During our visit at International Charter Expo we had the opportunity to give our take on future trends in boating to their magazine Icebreaker. Discover the text below and find the whole magazine on the link.
We are living in uncertain times and change is the only constant. The boating industry, although experiencing continuous growth in the past few years, is not immune to the effects of both the pandemic and global financial crisis. Additionally, global warming effects are getting more serious each year and different industries need to implement sustainability to comply to regulations and incentives of corporate social responsibility. Being accountable for one’s actions has never been as important.
The boating industry is embarking on the wave of sustainability and different projects are being developed in the field of alternative fuels, recyclable materials, digitalization and much more. Contradictory, the industry is not yet populated with young people, in comparison to the IT industry, although it is very approachable, offers different working positions and opportunities for challenges and growth, which is extremely important for young people. Sustainable development is a niche in the industry too, providing young people the option to be innovators or early adopters. Doing anything sustainability related provides an opportunity to do something relevant for the society and ecology, while still boosting the local economy.
International boat shows are already hosting sustainability hubs where young entrepreneurs below the age of 30 are making remarkable steps in the decarbonization of the boating industry. Cannes Yachting Festival and Monaco Yacht Show have dedicated sustainability spots, while it would be inspiring to see the same concept in more boat shows in the next few years. This shows that the opportunities are there, one just must seize them. Professionals in their twenties and thirties are ripe for unlocking potential, new business opportunities and venturing into still uncharted waters.
The question remains, what makes a young and ambitious leader and/ or innovator? One of the answers is interdisciplinarity. Efficient leaders and entrepreneurs are more often generalists than specialists, experts in multiple fields. Being a young entrepreneur in the boating industry requires you to understand and predict market trends, but also to be educated in engineering, finance, sustainability, marketing and much more. The path of excellence is demanding, but at least the boating industry presents a welcoming community where interdisciplinary young leaders can contribute with their agility.
Our mission must be to further develop our interdisciplinary platforms through multiple segments. One being through B2B and B2C education, mentoring on sustainable trends within and outside the industry. Spreading awareness of this need is equally important across the whole value chain. Furthermore, an important goal is the creation of a young and proactive community, where young professionals within the industry can network, educate themselves and create additional value for the industry. When we are in a community, we are more motivated, proactive, feel safer and have a support system.
This is incredibly important in these challenging times. Looking at the broader perspective, our initiative should aim to make the boating industry more sustainable, a dynamic work spot for young people, united in its development and recognized as a positive example. For this reason I have started an initiative called “Misli More” https:// en.mislimore.com/, as a showcase on how we can gather, mentor, inspire and educate young industry leaders of tomorrow.