Devised and launched with great passion and foresight by Azimut|Benetti Group founder Paolo Vitelli in 2000, the Benetti Yachtmaster has this year reached its 25th edition, held in the splendid setting of the Fairmont Royal Palm Hotel in Marrakesh from February 12 to 14. With over 200 guests, the two-day event was organized for major international industry players, captains, surveyors and owner representatives to share their experiences.
Day 1 was devoted entirely to an innovative coaching session based on a Serious Game. Sitting around a table, groups of 10 people used ‘conversation cards’ as a dynamic tool to stimulate discussion around the most relevant work issues. In a collective brainstorming session, participants shared ideas and solutions to identify areas for improvement guided by three key principles: communication, collaboration and connection. The goal was to foster an open, constructive dialogue, promoting innovative strategies to strengthen relationships between colleagues and improve overall efficiency.
Day 2 was an opportunity for all the participants to get a closer look at Benetti’s vision of the future in terms of innovation and design, sustainability and assistance, with the contribution of the Group’s refit division Lusben. Azimut|Benetti Group CEO Marco Valle opened this plenary session by celebrating, in this particularly significant year for the Shipyard, to Yachtmaster’s first quarter of a century and its profound significance for relationships with stakeholders.
The state of the art
Benetti Head of Product Sebastiano Vida spoke about Benetti’s special role as ‘The House of Yachting’, a definition that reflects the pleasure boat sector’s perception of the brand’s excellence and at the same time its huge responsibility towards everyone who wants to enjoy the experience of owning a Benetti yacht. This calls for exceptional design, Italian craftsmanship and quality, technological innovation, commitment to sustainability and solutions providing unique levels of customisation. It’s also why the Shipyard launched a new initiative, “Perspective from the Bridge”, enabling captains to explain their point of view at a roundtable focusing on topics such as innovation, sustainability and insights into owners’ ways of enjoying their yachts, the aim being to continually improve their onboard experience. This was also an opportunity to illustrate the projects presented at the Monaco Boat Show last September.
Benetti Green Route
Gilberto Francesini (Benetti R&D Project Manager) and Marco Coiatelli (Benetti Custom Head of Engineering) presented the Shipyard’s Green Route up to the present day and anticipated some future developments. Benetti and the Group for over 20 years have been actively engaged in seeking out real-world solutions for cutting CO2 emissions. The most recent developments at Azimut|Benetti Group’s R&D department have centred on the study of alternative fuels, which led to the adoption of HVO, a biofuel obtained from renewable raw materials* that makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to the standard fossil mix, depending on the materials used in its production.
HVO is seen as the ideal solution today, but given the limited availability of raw materials to produce it, the Group R&D office performed new research on green methanol from renewable sources to be used on Benetti yachts as soon as 2025. A methanol engine room simulator (based on a new 68M project) will be installed in Livorno to help captains familiarize themselves with the functions, safety and management of this new solution.
Lifecycle Experience
Benetti Class Warranty Manager Pierluigi Rago and Benetti Custom Warranty Manager Luigi Spina illustrated one of the pillars of Benetti’s strategy, the new assistance programmes serving owners and crews of the Class and Custom yacht lines, offering constant personalized support to the Shipyard’s highest standards wherever the boat is and not limited to the new build phase but for the yacht’s entire life cycle. Every unit has the benefit of a dedicated Service Manager during the warranty period and a global network of Service Points designed to guarantee prompt and highly specialised intervention worldwide, not only at the Livorno HUB but also in the Americas, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region.
In the second part of the day, the participants engaged in some team building activities in the Medina quarter of Marrakech, providing an opportunity for interaction and creating genuine connections based on a sharing of values. Because synergy and relationships are the true heart of Yachtmaster.
Benetti extends thanks to the following partners and sponsors whose contribution is vital to the production and success of the event: GIGA partners: AWLGRIP, Viraver, Volvo Penta. MEGA partners: Asea nautica, Asea power, Boero, CMC Marine, Crew Pro, DYT YACHT TRANPORT, Jotun, Raymarine, Rina, Saim Marine, mtu, Telemar. CLASS partners: CGT, Fincantieri, Fraser Yacht, Memetti yachting, Naiad/samos, Sail ADV, SAMOS, Sea Ai, Videoworks, VSS, ZF Group.
The Benetti Yachtmaster will also be held in Miami on April 2nd and 3rd, given the event’s huge success on the other side of the Atlantic too.
