criteria for all stages of foiling projects, advise stakeholders and lobby legislative bodies on policies, activities, funding and incentives required to retrofit, upgrade and the new build of racing, cruising and commercial foiling;
The stakeholders will enjoy benefits such as: newsletter and podcast service, access to industry observatory statistical database, access to Association networking events, HR database service, technical library database and special rates to take part to industry events.
A vast range of specific benefits is now being developed on the needs of each group of stakeholders.
The Foiling Organization will apply to the International Maritime Organization, Marine Environment Protection Committee, IRENA Coalition for Action, FUEL EU Maritime, European Sustainable Shipping Forum and ICOMIA.
A TFO white paper on foiling commercial applications (cargo and people transport) for COP29 will soon be released.
TFO will permanently host a Foiling Innovation Hub whose ultimate aim is to accelerate foiling related technologies and research with increased collaboration between the pinnacles of the community, from the academic world to industry and vice versa. With its overview on knowledge share and funding opportunities the FIH will be able to link small, medium and large partners to create further clusters of research according to the needs of each partner.
Last week in Amsterdam Rizzotti met with Niels Klarenbeek, Director Maritime of METSTRADE, to discuss possible steps to set up a collaboration on the project.
The Foiling Organization is part of the WE ARE FOILING events ecosystem together with: The Foiling Week, Foiling Awards, Foiling SuMoth, Foiling Film Festival, Foiling Youth World Series, SAS Foiling Class.
Foiling Week is the first and only global event dedicated to the amazingly fast foiling boats, to their sailors, designers and manufacturers.