Ten months before the start of the ICOMIA International Marinas Conference 2008, to be held from 25^th  to 28^th May 2008 in Flanders, Belgium, the organisers report a high level of interest.  Over 50 prospective speakers from all over the world have registered so far and will cover topics on the Conference’s two main themes:-

Marina Management

Discussions will be held on marina regulatory issues, clean marinas, dredging of marinas, public boat access, marina classification systems, planning and design guidelines, a view from the boat builder’s side, measurement tools for calculating the economic benefits of marinas, and super yachts.

Maritime Recreation and Tourism

There will be discussions about marinas on the internet, networking, inland waterways, the key role of marinas in promoting nautical tourism, marina statistics, conversion of industrial docks into marinas, economic impact of maritime recreation, marketing of marina berths and the marina evolution in Eastern Europe.

The Conference has attracted sponsorship from the Flemish Community and the Province of West Flanders, the French Syndicat Mixte de la Cote d’Opale and the towns of Nieuwpoort and Dunkerque.  In addition, industry sponsorship has been received from the Belgian dredging company, Deme, as well as Bellingham Marine and Acoola Marine.

Four hundred square meters of exhibitor space has already been reserved with requests for more space received every day.  There are currently entries from China, Iran, USA, Russia, Italy and Croatia. The organisers had expected over 400 participants but interest to date indicates that this figure will be exceeded.

Prospective speakers are requested to register before 25^th September 2007, as the ICOMIA Marinas Committee will decide on the final line-up of speakers at its next meeting at the end of September in Lagos, Portugal.

Last Updated ( Monday, 06 August 2007 )