Pilote Media, publishers of Yachtsponsorship.com and the DARK BLUE BOOK will be in attendance at the 2009 World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco, to be held at the Grimaldi Forum on December 9-10.
The Who’s Who of yacht racing will be in town to discuss many of the issues that are affecting the sport as a business, to network and to forge partnerships. Pilote Media CEO, David Fuller says:
There are not many opportunities to get everyone together in the same room and talk about issues that affect the business of yacht racing. From where we sit, looking at the sport as a whole, there are plenty of opportunities for sailing to do things better. There are a few innovators, but that doesn’t mean that the sport can’t learn from best practise elsewhere. Networking and getting a view on what others are doing should help the sport to grow.
Via Yachtsponsorship.com, Pilote Media will be using several social media platforms to report on the Monaco event, but they probably wont be the only ones. David says:
As a whole, the sport of yacht racing is still scrambling to understand some of the new media opportunities. Certainly many of the brands in the sport just don’t get it, but there are innovators. Mark Turner’s Twitter updates over the last few days for example, describing the unfolding events with their Open60 BT have been compelling because they have a timeliness and a human element. I imagine that the twitter feeds from the World Yacht Racing Forum will be quite entertaining, so keep watching #WYRF.
The World Yacht Racing Forum is also a great opportunity for Pilote Media to promote the DARK BLUE BOOK. The directory is modelled on similar references for other sports and is a useful resource for anyone in the business of yacht racing. The 2009 edition was welcomed by many as a great way to define those in the industry, allowing the sport to be promoted to sponsors and major event partners around the world. David commented:
At last year’s forum, the DARK BLUE BOOK was just an idea, but the timing seemed right. Many of those who attended the first World Yacht Racing Forum also appeared in the first DARK BLUE BOOK. Since we published the first edition in April, we have received hundreds of entries for the 2010 version but the forum gives us a great opportunity to partner with brands who want to be seen as leaders in the industry.
WYRF Chairman and World Champion Sailor Peter Gilmour will open the Forum on 9 December before the opening keynote address by Tom Whidden, President and CEO of North Sails on the state of the industry.
Other presentations will feature the commercial case for sailing sponsorship, the impact of yacht racing on host cities and ports, the measure and evaluation of sailing events’ commercial return, sailing sponsorship and new media.
The World Yacht Racing Forum and Design & Technology Symposium will create the platform for delegates to debate the key issues that are critical to the future of yacht racing. The event will focus on the socio-economic aspects of the sport as well as developments in media coverage and the technical and commercial aspects of large-scale sailing events, especially in terms of their organisation and promotion.
For a full schedule and to register for the World Yacht Racing Forum, visit www.worldyachtracingforum.com
