Less than a month before the International Council of Marine Industry Associations’ (ICOMIA) World Marinas Conference 2014 officially launches, the ICOMIA Marinas Group together with Brazilian Boatbuilders Association ACOBAR have announced that the next edition of the globally prominent travelling Conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in April 2016.

The ICOMIA World Marina Conferences (WMC), which have been previously held across Europe, the US, Australia and Asia, are "must attend" events for all marina owners, operators and developers. The Conferences are 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.

The ICOMIA Marinas Group selected the winning bid, placed by ACOBAR and the Instituto de Marinas do Brasil, at the 50th committee meeting held during the International Boat Show and Festival in Hainan, China. Eduardo Colunna, President of ACOBAR – a full member of ICOMIA – emphasized that the success of the Brazilian bid is a result of a strategic effort to integrate the Brazilian industry within global markets. Commenting on winning the bid, Colunna said, “Hosting ICOMIA WMC 2016 in Rio de Janeiro is a great achievement; it comes with a great deal of responsibility and we are honored to accept it”.

Whilst Claudio Brasil do Amaral, President of the Instituto de Marinas do Brasil and member of the ICOMIA Marinas Group added “ICOMIA WMC 2016 has the potential to become a cornerstone in the history of marine business in Brazil. It will bring together the most prestigious international experts to share their knowledge and insight with the Brazilian professionals and government authorities”.

Brazil is a continental country with a coastline of 8500 km and 50,000 km of navigable waterways. It is the largest economy in Latin America, with a GDP of approximately $2.5 trillion, representing 43.8 % among the other countries in the region. Brazil has economic partnerships with most of the countries of South and Latin America as well as with other continents, such as Europe, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

“We understand that these above attributes, combined with our geographical position, contribute to receive the ICOMIA World Marinas Conference (WMC), which has never been held in Latin America” continues Brasil do Amaral.