The 17th Benetti Yachtmaster gets underway in grand style

On November 22nd and 23rd, Azimut|Benetti Yachtmaster 17 took place in Hong Kong. A broader-than-ever offer of entertainment and professional content, together with record attendance confirm the success of this second Asian edition, which is the opening event of round-the-world annual gathering offered by Azimut Benetti to Captains and professionals in the Yachting industry. 

A|B Yachtmaster Asia, held recently on November 22 and 23 in Hong Kong, is the Asian leg of the three-event A|B Yachtmaster 17 series, now in its 17th year.

Organised annually by Azimut|Benetti, Yachtmaster is based on a unique format developed by the shipyard as a way to offer its owners an even more exclusive level of service, providing ongoing, up-to-date and ever better training opportunities for captains and crew. But Yachtmaster isn’t only a training and learning event. It also offers the chance to meet and network, with conferences, dedicated workshops and team building activities.

The tradition of organizing a three-event series in three different geographical areas (Europe, Asia and the United States) was established last year. And seeing how enthusiastically the new format was received, the shipyard decided to replicate it.

During this YM17 Asian edition, guests met at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club, where the programme of seminars was organised. A total of 66 guests included captains and crew (engineers, officials and stewardesses), as well as surveyors and owners’ representatives. The event was also attended by selected representatives from the media, partners and sponsors.

On the first day, guests played an active role in seminars and workshops on practical issues of great current interest, encouraged by some outstanding speakers.

Benetti Quality and After Sales Manager Alessandro Gallifuoco speech was followed by contribution from high profile guests. Colin Dawson, Managing Director of Expat Marine, described the complex world of marine insurance, highlighting the correct approach to ensure that owners receive all the benefits of an optimised risk management policy, while Bart Kimman, CEO of Northrop and Johnson Asia, held a conference on the subject of Yacht Management vs Yacht Services. 

The know-how transfer session was also a great success, with Hillary Buckham, Editor in Chief & Manging director of Ocean Media, interviewing FB263 M/Y Ocean Paradise Captain Ilija Dimitrijevic, about his career and long experience as a Benetti Captain.

Workshops and conferences were, as usual, joined by opportunities to socialise and have fun, both during the evening gala event and at team building initiatives. 

Azimut|Benetti was extremely satisfied with the growing and increasingly active attendance, demonstrating that the effort put into creating an original format packed with content has been worthwhile. “The Yachtmaster – says Alessandro Gallifuoco – is something that goes well beyond a mere social gathering for Captains. The organization of YM starts over 6 months before the first event, and the whole team – together with the partners and sponsors - develops the professional content and conferences to ensure the program meets our guests’ expectations; we want our Guest to have a whole experience, choosing a thread that can lead to fruitful discussions and the creation of relevant professional contacts”.