Photo courtesy of the ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2025
The recent ICOMIA World Marinas Conference, held in the Venice Arsenale was, without doubt, a one-in-a-lifetime experience. From the cultural significance of the venues (the welcome reception was held on a terrace of no less than the Palazzo Ducale, overlooking the Piazza San Marco), to a wonderful atmosphere evoked by some 600 attendees, excited to be in Venice and making meaningful connections around the marina community.
Thanks are owed to the hard work of TransEurope Marinas member Alberto Sonino and his team, attracting a record-breaking level of sponsorship, supported by fellow Venetian Roberto Perocchio and the Italian marina association Assomarinas.
Marina members were out in force as ever, with Renata Marevic, Mieke Vleugels, Falk Morgenstern, Jean-Michel Gaigné, Kresimir Zic speaking on the stage, together with digital partner Idan Cohen from Pick a Pier, all sharing their stories and expert insights.
Unusually for a World Marinas Conference, delegates were able to hear from some of the major players in the US, companies like MarineMax (owner of IGY), Safe Harbors (138 marinas) and Suntex (over 95 marinas), each valued in billions. Brett McGill, CEO of MarineMax described how the company was created by his father selling boats from a gas station, some 75 years previously, with the aim of making the boating lifestyle better for families.
Frank Hugelmeyer, President and CEO of the National Marine Manufacturers Association and President of ICOMIA, referenced some of the major forces impacting the global and U.S. marina market, including global economic policy changes (tariffs, regulatory change, etc). He mentioned shifts in capital, such as major recent acquisitions from private equity firms, viewing marinas as infrastructure assets, with a very high level to entry given limited waterfront space and from a consumer standpoint, higher interest rates, creating challenges for boat ownership.
His panel discussion, centred around the business of boating, also looked at demographics, with a level of diversity which varied considerably from the general population, and behavioural dynamics reflecting a younger generation more interested in subscription models, boat clubs, and fractional ownership/chartering, complete with digital services, good amenities and an informed introduction to boating for those without prior experience.
Similarly, and enjoying a strong theme throughout the conference, was the importance of the customer journey and the need to ensure collaboration between boat manufacturers, brokers, marinas and service providers, to reduce friction and facilitate an improved customer experience, moving towards generating emotional ties and encouraging boaters to bring their families and friends to marinas.
The exhibition halls were packed with representatives from nautical media to insurance, pontoon manufacturers and smart digital solutions. It was inspiring to see ocean science represented for the first time (SOOP and CORILA), displaying oceanographic sensors for measuring parameters such as sea level, water temperature and even a robotic tool for photographing and transmitting seagrass coverage. We enjoyed a productive meeting with colleagues from the JPI Oceans European Marinas Network project, including some interesting meetings for expanding the collection of environmental ocean data.
Jean-Michel Gaigné receives his award.
Photo courtesy of the event organisers
One of the highlights of the event was witnessing a standing ovation for TransEurope Marinas Honorary Chair, Jean-Michel Gaigné who was presented with the Golden Cleat for a lifetime of service to the marina industry.
This award, coming after four decades of work in the marina sector, is deeply meaningful. To receive the Golden Cleat here in Venice is even more significant, representing a moment of profound gratitude and a feeling that my work is truly fulfilled.
It’s also a tremendous honour because the conference organisers, my close friends and fellow TransEurope Marinas managers, Alberto Sonino and Roberto Perocchio, pulled off an incredible and unprecedented success. Their tireless, globe-spanning work to attract delegates from the US, Hong Kong, Australasia, the Middle East, India, and Japan delivered a truly global reach—a triumph that is a notable and highly impressive first-ever for our industry.
The TransEurope Marinas association takes this opportunity to congratulate Jean-Michel for this prestigious award and thank him once again for his many years’ shaping and supporting the network.
