Running alongside the second Korea International Boat Show in June 2009, will be a must-attend event for the marine industry in the Far East and abroad.

While Korea International Boat Show is to be held over 3-7 June at Jeongok Marina, South Korea, the Asia Boating Industry Conference will be staged over 4-5 June. Presentations over the two days will be split between aspects of management and marketing on day one and more technical matters such as design, building and R&D on day two. These will focus on Asia and the Far East with delegates expected from Korea, the two giant key markets of the region – India and China – along with Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The Asia Boating Industry Conference is backed by the Gyeonggi Province to promote trade and will be a unique gathering of the boating industry from across the region. At a time of global economic meltdown, particularly in the west, it will also provide an ideal opportunity for members of the international marine industry to network with their local counterparts in this up and coming marketplace.

As an indication of the calibre of speakers at the Asia Boating Industry Conference, among the international line-up will be Teo Ping Low, a banker from Singapore, whose presentation will be entitled ‘When will the Tiger recover? The economic recession in Asia and the impact on the marine industry and the future.’ Within the boating community Low is known as a Vice-President of the International Sailing Federation, but professionally he holds over 38 years of experience with Citigroup/Citibank, UBS AG, Merrill Lynch, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Standard Chartered Bank. He has lived and worked with these international banks in Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and New York. He is also a board member of Sentosa Cove Private Limited, a property/marina development company based in Singapore.

The line-up also features Erwin Bamps, Chief Operating Officer of Gulf Craft, based in the UAE who will presenting on “marine tourism, the first stepping stone for a new leisure boating market”, such as the vessels used by hotels to take client to islands or fishing or diving. Gulf Craft is the premier leisure boat manufacturer in the Gulf producing a GRP power boats in their Majesty,
Oryx and Silvercraft ranges spanning 31-140ft. These are built in factories in the Gulf and Maldives Islands.

The Asia Boating Industry Conference will provide unparalleled networking opportunities for delegates with spaces in the conference schedule to allow this and to provide the opportunity for delegates to visit the Korea International Boat Show???s Business to Business area. This area is closed to the general public with access restricted to registered business visitors to the show and conference delegates only. For those companies new to the Asia region looking for agents and dealers or with products for infrastructure development this is a unique opportunity to showcase to a pre selected high quality audience. Companies who exhibit in the Business to Business area will be promoted to the conference delegates.

Exhibition spaces in the B2B area will be shell scheme and priced at US$ 500 per 9sqm with opportunities for selected overseas exhibitors to have a free of charge booth. As an incentive for companies to take up this offer, they will also be offered seven free nights in a Boat Show hotel.

Technical presentations will feature the Wolfson Unit based at Southampton University, World leaders in cutting edge research and development, the latest in composite boat building from High Modulus Consultancy based in New Zealand, Efficient Manufacturing from a leading expert who has migrated to the marine industry from car manufacturing and The design requirements for boats in Asia by a top Naval Architect specializing in this market.
Management and marketing topics will include an overview of the Asian market to include the latest statistics and a view on trends, a presentation from the President of the Korea Research Institute on the future of the Asian Marine Industry, an overview of the economic footprint and social benefits created by leisure boating, a presentation on the benefits of Boating Industry Clusters and how they work and a case study featuring the new Dubai Maritime City project.

Members of the marine industry can arrange to be invited via local branches of the Korean trade body, KOTRA, or can apply direct via the website at www.koreaboatshow.org/eng/index.jsp or by email to mderrett@uwclub.net.