Hosted in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, the 24th Benetti Yachtmaster involved over 300 guests from all over the world including captains, owner representatives, surveyors, stewardesses and industry professionals. Marco Valle, CEO of Azimut-Benetti Group, introduced the programme for the 2024 edition, which was repeated in Key West, Florida, on February 28-29.

Valle welcomed the guests and emphasised the crucial role of the captains and their skills in building the yachts of the future, while also outlining how the designs of yachts reflect owners’ increasing desire for more informal, convivial indoor-outdoor settings, exemplified by decks extending over and beside the water.

Massimiliano Casoni, General Manager of Benetti, underlined how at the centre of the brand’s success is the product on the one hand and the customer and assistance on the other, which the shipyard can ensure wherever the yacht is located.

The aim of the shipyard is to offer personalised and easily accessible services dedicated to the owner and the crew. Furthermore, each Benetti yacht will have a service manager as a point of reference for any type of assistance.

Sebastiano Fanizza, Benetti’s Chief Commercial Officer, and Alessia Farci, Customer Experience Manager, presented the evolution of the owners’ concepts of luxury and lifestyle, which point to an increasingly personalised experience on board.

Following this, the theme of the Benetti lifestyle and the important role of the captains was explored to create a product that reflects the owner’s expectations. Captains can support the shipyard in understanding the customer’s needs in the various phases of the customer journey.

Sebastiano Vida, Benetti Head of Product, then examined how different lifestyles directly impact the design of yachts: the customers begin to share their desires from the first meeting and consequently the first sketches for a new project are born. The ability to promote new design concepts linked to a new onboard lifestyle can influence the modern owner’s decision to purchase.

An exceptional example is the Oasis Deck® concept, where the study conducted to expand the percentage of spaces outdoors contributed to the success of the Oasis line. Marking the pinnacle of this trend’s evolution will be the new Veranda Deck®, a true reinterpretation of the main-deck lounge, characterised by internal and external spaces connected without limits.

Just as design influences the lifestyle on board, functional aspects such as more efficient on-board systems and greater sensitivity to the environment also receive attention from the shipyard to improve quality of life for the owner and crew.

Ample space was dedicated to Benetti’s green path with the presentation of the most recent technologies introduced to reduce environmental impact: from energy management to energy saving, from technologies for reducing fuel consumption to HVO, the alternative biofuel that allows the reduction of well-to-wake CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent.

Moreover, the system for drinking water on board avoids the use of plastic bottles and increases storage by reducing waste.

Anders Kurtén, CEO of the Fraser superyacht brokerage house owned by Azimut-Benetti, took stock of how owners have changed in recent years, and which features are the most requested on new yachts. Among them, greater spaces for wellbeing on board and highly specialised, competent crews stood out.

Caterina Oliviero and Alvise Tositti, Chief Commercial and Chief Strategy Officers of Acquera, a leading agency in the yachting sector, presented the new web platform to facilitate the captains’ ‘operations’ on board from a technical-operational and recreational point of view.

Gianni Paladino, Commercial Director of Lusben, presented the refit yard Lusben, a division of the Azimut-Benetti Group, underlining the integrated maintenance and refit approach as a fundamental contribution to maintaining the value of a yacht throughout its life cycle.

Furthermore, Paladino outlined the investment projects already underway to enhance the three sites of Varazze, Viareggio and Livorno and to improve the environmental efficiency and sustainability of the construction activity. He also announced that Lusben is an active member of ICOMIA with the aim of setting sustainability standards for refit yards around the world.

The second day featured training sessions and networking. After a morning dedicated to an exciting team-building mission to discover one of the most important collections of paintings in the world at the Museum of Fine Arts, the LH (Luxury Hospitality) company held a workshop on leadership culture for captains and crew members to set a path for professional development and the achievement of collaborative goals within a work group such as a crew.

At the end of the day, the guests, cruising on the Bel Danube for the ‘Moonlight Wonders’ Gala dinner, admired the beauty of Budapest in its evening guise.

‘Giga’ partners of the 24^th Yachtmaster comprised Acquera, Awlgrip, Kongsberg, Lusben, Viraver and Volvo Penta, while Asea, Boero, DYT, Fraser, Jotun, MTU, Rina Maxima, Saim Marine, Sanseverino, Sevenstar Yacht Transport, Slam and Telemar Yachting were ‘Mega’ partners.

‘Class’ partners included Aseanautica, Bluewater, CGT, CMC Marine, Firefly, Mimetika, Naiad Dynamics, Fincantieri NexTech, Quantum, Versilia Supply Service, Termodinamica, Videoworks and ZF.

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