Now that the dust has settled after the festive season, we’ve had a chance to look back and reflect on one of our favourite events of last year, the Cornwall Marine Conference.
On 23rd November, around 100 business leaders from the Cornish marine industry gathered at the National Maritime Museum Falmouth for an evening of networking, talks and, of course, a pasty & a glass of wine.
Alongside solicitors Stephens Scown, and accountants PKF Frances Clark, we organised the CMC as we realised that, despite Cornwall being a county packed full of marine-based businesses, there is a real lack of opportunities for these companies to connect with each other, and receive relevant support and advice.
As a specialist marine marketing team, we were keen to share some of our industry-specific knowledge, and with a marine legal team and experienced accountants on board, we knew we could offer a valuable evening.
Focused around ‘Successful Risk Taking’, the event kicked off with a talk from our MD Sarah Leverton, who explored the nature of risk and outlined some top tips for marketing that will really pay off for a marine business.
Next up was Toby Claridge from Stephens Scown solicitors, who explained the legal risks facing marine businesses. Their specialist Marine Sector team means they can provide informed advice for those working in this sector, including risk reduction and risk sharing.
Our final specialist of the evening was Scott Bentley from PKF Francis Clark, who described how, as an experienced team of accountants, they have supported multiple marine businesses with structuring, taxation and compliance as part of mitigation against commercial and financial risk.
We also invited along Mervyn Wheatley as the keynote speaker, who captivated the audience with his gripping tale of nail-biting bravery and perseverance that culminated in the loss of his beloved boat of 19 years, Tamarind, during the 2017 OSTAR transatlantic race.
73 year old ex-Marine Mervyn made headlines around the world when he was rescued by the luxury cruise ship Queen Mary 2. Tamarind was terribly damaged after being hit by the worst weather conditions in the event’s history, and he was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon her in the middle of the Atlantic.
Once the talks had wrapped up, it was time for refreshments and a chance for attendees to network and chat to our specialists and keynote speaker. As organisers, we all felt that the event was a resounding success – an opinion that was backed up in the feedback we collected afterwards.
Everyone we spoke to confirmed they would be keen to attend an event like this every year, and would be happy for there to be more content and seminars to really strengthen their businesses and the Cornish marine industry as a whole. Planning for the Cornwall Marine Conference 2018 is already underway, so watch this space for more details!
