The second Blue Design Summit was held from 13 to 15 May, once again in La Spezia, a city that, according to the 2024 Economy of the Sea report, ranks first in Italy with a 16.8% share of the total economy, generating added value of €1 billion 145.3 million in the sector and employing over 16,500 people. The city also recently won the national selection for entry into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Design, a recognition that opens the door to an international candidacy as a centre of excellence for the design and construction of yachts and megayachts for global markets, thanks to the presence of big names in shipbuilding and nautical design, and the implementation of the Miglio Blu district project between La Spezia and Marina di Carrara. This district promoted this year’s edition, entitled From water to design, organised by Clickutility Team and Promostudi La Spezia, with the institutional partnership of the Municipality of La Spezia and the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea.
The annual market trends study presented by SuperYacht Times on the opening day of the summit, updated exclusively with the results for the first four months of the year, also confirms the leading position of Italian shipyards in the market for boats over 30 metres. In 2024, ‘Italian shipyards sold 120 units (147 in 2023), twice as many as all other competing countries combined’. As for the backlog, as of 1 January this year, Italy had 371 units in its portfolio, accounting for 53% of the total. Overall, the country also remains the world’s leading exporter of recreational craft, with a record value of €4.5 billion in 2024 (Confindustria Nautica data).
With a 30% increase in registered attendees (1,100 compared to 850 in 2024), and with the theme From water to design, the conference explored, with 90 speakers from various sectors of the national and international nautical industry in 16 panels and round tables, strategic content, innovative trends and the possible evolution of the complex relationship between living on water and design at all levels, from exterior and interior design to the creation of experiences for future boat owners, from craftsmanship excellence to technology, from the possible sustainability of the blue economy to the “blue mind”, the state of mental well-being generated by the relationship with water, from the Italian “slow coast” model to international projects for islands, waterfronts and floating structures.
Without forgetting the history of Italian yacht design or its future, not only in the new generations of design studios but also in the proposal of “residential yachts”, an emerging form of “nomadic” luxury residences on megayachts or cruise ships “shared” for short and longer periods. The result is a multidisciplinary design ecosystem of enormous value and with multiple possibilities and dimensions.
During the Summit, the Miglio Blu Design Awards were presented once again this year following an open and independent selection process by the Scientific Committee, composed of designers, journalists and industry experts and chaired by Antonella Cotta Ramusino, artistic director of Blue Design Summit:
Memorial Award to Paolo Vitelli, founder of Azimut | Benetti Group
Lifetime Achievement Award to Gianni Zuccon, Studio Zuccon International
Lifetime Achievement Award to Mario Pedol, Nauta Yachts
Heritage Award to Cantiere Codecasa
Italian Yacht Ambassador Award to Baglietto
Waterfront Award to the MareTerra project in Monaco, Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Water Leisure Hub Award to Sindalah Neom, Luca Dini Design & Architecture
Beach Club Award to Alpemare, Bocelli Group
Building on the Water Award to the Science Museum in Shenzhen, Zaha Hadid Architects
Sustainable Sailing Boat Award to Grand Soleil Blue, Cantiere Del Pardo
Sustainable Motor Boat Award to Frauscher Porsche
General Concept Award to Azimut Seadeck 7
Sailing Boat Award to KiBoKo 4 for interior and exterior design, Southern Wind
Planing Motor Boat Award to AB 110, AB Yachts
Displacement Motor Boat Award to Tremenda, Cantiere delle Marche
Living Innovation Award to Custom Line 50
Special Project Award to the Seawolfx catamaran, Rossinavi
Supporter of the Blue Design Summit:
Liguria international, Confindustria La Spezia
Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura Riviere di Liguria-Imperia La Spezia Savona
The International Propeller Club – Port of La Spezia e Marina di Carrara
