The 10th edition of the Sail America Industry Conference (SAIC) is taking place in Florida for the first time. The three-day event, specifically geared toward sailing industry professionals, will take place at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in St. Petersburg, FL on April 23-25, 2024. Held annually, SAIC will host speakers in addition to offering interactive roundtables and more. Attendees will learn about new topics and trends and receive industry updates.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER- Marie Rogers, VP, US Sailing
REGISTER HERE!
Sail America Industry Conference Schedule At A Glance
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
- 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Regatta- St. Petersburg Yacht Club
- 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Opening Reception-St. Petersburg Yacht Club
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
- 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Conference Registration
- 7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Buffet
- 8:30 am – 8:45 am Sail America Welcome, Kevin Carlan, Sail America President
- 8:45 am – 9:45 am Keynote Speaker, Diversity and The Future of Sailing, Marie Rogers, VP US Sailing
- 9:45 am – 10:45 am Sailing by the Numbers, Peter Houseworth, Director of Client Services, InfoLink Technologies, Inc.
- 10:45 am – 11:00 am Refreshment Break
- 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Marine Research and Stewardship, why it’s Good for Business”, Dr. Bob Weisburg, USF College of Marine Science
- 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch (Optional Visit USF Research Ship “Weatherbird” at SPYC Pier-Dr. Bob Weissberg)
- 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Building Loyalty with Aftermarket Service- Ed Massey, Massey Yacht Sales, Stanton Murray, Murray Yacht Sales, Mark Ploch, Doyle Ploch Sailmakers, Gerry Douglas (Moderator),
- 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Building a Brand with Owner Events- Patrick Turner, Catalina Yachts, Jeff Johnstone, J Boats, Bill Bolin, S&J Yachts (Moderator)
- 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Refreshment Break
- 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm Finding, signing, and keeping loyal non-traditional boat owners as customers, Franck Bauguil, THL Marine, Todd Hess, The SailTime Group, Marie Rogers, US Sailing, Beth Oliver, Offshore Sailing School (Moderator)
- 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm Setting New Waypoints: Innovations in the Marine Industry-David Broadbent, ABYC
- 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Reception/Raffle
Thursday, April 25, 2024
- 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM Conference Registration
- 7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Buffet
- 8:30 am – 8:45 am Welcome
- 8:45 am – 9:45 am Warrior Sailing: Changing Lives on the Water, Randy Smith and Local Veterans
- 9:45 am – 10:45 am Living With and Without Amazon: How Amazon Partnerships Work and How Some Companies Go It Alone, Ted Winston, Spinlock, Austin McCullough, Marine Supply, Jim Andersen, Harken, Cindy Kalow, Superior Charters (Moderator)
- 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Back to the Future: Time to Look Again at Game Changing Technology in Battery and Propulsion, Kevin Carlan, Yanmar Marine International
- 12:00 pm – 12:15 pm SAIC Wrap-up, Kevin Carlan, Sail America President
*Schedule is subject to change
Hotel Courtesy Room Blocks in St. Petersburg
Limited Rooms Available-Book Now!
Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront-Conference Rate-$209/night- Rate expires 3/8/2024
Hampton Downtown St. Petersburg -Please call to book your reservations: Call: 727-892-9900 or 1-800-HAMPTON (1-800-426-7866) -$299/night-Rate expires 3/23/24.