Brittany to host 11th Yacht Racing Forum in Lorient

11th Yacht Racing Forum © Yacht Racing Forum

Brittany will host the next Yacht Racing Forum, a world congress for the business and industry of sailing and yacht racing. The appointment is given to professionals, October 22 and 23, 2018 in Lorient.

For the territories and companies of the Sailing Valley© the hosting of this event is an opportunity to promote the leading-edge know-how and technologies developed in Brittany to the world at large.

Bringing together more than 300 international decision-makers (organisers of world events, professional sailors, sponsors, technical suppliers, sailing clubs, boat builders, technology companies), the Yacht Racing Forum is themajor, international professional event for developing the business of yacht racing.

An international event in the heart of Bretagne Sailing Valley©

In the heart of the Bretagne Sailing Valley©, at the Palais des Congrès and the Eric Tabarly sailing museum in Lorient, the event will take place on 22nd and 23rd October 2018. The event is organised by the agency MaxComm and has received the active support of Bretagne Développement Innovation and the expertise of Eurolarge Innovation,dedicated to supporting competitive yacht racingand its network of companies. The whole Bretagne Sailing Valley© ecosystem has the support of major regional bodies: Région Bretagne, Lorient Agglomération, Quimper Cornouaille Développement, Golfe du Morbihan- Vannes Agglomération and the department of the Morbihan.

Business opportunities and a voice for Breton Companies

The business owners who are members of Eurolarge Innovation see great business opportunities in the Yacht Racing Forum coming to Brittany. Yann Perfornis, CEO of the shipbuilder Multiplast explains: "This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the excellence of the companies in the Sailing Valley and their ability to innovate in all areas of competitive sailing, from boat design to building."

Vincent Marsaudon, CEO of Lorima continues: "With the Yacht Racing Forum coming to Brittany, our technological know-how recognised in major races such as the Vendée Globe and the America's Cup, will gain visibility in certain markets, including English-speaking ones. Our goal is to grow our business further and show how easy it is to develop racing yachts in Brittany, on the strength of the whole local value chain."

Most of the speakers at the Yacht Racing Forum, and the programme of conferences are already defined and can be consulted on the event website. As every year, this event will provide an international stage for several Breton companies. Of note is the round table organised by the department of the Morbihan on 22nd October entitled "Morbihan a Model of Success in Competitive Sailing". It will notably be attended by Thierry Verneuil, President of BIC World, Christophe Baudry of Lorient Grand Large and several renowned Morbihan skippers.

Bretagne Sailing Valley© Tour for Forum Participants on 24th October

The day after the Forum, a guided tour of companies in the Sailing Valley will be organised by the event's Breton partners: Quimper-Cornouaille Développement, Golfe du Morbihan Vannes Agglomération and Lorient Agglomération.

With three tours on offer, participants from all over the world will be able to discover a range of local companies specialising in competitive yacht racing.

Further information and registration: yachtracingforum.com

Bretagne Sailing Valley© Key Figures: (2016)

• More than 160 innovative companies, operating in 28 different businesses (architecture and ship building, IT, deck hardware, appendages, sails, etc.)
  
• These companies make €205M in sales, of which 28% in competitive sailing (about 60 million)
  
• They generate 1540 jobs, including 700 in competitive sailing
  
• In 2016, the sector showed a growth rate of 9%