International Sailing Summit

Sail Melbourne will see sport and industry join forces to explore continued growth in sailing following on from Australia’s Olympic success at the return of the 11th International Sailing Summit (ISS). The summit will take place at Sandringham Yacht Club on December 3, as part of the Oceanic leg of the ISAF Sailing World Cup.

The International Sailing Summit is a worldwide industry forum bringing together the best in the business to drive positive change and promote sailing on a global scale.

In particular, this year’s Summit will focus on core areas including driving mass participation, creating a sustainable marine industry and the impact of new media and technologies to support industry growth and development.

ISS Founder Alistair Murray said, "The Summit is a vital element of Sail Melbourne and will showcase how our industry can embrace the sport’s greatest ever Olympic success for Australia."

Supported by the State Government of Victoria, the event is a forum supported by a series of workshops held by industry leaders to create discussion around growth in sailing and marine participation.

International keynote speaker and former Executive Director of Sail America, Jonathan Banks will present his vision for the future growth of the sport, along with industry experts including board member of the Australian Olympic and Sports Commission, Andrew Plympton and America’s Cup sailing legend John Bertrand.

Boating Industry Association of Australia (BIAA) President Darren Vaux will discuss the success story of the association’s ‘My Boating Life’ program and the importance of engaging young sailors in the sport, while Yachting Australia’s Leadership Team will present on converting Olympic success into increased participation in sailing.

ISS Chairman Mark Bergin said: "The Summit is a key driver in facilitating exchange in thought leadership to both the supply and demand sectors of the sailing marketplace, with its key aim to promote sailing on a global scale. I encourage the industry to attend and learn from the leading minds how they can be part of the winning team."

The ISS program will also give key industry leaders an opportunity to share their views on the current global state of the sport and the opportunities they believe exist on the horizon. In the spirit of the Summit and new media, the views will also be available on YouTube in the weeks leading up to the event.

In the evening, attendees will bask in a golden glow at the Official International Sailing Summit Dinner as two-time Olympic gold medal winner and six-time 470 world champion sailor Malcolm Page shows his support for the industry.

Malcolm will join guests to stimulate ideas and discussion around the collaboration of sport and industry from a sportsman’s perspective. "I am very pleased to be a part of this year’s Summit following Australia’s dream run at the London Olympics," he said.

"Australian sailing is now more on the global radar than ever before and it’s the perfect time to capitalise on our successes and do what we can to inspire future growth and achievement."

The Summit will showcase Victoria’s expert marine industry and reinforce its position on the international stage as a professional hub for sailing and development.

The ISS recognises its role in bringing together the best in the business to drive change. Since its inception at the ’99 World Championships in Geelong, the ISS has become ‘the’ networking event for the sailing industry, cementing itself internationally with a total of 10 Summits taking place around the world, attracting many of sailing’s industry and sporting legends.