The general public and members of the yachting industry are invited to attend this year’s Asia Boating Dialogue, which comprises 120-minute, free-to-register webinars on September 22 and 29. Please scroll down for the list of speakers and event website for free registration.
Session One (Southeast & South Asia) will focus on India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and will be held at 4.00pm (SIN/HKG) on Tuesday, September 22.
Session Two (East & Northeast Asia) will be held at 4.00pm (SIN/HKG) on Tuesday, September 29, and focus on China, Hong Kong & Macau, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The event is organised by the Singapore Boating Industry Association (SBIA) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Boating Industry Association (HKBIA), and supported by the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), the world body for the recreational boating industry.
The Dialogue series was inaugurated in Singapore in 2015 as ‘ICOMIA – The Asian Dialogue’. It was an invitation-only event designed to engage the Asian boating community, help it become more institutionalised and organise collective thinking. It was subsequently promoted as the Asia Boating Forum. YP Loke, Chair of SBIA, believes the new online version will greatly expand its reach.
“Running the Asia Boating Dialogue as a webinar enables us to reach a wider audience than in previous events. It will engage a new audience who would not normally travel abroad to a boat show,” Loke said.
“We need to start a conversation about boating in Asia, join the dots between countries and build a shared community with the same goals and aspirations for boating in Asia. Although Covid-19 has caused borders in most countries to close, we all need to work with our respective agencies to find ways to re-open borders and revive nautical tourism.”
Like with previous sessions, the Asia Boating Dialogue consists of country updates followed by a round-table discussion, and registered viewers will also be able to submit questions. A limited number of spots are being made available for sponsors and special interest groups.
Lawrence Chow, Chair of HKBIA and an ICOMIA Executive Committee member, said: “In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asia Boating Dialogue provides the perfect platform for regional industry leaders to share the current difficulties they are facing and provide ideas for how the industry in Asia can adapt to the post Covid-19 era.
“It also opens up the opportunity to identify and understand the typical obstacles for growth in Asia. Through discussions, we will get a better insight for the current state of the industry and set the blueprint for recovery in Asia.”
Udo Kleinitz, ICOMIA’s Secretary-General, added: “We are pleased to continue supporting this event which ICOMIA initiated in 2015. We want to continue our engagement in Asia, build our base, and help our members promote the boating industry in their countries.”
India: Aashim Mongia, Indian Marine Federation (IMF)
Indonesia: Robin Engel, Indonesian Marine Tourism Association (GAHAWISRI)
Malaysia: Oh Kean Shen, Association of Marine Industries of Malaysia (AMIM)
Philippines: Apa Ongpin, Federation of Philippines Marine Industries
Singapore: Darren Oh, Singapore Boating Industry Association (SBIA)
Sri Lanka: Gamini Herath, Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute (BTI)
Thailand: Peter Jacops, Thai Yachting Business Association (TYBA)
China: Zheng Weihang, China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA)
China (Hainan): Stuart Hu, Sanya Central Business District Administration
Hong Kong & Macau: Lawrence Chow, Hong Kong Boating Industry Association
Japan: Kenta Inaba, Superyacht Association Japan
South Korea: Dr Kim Choong-hwan, Korea International Boat Show
Taiwan: Virginia Chung, Taiwan Yacht Industry Association (TYIA)
Vietnam: Duong Do Saigon Yacht & Marina