Athens wins bid to host ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2018

It is a great pleasure for the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau to announce that the 2018 ICOMIA World Marinas Conference (IWMC) will be hosted by the Greek Marinas Association (GMA) in 25 – 27 October 2018 in Athens, Greece.

The exciting outcome was the result of collaboration between the City of Athens, the Greek Marinas Association and Toposophy, confirming once more that together, we are stronger.

The key initiative of ICOMIA Marina Group’s Outreach and Support Programme is the World Marinas Conference, which is the leading light in ensuring successful future developments of marina facilities around the globe. IWMC is aimed at marina owners, operators, developers, consultants, service providers, Government officials, equipment manufacturers, nautical tourism promoters, and port and harbour operators and draws hundreds of delegates and speakers from around the globe.

In October 12th-14th, the ICOMIA Marinas Group held a meeting in Vancouver, Canada with 13 IMG members attending, which included a tour of 10 marinas on the west coast of Canada. All the cities bidding for the world-renowned travelling conference were presented followed by the decision to award Athens as the winning host city.

Roberto Perocchio, IMG Chairman, praised the GMA win: "The Greek coast is one of the most beautiful cruising grounds of the world for nautical tourism, and the international community of marina operators will now gather there in 2018 to discuss global trends and be inspired by the new marina investments that can be developed in this country thanks to privatization programmes, urban waterfront rejuvenation projects and increased importance of tourism economy”. Perocchio added, “The Mayor of Athens has expressed his full support of IWMC 2018, as have other local and national authorities – this confirms the leading role that Greece plays at an international level in the field of yachting facilities and services".

Stavros Katsikadis, president of the GMA highlighted the importance of this win for Greek marinas and the City of Athens: "I'm confident IWMC 2018 will be a high-performing, world class event. Delegates will benefit from quality content and the expertise of the exceptional international speakers IWMC attracts. Athens promises to them an unforgettable experience".

The IWMC series is highly informative and relevant to global market trends, whilst the extensive networking opportunities are invaluable for on-going business success and the vast array of exhibits offer insight into the very latest in marina product development and technology. Stay tuned for more information on the programme for 2018, sponsorship opportunities and delegate registration.

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