For two days in late April, the superyacht industry gathered in Palma to network and contemplate its future. Held on 28–29 April 2026, the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum brought together 282 attendees from across the global yachting ecosystem, representing 19 countries and a broad mix of shipyards, suppliers, brokers, designers, captains, owner representatives and specialist intermediaries.
Yet, unlike many industry conferences built around presentations and polished keynote speeches, this year’s edition felt deliberately more collaborative. The Forum’s structure – combining Small Group Sessions with larger Think Tanks – encouraged debate over performance, participation over passive listening and honest discussion over rehearsed optimism.
If one theme emerged consistently throughout the event, it was that the future competitiveness of the Mediterranean superyacht sector will depend less on individual excellence and more on how effectively the entire ecosystem works together.
An industry looking beyond infrastructure
The strongest conversations throughout the Forum centred around the idea that Mediterranean destinations can no longer compete on infrastructure alone.
Moderated by Martin Redmayne, chairman and editor-in-chief of The Superyacht Group, the Destination Strategy Think Tank challenged the traditional assumption that bigger marinas, more berths and larger shipyard capacity automatically create successful yachting hubs.
Instead, delegates repeatedly returned to a more holistic question: what actually makes a destination work for owners, captains, crew and businesses alike? The conclusion is that infrastructure remains essential, but it is only one piece of a much larger ecosystem.
The Small Group Sessions explored this idea from multiple angles, from identifying the real economic impact of yachting to discussing how Mediterranean destinations can prepare for the next generation of owners and charter guests. Sessions led by industry figures, including Evolution Yacht Agents business development manager Kerry Allerton, IPM-IMG Marine Group commercial director Isabel Martínez, Hy-Plug founding president Camille Lopez and Lusben senior sales manager Jessima Timberlake, all reinforced the same idea that successful destinations must operate as connected systems, not isolated assets.
Crew experience, in particular, emerged as a defining strategic factor. Captains and crew increasingly influence where yachts return, where refits take place and where owners choose to berth long-term. Quality of life, operational ease, logistics, hospitality and access to reliable services are shaping destination competitiveness directly.
The Forum also acknowledged the growing pressure on Mediterranean destinations to better explain the value yachting brings to local economies and communities. Discussions around sustainability, local impact and territorial balance reflected a wider recognition that the industry must communicate more transparently if it wants long-term support from both regulators and the public.
Perhaps most interestingly, there was a noticeable shift away from the idea that Mediterranean destinations should compete at all costs. Collaboration – particularly around regulation, administration and operational efficiency – was repeatedly positioned as essential to improving the owner and client journey across the region.
The refit sector’s internal challenge
If the Destination Strategy sessions focused on external competitiveness, the Business Strategy discussions turned inward. Moderated by Alexander Flemming, project director and client representative at k4ip, the Business Strategy Think Tank explored a challenge many successful refit businesses are now facing: how to grow without losing control, flexibility or identity.
The conversations revealed a sector that is commercially strong, but still heavily reliant on founders, informal knowledge and individual expertise. Sessions led by MB92 Group IT and digitalisation director Rubén Carmona, Astilleros de Mallorca production director Paul Grünig, Nautipaints Group deputy general manager Joan Salom and i-Deal M&A director Gloria Fernández highlighted how many companies are now reaching a pivotal moment in their evolution.
Demand, delegates agreed, is not the problem. The Mediterranean refit market remains active and opportunity-rich. The real issue is scalability. How do businesses professionalise without becoming bureaucratic? How do they preserve culture while implementing systems? And how do they ensure operational knowledge survives beyond a founder or a handful of key individuals?
Talent shortages were repeatedly described as one of the sector’s most significant structural constraints. Yet, the conversation went beyond simply recruiting more people. Instead, attendees focused on the need for stronger training systems, clearer organisational structures and long-term personnel development strategies.
Digitalisation also emerged as a conversation. Rather than focusing purely on software or tools, discussions centred on communication, traceability and collaboration across the refit ecosystem. The consensus was that digitalisation only becomes valuable when it improves clarity and reduces friction between stakeholders.
There was also increasing recognition that external investment and capital are beginning to reshape parts of the industry. But while investment can accelerate professionalisation and succession planning, delegates acknowledged that not every company needs outside capital – and not every investor is the right fit for yachting businesses built on craftsmanship, relationships and reputation.
Selling yachting more clearly
The Commercial Strategy Think Tank perhaps captured the industry’s broader challenge most directly. Moderated by Víctor Pérez, global director of IMM, the discussions focused less on selling yachts and more on understanding how trust, influence and decision-making actually function within modern yachting.
The industry, attendees argued, still struggles to define its product clearly. For many companies, the value proposition extends beyond infrastructure or technical capability. Relevance increasingly depends on understanding where a business fits within the yacht’s wider operational journey and ownership experience.
Sessions led by Amico & Co team leader of project management and production coordinator Diego Molinari, BWA Yachting Spain managing partner Antonella Della Pietra, Astondoa COO Ione Astondoa and D-Marin VCP director Francisco Villalobos repeatedly returned to the complexity of the superyacht decision chain. Owners may sit at the centre, but they are rarely the only decision-makers. Captains, management companies, family offices, brokers, shipyards, technical advisors and operational teams all influence purchasing and operational choices in different ways. Commercial strategy, therefore, increasingly requires managing an ecosystem of reassurance rather than delivering a single sales message.
New owner demographics also featured heavily in discussions. Younger owners and first-time buyers are engaging with luxury differently, and many attendees acknowledged that traditional commercial approaches are no longer sufficient on their own. Physical experiences, shipyard visits and boat shows remain valuable, but they now need to be complemented by more experiential, selective and culturally relevant engagement.
Authenticity, however, remains one of yachting’s strongest commercial assets. Craftsmanship, heritage, expertise and personal relationships continue to hold enormous value, particularly in an increasingly digitised luxury landscape. The challenge lies in translating those strengths into messages and experiences that feel accessible and trustworthy to emerging audiences.
Transparency was another recurring theme. Whether discussing refit timelines, operational costs or ownership expectations, delegates consistently highlighted communication and clarity as critical trust-building tools. Digital systems may improve visibility, but the Forum reinforced that human relationships still sit at the centre of the superyacht experience.
What distinguished the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum 2026 was both the quality of discussion and the format itself. With around 20 professionals participating in each Small Group Session, the event created space for genuine debate rather than surface-level networking. Combined with coffee breaks and lunches throughout, the Forum successfully balanced strategic thinking with relationship-building across the sector.
The attendee profile also reflected the event’s growing international influence. While Spain represented 58.8 per cent of attendees, more than four in 10 delegates travelled from international markets, including the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the Netherlands, the United States, South Africa and New Zealand.
Critically, the audience was heavily weighted towards decision-makers, with 85.2 per cent of attendees within top and middle management classified as top management.
Across all three Think Tanks, the overarching message was that the future of the Mediterranean superyacht industry will depend on coordination, trust and professionalisation just as much as craftsmanship, infrastructure or growth. The strongest destinations will be those that connect their ecosystems effectively. The strongest businesses will be those that transform knowledge into structure without losing identity. And the strongest commercial actors will be those capable of building trust through transparency and experience.
The Mediterranean Superyacht Forum will return in 2027, continuing what increasingly feels like one of the industry’s most important strategic conversations.
For more information about the next edition, visit Mediterranean Superyacht Forum.
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