AIMEX has announced a taste of the calibre of this year’s conference speakers who will be presenting at ASMEX 2020 under the banner ‘A 2020 Vision For The Future: Building A Stable And Successful Industry’.

The ASMEX 2020 program will tackle the challenges facing the future of the industry through forward looking sessions addressing questions on where the marine industry in Australia, the South Pacific and the global industry as a whole is heading and what steps should be taken to ensure its continued success in the new decade to come.

Martin Redmayne, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, The Superyacht Group will again take the stage to host, interview and mediate a cross section of compelling issues being addressed in this year’s ASMEX program including presenting on some of the latest market intelligence and data.

Kiran Haslam, Chief Marketing Officer and Board Member for the Environment, Princess Yachts will open the conference as the keynote speaker providing his perspectives and expectations for the future. Haslam will  draw on his extensive background within the superyacht industry as well as other industries such as engineering, automotive, hospitality and advertising plus his experiences working for two of the world’s greatest luxury brands – Bentley Motors and Princess Yachts – which will provide the audience with some thought provoking scenarios.

Theo Hooning, Secretary for the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) will discuss the current level of activity and optimism for the future and how the industry is planning to engage new clients.  With the increasing focus on sustainability, he will also touch on the work of the Water Revolution Foundation and the Superyacht Life Foundation.  As the founder of SYBAss thirteen years ago and with a background in the automotive industry and economics, Hooning is well placed to provide some candid views on the future vision for the overall industry.

Peter Staalsmid, Sales Manager at Sevenstar Yacht Transport will present on ‘The Future of Yacht Transportation’ referencing the latest trends and predictions on migration flows and patterns both in and out of the Pacific region with an emphasis on the superyacht traffic in and around the Americas Cup in Auckland in early 2021.  Staalsmid has been with Sevenstar since 1994 and is now a true veteran having witnessed first-hand the company grow from two persons into a world-wide organisation shipping around 2,000 yachts all over the globe each year. 

Staalsmid commented “I am excited to be returning to speak at ASMEX this year. The conference is the highlight of the Australian marine industry’s calendar where the issues discussed are valuable and relevant to the industry’s development.  I’m looking forward to being part of this dialogue particularly as Australia plays an important role in the Pacific and has the potential to continue to offer more”.  

Joining Staalsmid on stage will be Gabriele Consiglieri, Area Manager for DYT Yacht Transport, a sister company to Sevenstar Yacht Transport under the umbrella of parent company Spliethoff Group. Consiglieri will enlighten delegates on the latest status of their super yacht carrier that is already under construction and its impact on vessel transportation globally.

The importance of the 36^th America’s Cup in Auckland to be held late 2020 to early 2021, will be delivered by Peter Busfield, Executive Director NZ Marine & CEO NZ Marine Export Group who will share updates  on the ‘big event’, expand on the expected vessel visitation levels and also cover the current state of the marine industry in New Zealand.  Busfield, who has been with NZ Marine for over 20 years, will also join a panel on ‘Migration Patterns and activities in the Pacific’.  

Key Australian stakeholders will also feature in the program. Carl and Grant Amor, Directors of Aqualuma LED Lighting will join Redmayne on stage for a ‘fire side’ chat.  In this session, titled ‘Illuminating Conversations’ delegates will hear some of the highs and lows of entrepreneurial spirit in building a successful marine export business. 

Dr. Andy Lewis , Founder and Executive Director of the Coral Sea Foundation (CSF) will join the conference speaker line up through the session titled ‘The Green Agenda – Sustainability’ which will focus on two of the CSF initiatives. The first, ‘The Sea Women of Melanesia Program’ was recently recognised internationally through the ‘Ocean Tribute Award’ at Boot Düsseldorf. The second is the ‘PNG Marine Conservation Initiative 2020’ and the role the superyacht and maritime industries can play in supporting this work. 

For the commercial marine industry, ASMEX 2020 will delve into the Australian ship building industry, an area of significant growth for our high-speed ferry manufacturers and defence contractors. A highlight will be taking an in depth look at the latest in hybrid electric engines and their development. Delegates will hear from naval architect Tommy Ericson, Director at Aus Ships Group on the Australian ship building industry including both the onshore and offshore activities by Australian companies.

AIMEX President, Jeremy Spear said “We are pleased to be celebrating our 10th anniversary at ASMEX 2020 which is testament to the quality of the speakers, our superior content and high attendance in the past years. With a new decade and a focus on the future, we are assured ASMEX 2020 will be addressing the key market drivers to establish a course for further success in the coming years.”

AIMEX is also pleased to announce the inaugural Mentoring and Education Export Series (MEES) sponsored by BOQ Business at ASMEX 2020 as a separate event running in parallel to the main conference sessions on Tuesday May 19.  Held in the same location as the main conference, the sessions are designed specifically to provide a solid platform for new marine exporters entering the market and will focus on common business challenges facing marine exporters including securing an agent or distributor overseas and export finance.

Spear concluded with an acknowledgement of the ASMEX 2020 sponsors, “Without our valued event partners and sponsors, ASMEX would not be the success that it is and I would like to thank this year’s confirmed ASMEX Major Partners the Queensland Government and Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, our Partners Pantaenius Sail & Motor Yacht Insurance and Tourism Australia, our valued sponsors Benetti Yachts, BOQ Business, Aqualuma LED Lighting, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, AwlGrip & International Yacht Paint, Maxwell Marine and TAFE Queensland, our Supporters Pyrotek, Quality Marine Clothing and Scotchmans Hill and Media Partners The Superyacht Group and Ocean Media.”

ASMEX 2020: May 18-20, Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, Australia.

Registration is open.  Click here for registration details. 

For more details on speakers please click here.   

Program details are available here.   Use the drop down to visit the Main Conference, Export Series, Social Program and details on Yard Tours.