Sixth edition of World Yacht Racing Forum and Design & Technology Symposium

The 6th annual conference for the yacht racing industry takes place this week in Gothenburg to close the sailing season

Over 200 delegates and more than 50 speakers are heading to Gothenburg for the sixth edition of the annual World Yacht Racing Forum, co-located with the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium. The two conferences have again attracted leading figures, experts and sailing personalities from all over the world.

The event will start on Tuesday 10th December with presentations and sessions focusing on the future of the sport, yacht racing sponsorship – brand activation, promotion of the sport, pitch, revenue streams and much more.

Running parallel to the Forum, the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium will focus on the latest developments issued form the America’s Cup, foils and flying boats, rigid sails and new materials. The Symposium brings an important technical counterpoint to the commercial discussions that occur in the Forum.

Industry leaders in design, engineering and fabrication share their views on the state of the art technology used in hulls, decks, appendages, rigs and sails for use in the context of offshore and inshore racing. They will also discuss any trickle-down technologies we can hope to see from the 34th America’s Cup.

There are other important topics also discussed at YRDTS, such as the latest advances in rating rules, the status of keel structure safety, and a new research project on offshore high-performance design being conducted by the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF).

In an innovative approach to the interdisciplinary nature of elite yachting, the YRDTS will this year conclude by combining itself with the WYRF to conduct round-table discussions on the future of yacht racing from the technical perspective. With the help and input of prominent designers from the AC34 and other high-profile events, participants will have the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion on how new technologies will help shape the future of the sport.

Key personalities involved in both the Forum and the Symposium include Iain Percy, Knut Frostad, Ken Read, Jerome Pels, François Gabart, Luc Talbourdet, Mark Turner, Juan Kouyoumdjian, Pat Shaughnessy, Peter Bayer, Gino Morrelli, Yann Penfornis and many more.

The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2013 will be announced and celebrated during the Forum, on Wednesday, December 11. Whilst the international Jury has already chosen the Image of the Year, the delegates from the Forum and the Symposium will be asked to vote to select the winner of the public award.

Full details of the Forum and Symposium conference programmes and speakers are available on the event websites: www.worldyachtracingforum.com

Bernard Schopfer, MaxComm Communication