2024 ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE
May 2-3, 2024
Hosted by Royal Varuna Yacht Club
Chonburi, Thailand
Highlights from the 2024 ICOYC Asia Pacific Regional Conference
As the sun was setting over the Gulf of Thailand on May 1, 2024, 25 delegates from nine sailing clubs from across the Asia Pacific region gathered at Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Thailand for the opening reception of the 2nd Asia Pacific Regional Conference. Following short welcome speeches from RVYC Commodore, Florent Hersham, and ICOYC Regional Vice-President, Robert Stoneley, the representatives got down to the serious business of networking, swapping stories, and enjoying the club’s great hospitality. The tone for the next two days was set when Robert cast off his club blazer and reinforced that the dress code for the event was to be ‘resort casual’.
Alongside ICOYC Asia Pacific member clubs Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Royal Perth Yacht Club, Royal Queensland Yacht Club, Royal Varuna Yacht Club, and Sandringham Yacht Club, three guest clubs from around the region accepted the Regional Vice-President’s invitation to participate: Royal Bombay Yacht Club (India), Subic Bay Yacht Club (the Philippines), and Manta Sailing Centre (Vietnam).
The evening progressed with drinks and Thai canapes and a small group lingered at the bar long after closing. Despite the late night (which for some included a round trip to Bangkok!) forum sessions kicked off in a timely manner the next morning with an overview of RVYC and its deep connections to the development of sailing in Thailand, followed by a round-the-table discussion involving all the delegates discussing goals for the forum.
Enjoy this snapshot of another enriching ICOYC experience.
RECAPS & SELECT PRESENTATIONS
Future Sailors
Lucy Sutro, Commodore | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
The topics covered under this presentation included youth programs, elite versus recreational sailors and women in sailing.
Future Proofing Club Sailing
John Warlow, Commodore | ROYAL QUEENSLAND YACHT SQUADRON
John Higham, Vice Commodore | ROYAL VANCOUVER YACHT CLUB
With the average age of members increasing and major clubs reporting member average ages of around 60+, it is apparent younger members are not being attracted or retained in the sport.
Strategic Capital Planning
Peter Chalmer, Commodore | ROYAL FRESH WATER BAY YACHT CLUB
Joseph Chu, Honorary Treasurer | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
Effective capital planning is a perennial issue for clubs. These two share anecdotes and strategies for securing investments and getting large projects over the finish line.
Corporate Governance
Rick Coate, General Manager | ROYAL PERTH YACHT CLUB
Mark Bovaird, General Manager | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
Richard Hewett, CEO | ROYAL SANDRINGHAM YACHT CLUB
At clubs, a unique situation exists whereby members are owners, customers, decision makers and Directors. These leaders outline key considerations, management solutions and real-life scenarios when things went wrong.
Club Communications
Koko Mueller, Head of PR & Communications | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
John Warlow, Commodore | ROYAL QUEENSLAND YACHT SQUADRON
Koko Mueller’s presentation outlined the steps taken to produce a Brand Positioning Document which informs their club’s communication strategy. John Barlow presented insights on how effective communications within clubs means providing the right communications, at the right time, to the right audience.
Race Management and Volunteers
Inge Strompf-Jepsen, Past Commodore | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
How can a club create effective race and regatta management while making use of volunteers? The big question is how to attract and retain them.
Sustainability
Robert Stoneley, ICOYC Asia Pacific VP, Past Commodore | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
As sustainability has been a recurring topic at ICOYC forums, the intent for this session was for clubs to share examples of initiatives they have been undertaking, such as a method to reduce food waste, installing a club garden and using events to leverage improvements that will mitigate environmental issues
Sponsorship
Denis Martinet, Past Commodore | ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB
This presentation “Sponsorship – From Profit Centre to Value Builder” demonstrated the evolution and new requirements a club needs to address to maximize the benefits of potential and existing partnerships.
In Conclusion
The closing session of the 2024 Asia Pacific Regional Conference focused on how the discussions generated can lead to follow-up collaboration between clubs. It was agreed that the region should move forward with a number of initiatives such as Inter-club keelboat regattas, bilateral opportunities to exchange coaches, establishment of a Race Officer mentoring program, more proactively share information on sustainability-related initiatives and explore how the ICOYC can become more of a ‘voice of clubs’ with World Sailing.