Italy Shipyard Tour 2023 [New Build Yachts]

The Denison team embarked on our annual shipyard tour last week, returning to Italy for a five-day trip touring some of the best builders in superyachts and boats. Among the shipyards were Ferretti, Sanlorenzo, and Benetti, all known for their high-quality and expert craftsmanship. A team of 19 Denison employees visited the finest Italian shipyards, encountering impressive yacht builds they had yet to see.

President Bob Denison continually expresses the importance of shipyard tours, citing benefits such as team building and growing industry connections. Chief Operating Officer Ben Farnborough has expressed that these yearly trips are “an important tradition for our team”. Beyond the obvious quality time and great memories between team members on the Denison side, they are also an opportunity to deepen bonds with European yachting leaders. Additionally, the educational element is key, as brokers and team members can learn more about the build process and develop more intel to bring forth to clients. The Denison team prioritizes its relationships in the yachting world and growing its knowledge within the industry to continually deliver for our buyers, sellers, and stakeholders.

15 shipyards in total were visited on this extensive tour, including CdM, Columbus, ISA, Extra, CRN, Ferretti, Wider, Italian Sea Group, Rossinavi, Logica, Benetti, Overmarine, Codecasa, Baglietto, and Sanlorenzo.

Alex G. Clarke of the Denison Superyacht Division shared: “We first started doing these shipyard tours over ten years ago, so to see the progress and improvement in quality from many of these shipyards has been great to watch.”

“The goal of these tours is to not only educate our brokers at Denison on the differences between many of these prominent Italian yards but to also introduce them to the people behind the brands which is equally if not more important, so when the time comes and a client is asking for advice on what shipyards should be considered for a new construction project, our brokers can match their clients not only to the proper product but also the personalities they will be working with to assure a smooth build process.”

“Personally speaking,” Clarke added, “I also love the camaraderie that we form within our team. It creates a true bond and team approach to selling yachts and I think this is something that sets Denison apart from other brokerages. We have a great combination of young and experienced brokers, both hungry to learn more and help one another out. I love seeing the company grow and investing time into our team is extremely rewarding.”

The team visiting the Italian shipyards consisted of superyacht brokers Alex G. Clarke, Aleks Taldykin, Brandon Barnes, Bobby Giancola, Bruce Schattenburg, Erik Mayol, Florent Moranzoni, Gary Hardcastle, Juno Prudhomm, Patrick Hopkins, Peter Quintal, Pierre Badin, Riccardo Solci, Russ Schafer, and Will Noftsinger, who traveled alongside Bob, Ben, and Europe Director Jeremy Roche. Denison videographer Alexander Howell joined the team to capture the best moments.