Nautical’s sector leaders will meet up in Palma to attend ICOMIA and IFBSO conferences

Palma will become, since this Sunday May 25th, to the next Thursday 29th, this worldwide capital of the seamanship and the field’s fairs by hosting the annual conferences that the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) as well as the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO) will celebrate alongside in Palma’s city.

It’s the first time that the Balearic capital hosts this important true international scope encounter, which will count with the presence of the main worldwide nautical references, representatives of all the worldwide nautical boards and the most influential and prestigious nautical fairs. 

In total, around one hundred guests are attending, including leaders from the most important nautical industries worldwide, such as New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Turkey, and the United States, as well as representatives from most European countries like France, Italy, and Germany, and presidents and directors of major boat shows such as those in Düsseldorf, Cannes, Miami, and Barcelona. Many will come with their families, who will enjoy a cultural and gastronomic program running parallel to the institutional and working agenda of the Congress, where the future and challenges of the sector will be discussed.

Coinciding with the midpoint of the event, on Tuesday, May 27th at 7:30 PM, a reception and welcome ceremony for the Annual Congress will take place in the hall of the Port Centre Building of the Balearic Port Authority. The event will be attended by authorities such as the President of the Port Authority, Javier Sanz; the Minister of Business, Employment, and Energy, Alejandro Sáenz de San Pedro; the Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente Mir; the Director General of Industry and Industrial Parks, Alfons Gómez; the First Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Culture, Sports, and Municipal Coordination of Palma City Council, Javier Bonet; and the Manager of ADR Balears, Silvia Delgado, who will support the Congress alongside Darren Vaux, President of ICOMIA, and Niels Klarenbeek, President of IFBSO, as well as the hundred guests participating these days in Palma.

The event, organized by the National Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN) and the Association of Nautical Companies of the Balearic Islands (AENIB), with the collaboration of the Ministry of Business, Employment, and Energy through the Regional Development Agency of the Balearic Islands (ADR Balears), will showcase to representatives from markets across five continents the strength of the Balearic nautical industry. It will also consolidate Palma’s position as a strategic global nautical hub and provide opportunities to connect with highly influential figures in the world’s leading nautical markets.

The program will combine technical sessions, working committees, networking activities, professional visits, and social events in a privileged Mediterranean setting. Thus, invited leaders of the global nautical industry will tour key nautical facilities in Mallorca, while their families and companions enjoy tourist and gastronomic tours around Palma’s city center, the wineries of Finca Biniagual, and the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Guests will take a marina tour that includes visits to Port Adriano, Puerto Portals, and Alcudiamar, followed a few days later by a maritime tour connecting nautical industry facilities with routes through STP Shipyard Palma, Club de Mar, and the Port of Palma.

During the Congress, various technical committees and the general assemblies of both ICOMIA and IFBSO will be held. The program also includes technical meetings, collaborative workshops, and sessions on sustainability, market intelligence, marketing, innovation and sales, as well as the Spanish nautical market. Social activities will culminate with a grand gala dinner on Thursday, bringing to a close a congress that positions Palma as the epicenter of the global nautical industry.