Yacht Racing Forum and World Match Racing Tour announce long term partnership
The Yacht Racing Forum is delighted to announce a long term partnership with the World Match Racing Tour. The leading
annual conference for the business of sailing and yacht racing will take place in Malta, on November 28-29, 2016.
September 20, 2016 - The Yacht Racing Forum and the World Match Racing Tour are delighted to announce a long term partnership. Founded in
1999, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the world’s leading professional sailing series.
The Tour has been involved alongside the Yacht Racing Forum since its debuts in 2008 in Monaco. In July 2015, Swedish
company Aston Harald acquired the World Match Racing Tour through its subsidiary Aston Harald Sports, marking a major
step forward for the event with the introduction of the one-design M32 high-performance catamarans.
The new partnership with the Forum is part of Aston Harald Sports’s commercial strategy, aimed at further developing the
World Match Racing Tour, M32 Series and the M32 catamarans class. "The Yacht Racing Forum reassembles the key people
involved in the international yacht racing community and it is natural for us to be involved with a long term vision",
said Robert Magnusson, CEO of Aston Harald Sports. "The Forum gives us the opportunity to meet with the sailing
industries key stakeholders to talk about the development of the World Match Racing Tour and the M32 Series. We strive
to generate a great platform for teams, sponsors and venues as well as to create a stepping-stone for talent within the
sport. This enables us to align with the rest of the industry and receive valuable input for the future."
Held every year at the end of November, the Yacht Racing Forum is the leading annual conference for the global yacht
racing industry. The two-day event gathers the sport’s key personalities and industry experts to discuss the business of
the sport and key issues such as sponsorship, television, media, sustainability issues, new markets, host cities and
much more.
"We are delighted to once again welcome the World Match Racing Tour as an event partner and to initiate a long lasting
partnership with Aston Harald Sports", said Bernard Schopfer, the event’s CEO. "We regard this support from the World
Match Racing Tour as a strong mark of confidence, which we are proud of. "
Preparations ahead of the Yacht Racing Forum 2016 are well advanced, with top level speakers confirmed. One of the
sessions, on November 29, will focus on the future of match racing; it will reassemble America’s Cup winner Ed Baird
(USA), pro sailor and match race specialist Cameron Appleton (NZL), Aston Harald AB CEO Håkan Svensson and other
personalities involved at the top of the sport. The conference will amongst others discuss the future of match racing,
the use of multihulls and the pathways to the top for young sailors.
The Yacht Racing Forum 2016 will take place on November 28 - 29 in Malta; it will be co-hosted by Yachting Malta and
Yachting / Events. The event will attract some 300 people in one place at one time to do business and meet future
clients: yacht clubs, athletes, sponsors, event organisers, designers, technical suppliers and anyone involved or just
interested in yacht racing.
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