The Foiling Organization returns to the Genoa International Boat Show from 1 to 6 October, bringing together businesses, international brands and leading figures in university research. A meeting point to discover the technologies transforming boating and connect expertise, projects and opportunities for growth.
The TFO stand brings the We Are Foiling ecosystem to the show through its three initiatives: The Foiling Organization, the leading association connecting industry and research; Foiling Week, an international meeting point for foiling sport and culture; and Foiling Awards, celebrating the sector’s outstanding people and innovations. A shared vision combining technological development, sporting passion and recognition of excellence.
Developed with Confindustria Nautica, institutional and project partner, the presence at the show will offer an overview of foiling’s many applications, from boats and watersports to advanced components and research. At its heart is a dialogue between those developing new solutions, those bringing them to market and those building the skills needed for their continued evolution.
The exhibition will be complemented by on-water demonstrations by selected exhibitors, offering visitors a first-hand look at foiling technology and performance. The demonstration schedule and participants will be announced in forthcoming updates.
North Shore Risk Limited, The Foiling Organization’s insurance partner, has developed a new policy for the association dedicated to foilers worldwide. At the show, it will host a dedicated lounge open to all TFO members: a space to meet and build connections throughout the event.
Art and sport will come together at the stand through a portrait of Giulia Conti, painted by Scottish artist Mark Sib during the latest Foiling Week. The work will be exhibited throughout the show before being auctioned, with all proceeds supporting coaching and development programmes for young foilers.
SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER: FUTURE CAREERS IN FOILING
On Sunday 4 October at 11:00, at the Lounge Banchina F, The Foiling Organization will host “Future Careers in Foiling”, with contributions from Valentina Lopresto, Full Professor at the University of Naples Federico II, and Ignazio Maria Viola, Full Professor at Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna. The session will be moderated by Luca Rizzotti, President of The Foiling Organization, who will highlight the universities’ expertise and its potential for future collaboration.
The discussion will explore the skills and career opportunities emerging as the sector develops, connecting education, research and industry.
Professor Valentina Lopresto is the academic lead for the collaboration agreement between the School of Engineering and Basic Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II and The Foiling Organization. The agreement provides for joint research and applied activities, beginning during the 38th America's Cup, to support the transfer of expertise in composite materials, an area in which the university’s College of Engineering has a strong tradition. This expertise will also be shared through an advanced training course bringing together industry and academia, including students, and strengthening the links between them.
The Department of Industrial Engineering at Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Foiling Organization to strengthen the university’s role in foiling technology research, while fostering dialogue with the international industry, developing research projects and creating new educational opportunities for students and doctoral researchers. The agreement will be signed at the Boat Show on Sunday 4 October.
Members of the press and industry professionals are invited to join representatives of the two universities to explore the skills businesses need and the education and training of the professionals who will shape foiling’s future.
MONDAY 5 OCTOBER: FOILING & SAILING MEDIA SUMMIT
On Monday 5 October at 16:00, at the Lounge Banchina F, the Foiling & Sailing Media Summit will explore the future of Media in sailing and foiling. An opportunity for discussion and exchange between the sporting world, the professionals who tell its stories and the wider industry.
As The Foiling Organization explains: “Sport used to reach us through the press. A journalist in the press box, a helicopter overhead, a highlights package that night. That's not how most of us watch anymore. Athletes film themselves. Creators get closer than any broadcaster ever did. A drone follows the boat, a 360 camera rides on the helmet, and the clip is online before the race is over.
Foiling lives right in the middle of this. It's too fast for the old way of filming and it grew up with the new one. So the content has never been better. The problem is everything around it: who gets access, who owns what, formats that still assume a newsroom.
That's what we want to work on in Genoa, with the people who actually do this for a living: the ones who control the material and the ones who have to turn it into a story.”
Moderated by Viola Devoti, Marketing Executive at the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, the Media Summit will bring together a range of experts, including Pius Benedikt Horber, Head of Special Projects & Global Sponsorships, North Sails; Adriano Luati, Global Brand Experience & Partnerships Director, Alfa Romeo; Richard Moore, Head of Marketing, Media and Communications, The America’s Cup; and Simon Keijzer, Director of Communications, Sailing Grand Slam.
Further details are available at foiling.org.
Journalists, editorial teams, photographers, filmmakers, media professionals and industry representatives are invited to attend and contribute their experience to the discussion on the future of sailing and foiling communications.