Over 200 delegates and more than 50 speakers are getting ready to leave for Estoril next week for the fourth edition of the annual World Yacht Racing Forum, December 13-14, co-located with the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium. The two conferences have again attracted the main figures, experts and sailing personalities to take part in the discussions and debates over the two day period.
The event will start on Tuesday 13th December with presentations and sessions focusing on yacht racing sponsorship, digital technologies and new media. Running parallel to the Forum, Day 1 of the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium will focus on the future of yacht design with a keynote presentation by Pat Shaughnessy of Farr Yacht Design, followed by presentations and panel discussions on non-destructive testing, thin ply technology, and developments within the TP 52 Class and the America’s Cup class.
Wednesday’s Forum sessions will focus on the role of yacht clubs within the sport of sailing, a look at plans for the 2012 Olympics, the place of women in the sport, and the planning for the 2013 America’s Cup. Day 2 of the Design & Technology Symposium will discuss composite technologies, and advances in sailmaking and offshore multihull racing.
James Pleasance, Event Director, commented “for an industry that traditionally never meets in one place together, the annual World Yacht Racing Forum and Design & Technology Symposium are the ideal platform to do just this, meet with fellow industry leaders and make new business introductions. The co-location of the Forum with the Design & Technology Symposium is something we started in 2009 and has also been very successful in bringing together the commercial and design world of yacht racing to share common interests.”
The 2011 Yacht Racing Image of the Year, presented by financial group Mirabaud, will also be selected by the delegates of the Forum during the event and the winner will be announced during the conference. Mirabaud is a Gold Sponsor of the event together with Multi One Design. Associate Sponsors include North Sails and Gaastra Clothing and lunch sponsor for the conference is Peters & May. The event is kindly hosted by Estoril Tourism who will sponsor the cocktail reception on Tuesday 13th December with the Hotel Palacio, one of Estoril’s most luxurious hotels.
