Maine Boat Yards Share Ideas for Industry Growth
Representatives from dozens of Maine’s boat building and repair yards converged in Bath, Maine, yesterday to generate ideas for business development. Maine Built Boats Inc., an industry association that promotes Maine’s boat building and repair industry, hosted its second annual Global Outreach Conference at the Maine Maritime Museum. The conference offered a series of business-building seminars and an exhibition by vendors designed to generate and spread ideas for industry growth.
The 2013 grew in size during its sophomore year. With 22 vendors from the marine industry and close to 100 attendees from around the state and New England, the conference and exhibition were well received by boatyard executives and managers.
“The popularity of the event demonstrates the commitment of people in the Maine boat building and repair industry to grow their businesses and expand their reaches internationally,” said Jon Johansen, president of Maine Built Boats Inc. “We have some of the most talented craftspeople in the world, and it’s our goal to make that known to boaters globally through business development and marketing efforts.”
Maine Built Boats Global Outreach Conference presented management-oriented seminars in the morning and business-oriented sessions in the afternoon. Fred Berry from Hinckley Yachts discussed international export regulations. Attendees heard different perspectives on project management from a panel of speakers including JB Turner of Front Street Shipyard, Steve Rowe of Great Island Boat Yard, and Nick Fawle of Morris Yachts. Nicole Jacques of Rhumbline Communications and Alison Langley of Langley Photography presented ideas for multimedia marketing. Finally, Benjamin Ford from law firm Verrill Dana discussed intellectual property rights for yacht designs.
The third-annual Maine Built Boats Global Outreach Conference is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2014, at the Maine Maritime Museum. More information about that event will be posted early next year at maineboatbuildersconference.com.