Think Yachts, Art, Out of the Box

Mid-March, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) was held in Maastricht. About 75,000 visitors from 65 countries, 400 private jets recorded at Maastricht – Aachen airport, some 274 art and antiques dealers from 20 countries exhibiting.

And among them the five Dutch superyacht yards under the umbrella of the HISWA Holland Yachting Group. Superyachts at an art fair? Yes. Think outside the box!

It is the second time that the superyacht builders are present at the antique and art fair TEFAF Maastricht. Jeroen Sirag, export director of HISWA Holland Yachting Group explains: “I started at HISWA about a year and a half ago, coming from the luxury hotel industry. One of my first objectives was to present HISWA Holland Yachting Group in a different and pro-active way. Holland Yachting Group is a premium label, our members stand out when it comes to producing, but on the marketing side there is a world to win and with a small investment, it is possible to realise a collective marketing strategy. In this new strategy based on export promotion, we decided to open up new markets and therefore we came up with new effective activities, being present at TEFAF Maastricht is one of them. TEFAF is exclusively tailored for superyacht builders as the target group of the fair collects art and is prepared to spend serious money. This target group can well be interested in the superyacht industry and a superyacht, too. Moreover, most yachts are extensively decorated with art.”

Collective promotion

HISWA Holland Yachting Group’s three pillars are heritage, innovation and quirkiness. These three pillars connect the 40 members, Dutch companies, under a collective marketing umbrella ‘Think Yachts, Think Holland’.

According to Sirag, the aim is firstly to promote the Netherlands in combination with the Dutch superyacht industry collectively and make sure that people are interested in the industry and the country: “Our marketing slogan is ´Think Yachts, Think Holland’. By being present at TEFAF, we also create new ambassadors for the Dutch superyacht industry.”

Amels, Feadship, Heesen Yachts, Oceanco and Royal Huisman were present at the art fair this year and next to information about the five individual superyacht yards including models of yachts, the stand was styled with art objects related to the sea, courtesy of The Wunderkammer.

The superyacht builders are enthusiastic about TEFAF Maastricht. Marijn Smit, event manager at Feadship: “When we participated in 2014 for the first time, it was exciting to discover how we would be perceived by the art world. The reactions however were very enthusiastic.”

Sjoukje Russchen, management assistant at Royal Huisman, agrees: “It is all about opening up new markets and target groups, and thinking outside the box. It is great to promote the Netherlands and the Dutch yachtbuilding industry together with the other shipyards. The visitors of the show are pleasantly surprised to find us here.”

Hans Konings, design manager at Amels, adds: “We get a lot of positive reactions, people do understand the connection between art and yachts, as most yachts are decorated with art. In fact, there are interior designers that if let loose, they will stuff a yacht with art worth more than the whole yacht itself.”

Smit continues: “In 2015 we made a step forward, in terms of the decoration of the stand we decided to create a link between art and yachtbuilding and this came off well. It is enjoyable to cooperate with other yachtbuilders and I am proud to present the Netherlands, we belong to the top worldwide and it is great to be able to spread this message.”

Konings: “Being here is a great opportunity to promote the Dutch yachtbuilding industry. We are a niche market, but the Netherlands belongs to the top and we want to carry this out together.”

Get inspired

Royal Huisman’s reason to participate in this collective is a combination of factors, says Russchen: “We want to support the collective marketing of the Dutch superyacht industry, but of course also meet existing and new clients. In addition, it is a good opportunity to get in touch with other non-yachting companies, who have good connections, too, or to get inspired, for example
for new ideas regarding events. We are looking for innovation in our marketing strategy, yachting is a way of living and TEFAF complements this. The cooperation with the other yards is very good. It is great to promote our industry together, it enables us to show the strength of the Dutch superyachtbuilding industry.”

Konings gets inspired by the visitors: “The visitors see TEFAF as a day out and therefore have the time to chat and are very approachable. I have learned a lot about their motivations, their lifestyle, their daily business and what is important to them, which is all interesting to know for me as a designer as I look for trends and I might be able to use this in my designs.”

More initiatives

Next to TEFAF Maastricht, HISWA Holland Yachting Group has more ideas to open up new markets. Sirag: “We look at other creative ways to further be brought under the attention of new and existing target groups. We try to realise that by not only being present at the traditional yacht shows all over the world, but also at other lifestyle-related events, for example the polo game held as a side event of the Singapore Yacht Show and the World Horse Racing Cup in Dubai. The suppliers in our group participated for example in the Pinmar Golf Tournament on Mallorca, a new way to for instance get in contact with purchasing managers. These events enable us to get in

touch with new target groups in a different way. Another initiative is our Yacht Club Tour. We cooperate with yacht clubs in New York, San Francisco and Miami, supported by the Dutch Embassy to visit these clubs to let our members meet their members and capitalise from the synergy at these events.”

“HISWA Holland Yachting Group is the biggest customer at the Monaco Yacht Show,” he continues, “and this year we managed to realise our own ‘Holland Yachting Group House’. A unique concept in order to promote the Dutch superyacht industry in combination with Holland promotion, for example in cooperation with the Amsterdam-based Van Gogh Museum we recently partnered up with. We embrace
a lot more in order to create a unique proposition to position our industry in new and existing markets. We look for synergy with other typically Dutch brands that are doing well abroad.”

Another new initiative is to sponsor the World Superyacht Awards that will be held again in Amsterdam this year. In 2014, it took place at the National Maritime Museum, this year the Westergasfabriek will be the venue of choice.

Sirag: “By sponsoring this event and bringing it to Amsterdam, we want to draw the attention to our industry and the Netherlands. The guests are encouraged to stay the whole weekend to also explore the city and to make sure they get a memorable experience. Next to that, during our yearly press tour, we dedicated one day to Amsterdam. It is important that the international journalists also experience the Netherlands. This day included a backstage visit to the Rijksmuseum, a visit to Theater Amsterdam, where the play ‘Anne’ about Anne Frank is performed, a boat trip and a trend walk by Vripack, that focused on the trends in naval architecture.”

Conclusion: a successful event

Back to TEFAF Maastricht. The superyacht builders and the industry attracted a lot of attention there and look back at a successful event.

Smit: “We have had a lot of interest in our stand and I have constantly been talking to visitors. I have met existing relations as well as potential customers. You almost never sign a contract during a show, it is more about the first acquaintance and the brand awareness.”

Konings summarises: “It is important to be here.” Russchen concludes: “A lot of people are drawn to our stand because of the art objects and then notice the yacht models, which is always a good starting point for a chat. This shows that it is well possible to be present at an event of a branch other than yours.”

Gail van den Hanenberg