From 12 to 16 May, La Spezia will once again confirm its status as the international capital of nautical design with the second edition of the Blue Design Summit (BDS25), a week of events, meetings and discussions that will bring together the entire industry supply chain, from designers to shipyards, institutions and artisans. The event, which has the slogan ‘From Water to Design’, stands out on the national scene for its integrated and cross-cutting approach to high-end boating, where design is not only technical but also a cultural vision.
Promoted by Miglio Blu and organised by Clickutility Team and Promostudi La Spezia, with the support of the Liguria Region, the Municipality of La Spezia, the Port Authority and other institutional and business players, the Summit will evolve in 2025 into a widespread event, moving beyond the conference venues to involve the entire city. From the Civic Theatre to the Navy Arsenal, from the University Campus to the Carispezia Foundation, La Spezia will become a veritable citadel of boating.
The centrepiece of the event will be the conference hosted at the Teatro Civico from 13 to 15 May, which will feature some of the most authoritative names in the sector: from Luca Dini to Fulvio De Simoni, from Simonetta Cenci to Alfonso Femia, as well as representatives of industrial giants such as MSC and Stefano Ricci. The debate will focus on key innovation issues: advanced materials, environmental sustainability, construction processes, refitting and new living formats on the water. Particular attention will be paid to residential yachting, an emerging trend that combines the superyacht experience with luxury living, and to the evolution of the cruise industry towards more personalised and integrated models.
‘La Spezia is a district of excellence that combines craftsmanship and technological research,’ says Mayor Pierluigi Peracchini. And the numbers back him up: according to the latest report on the Economy of the Sea, the sector generates over 1.1 billion in added value and employs more than 16,500 people, making the Ligurian city the leader in Italy in terms of percentage of the local economy. This recognition is also confirmed at the international level, with the city’s entry into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Design.
It is not just numbers, but also visions. The president of the Liguria Region, Marco Bucci, emphasises how the area’s vocation for ‘living on the water’ has deep historical roots, and the Blue Design Summit becomes the ideal place to reaffirm the centrality of the sea in the country’s culture and economy. This opinion is shared by Alessio Piana, regional councillor for economic development, who sees shipbuilding as ‘a strategic, employment and cultural resource’.
Alongside the conferences, the calendar of events offers talks and testimonials of great impact. On 12 May, journalist Fabio Pozzo will talk to Giovanni Soldini about his new nautical project in collaboration with Ferrari. On 15 May, it will be the turn of Paolo Chiarino, the Italian ‘Ice Man’ who has swum in the waters of both Poles. There will also be cultural and educational events: shows, visits to military ships, workshops for schools and a conference dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the La Spezia university campus.
The Summit will also become a platform for recognising the key players in the supply chain, thanks to the second edition of the Blue Design Awards, which will be presented on 14 May by an independent scientific committee composed of designers, journalists and academics. Among the central themes to be awarded are contribution to innovation, sustainable design and craftsmanship excellence.
The role of the La Spezia university hub is decisive in this synergy between research and industry. Simone Lazzini, vice president of Promostudi, emphasises how the Summit represents ‘a concrete tool for strengthening the training-business circuit and enhancing the skills developed in the area’. The Miglio Blu, with its concentration of companies, laboratories and start-ups, thus becomes an incubator for new generations of nautical design.
At a time when Italy holds 51% of the global market for superyachts under construction — with 572 units out of 1,138 — and leads the world in recreational craft exports (€4.5 billion in 2024), the Blue Design Summit stands as a privileged observatory and laboratory of ideas. An event that, while celebrating Italian excellence, looks with determination to the future challenges of the sector: digitalisation, ecological transition, new business models and new frontiers of marine living.
As Antonella Cotta Ramusino, artistic director of the event, sums up, ‘the Blue Design Summit is much more than a trade fair: it is a place for strategic vision, where Italian design comes together to imagine and build the future of boating.’
