2015 Yachting Shanghai

2015 Yachting Shanghai, the international marine festival, will take place from July 8th till 12th. Ms Shining Lee, curator of 2015 Yachting Shanghai, says the following (Mandarin, English translation below):

Question1. What is the content of this festival?

Lee: This year’s International Marine Festival includes three main parts. The first part is the yachting exhibition, to promote an elegant leisure activity. The second part has showcased a new elite life including golf, horse riding and jewelry. The third part is the exhbition of marine culture and art. By displaying a variety of marine artworks, the organizers also aim to hold Yacht Business Conference, Yacht Designers Forum and other business meetings.

Question 2: What is the goal of this festival?

Lee: This time, we mainly focus on the elite “white collars” based in Shanghai, and we hope by starting from Shanghai, we will be able to introduce a new leisure life to the rest of China. What we are promoting is not just for the rich, but to everyone who would enjoy yachting.

Question 3: As the first Marine Festival in Shanghai, you also have got the support from the government, why is that?

Lee: The festival has indeed got a lot of support from the Shanghai government. There are several reasons. The main reason is that the Shanghai Yachting exhibition coincides with the country’s marine development plan and can boost the yachting business in the industry. The second reason is that the exhibition reflects the new economy trend in Shanghai, which has been already indicated by Shanghai government. In Shanghai, among the main marine industry, namely cruising, boating and yachting, yachting has got the most potential, which explains the importance of our project. Thirdly, the leisure life that we are trying to promote is also the future lifestyle expected from more and more Chinese people. That is, to live better, to enjoy life. All these reasons together have gained us more support from the government.

Question 4: Is making use of the Expo space also part of the plan for this fesitival?

Lee: Yes, sure, but also, reusing the left space was not the main motivation for the festival. The festival could be seen as part of the “Post-EXPO” culture and development. From 2010 when Expo was hosted up till now, this exhibition space has brought a lot of economic advantages and new career opportunities, becoming a crucial area in Pudong financial district. Shanghai government plans to develop this area into a new base for service and leisure industry. The exhibition halls built for Expo will be very useful for the future. For instance, the France hall can be renovated to display international arts and the China hall can become a center for Chinese arts. Some spaces can also be used for offices and meeting rooms. In this way, our project is already actively participating the “Post-Expo” business plan, and aiming for a better Shanghai life.

Question 5: Why did you choose to come to Amsterdam and Norway?

Lee: Since I started to work in the yacht industry, I noticed that only Italian and some French yacht brands were known in China. Therefore I decided to visit Europe every year by myself from around August till October, to look for new brands and know better about the yacht service. And then I came across the yacht industry here in Holland. I was impressed by not just the advanced technique, but the great service system. And after I also found out there were quite a lot of good yacht brands in Norway as well. Shanghai has got its potentials for the coming future, and I think introducing new brands from Holland and other Northen European countries can provide a more competitive business platform and bring better service and teamwork.

Question 6: How can some Dutch companies join in your Shanghai project?

Lee: I think through this opportunity, every customer we have got in contact has seen our project as a great one. I am confident that we have left a good impression with our customers here. and we will assure them further on with the successful outcome. This time I came here, also for delivering a report on the progress we have made so far.

For the already confirmed customers, we will keep them updated after this press conference, and we will also go into detailed discussion on the specific contracts. As for our new customers, we would very much like to introduce the new brands into China, though the timing can be a bit tricky. However, we will work on that and find a way to include their engagement as well. It will turn out great!