Yachtmaster wraps

Sebastiano Fanizza – Benetti’s Chief Commercial Officer – and Alessia Farci – Customer Experience Manager – presented the evolution of the owners’ concepts of luxury and lifestyle, which point to an increasingly personalised experience on board.

Guests heard how modern yacht owners are increasingly looking for informal and convivial spaces on superyachts that are capable of blending into the surrounding environment.

Following this, the important role of the captains was explored to create a product that reflects the owner’s expectations. The presentation highlighted how captains can support the shipyard in understanding the customer’s needs throughout the ownership journey.

This support extends from the first meeting, where a relationship of trust and knowledge is established. This relationship gives life to the project for each new vessel, and Benetti says this remains ‘vital’ through the construction of the yacht, extending beyond delivery to guarantee a continuous experience for the captain, the customer and the other stakeholders.

Next, Sebastiano Vida – Benetti’s head of product – examined how different lifestyles directly impact the design of yachts: the customers begin to share their desires from the first meeting and consequently, the first sketches for a new project are born.

Vida highlighted that the ability to promote new design concepts that are linked to a new onboard lifestyle can influence the modern owner’s decision to purchase. An example is the Oasis Deck concept, where the study conducted to expand the percentage of spaces outdoors contributed to the success of the Oasis line.

Marking the next stage of this trend’s evolution will be the shipyard’s new Veranda Deck, a reinterpretation of the main deck lounge, characterised by internal and external spaces connected without limits.

Just as design influences the lifestyle on board, functional aspects such as more efficient onboard systems and greater sensitivity to the environment also improve the quality of life for the owner and crew.

To this end, ample space was dedicated to Benetti’s green path with the presentation of the most recent technologies introduced to reduce environmental impact: from energy management to energy saving, from technologies for reducing fuel consumption to HVO, the alternative biofuel that allows the reduction of well-to-wake CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent.

Benetti also lauded its attention to systems for drinking water on board superyachts, which avoids the use of plastic bottles and increases storage by reducing waste.

Anders Kurtén, CEO of luxury yacht specialist Fraser, took stock of how owners have changed in recent years, and which features are the most requested on new yachts. Among them, greater spaces for wellbeing on board and highly specialised and competent crews stood out.

Caterina Oliviero and Alvise Tositti, Chief Commercial and Chief Strategy Officers of yachting agency Acquera, presented a new web platform to facilitate the captains’ operations on board from a technical-operational and recreational point of view. The pair highlighted how this tool will be an onboard experience game-changer.

Gianni Paladino, Commercial Director of Lusben, presented the refit yard Lusben, a division of the Azimut|Benetti Group, underlining the integrated maintenance and refit approach as a fundamental contribution to maintaining the value of a yacht throughout its life cycle.

Furthermore, Paladino outlined the investment projects already underway to enhance the three sites of Varazze, Viareggio and Livorno and to improve the environmental efficiency and sustainability of the construction activity. He also announced that Lusben is now an active member of ICOMIA with the aim of setting sustainability standards for refit yards around the world.

On the second day of the event, training sessions and networking were the order of the day. After a morning dedicated to a team-building exercise at the Museum of Fine Arts, the LH (Luxury Hospitality) company held a workshop on leadership culture for captains and crew members to set a path for professional development and the achievement of collaborative goals within a work group such as a crew.

At the end of the day, the guests cruised on the Bel Danube for a gala dinner against the backdrop of Budapest at night.

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