14 February, 2017

THE SUPERYACHT DESIGN SYMPOSIUM 2017

Kitzbühel, Austria, February 5-7, 2017

The Superyacht Design Symposium 2017 once again brought together industry professionals for three days of insightful talks, thought-provoking panel discussions and workshops.

This year’s theme was ‘Shaping the future’ with talks ranging from the pros and cons of the concept to whether the industry is ready for a design revolution. Nicola Nicolai, as Product Development Director at Benetti, participated in the “Concept – Fantasy or Reality?” panel discussion. Speaking about Benetti’s recent collaboration with car designer Henrik Fisker, Nicola Nicolai, said, “It was a challenge to introduce a car designer to a yacht and to match the different approaches. It was interesting to see how he approached it.

“As a yard, we are more focused on the technical side, how to realise what has been conceived by someone else. Concepts are necessary to raise the bar and let people think outside the box. Technically speaking, today we have achieved very high standards, we can do a lot. From a design point of view, interpreting the spaces in new ways is very important for the industry.

“In 2012 we were facing a very difficult financial moment for the market and at the same time we had to renew our brand and dress it in a different way because Benetti was mostly known for traditional lines. We came out with 16 designers that produced 30 concepts from 50 to 90+ metres. Of these, 10 were a bit extreme in their design and use of the space, for example, a yacht that had a complete glass superstructure.”

The Design Superyacht Symposium confirmed the importance of design and innovation in the Superyacht Industry together with the key role of managing the collaboration between designers, engineers and shipyards since the very early stage to turn ideas into real projects that perfectly combine the owner’s expectations and desires, designers’ vision and technical requirements.

You can listen to the Nicola Nicolai’s speech by clicking on the following link:

For more information on the Superyacht Design Symposium visit the official web page on Boatinternational – Superyacht-design-symposium