Shanghai, 9th April 2014 – The 2014 China International Boat Show in Shanghai, held from 10th to 13th April at the World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, will be providing the venue for celebrating an important anniversary in the history of Ferretti Group, one of the world leaders in the design, building and sale of luxury motor yachts, and owner of a unique portfolio of some of the most exclusive and prestigious brands in the world of pleasure craft: the tenth anniversary of the Group’s launch in China, an area that is becoming increasingly strategic for the leisure craft industry and could become the top market in Asia in coming years.
It was back in 2004 when the Group pioneered its launch into the Chinese market, still worlds away from the deep-seated culture of pleasure cruising in Europe and America. It sensed the country had strategic potential and so opened its first office in Shanghai to represent and promote the company, develop and manage a sales network and serve customers, with Chinese employees since 2005. The Group has continued to expand its operations in Asia Pacific (APAC) over the last 10 years, developing a strong team at local level and a widespread dealer network capable of providing efficient pre-and after sales service; it also set up its subsidiary Ferretti Group Asia Pacific Ltd. based in Hong Kong, and opened its first showroom in Greater China, again in Hong Kong.
So, it is now Shanghai’s turn to blow out the “birthday candles” celebrating the Group “first” 10 years in China, during the 2014 China International Boat Show, on a large and prestigious exhibition stand, twice the size of last year’s stand, when the spotlight will be on the famous Riva Iseo. This is one of the latest yachts designed with the Riva brand, the icon of Made in Italy across the world, which will go on show for the very first time in the Asian market in a totally reserved area.
Ferretti Group has become a world ambassador for excellence in the pleasure cruising industry made in Italy and by taking part in the China International Boat Show in Shanghai, it is also celebrating another important event in the Group's history and its sales and marketing strategy: it will be announcing the opening of the first Ferretti Group showroom dedicated to the jewels of the ocean in Mainland China, which will open its doors in July at Shanghai’s prestigious Mandarin Oriental, right in the heart of the Financial District and the international shopping area.
“Taking part in this year's China International Boat Show in Shanghai has special significance for us because it is an opportunity to celebrate ten years of the Group working in the country with the launch of the Riva Iseo in the APAC region and the announcement of our first showroom in mainland China” – commented Ferruccio Rossi, Chief Executive Officer at Ferretti Group. “Our medium to long term goal is to establish increasingly balanced commercial presence for the Group in the three macro-regions of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), the Americas and APAC, which matches how our sales organisation is currently divided up. So, by opening new showrooms and taking part in all the major international boat shows, we are confident we will achieve our goal, and also assure our customers a 360-degree service wherever they are in the world, by highly specialised personnel”.
THE ASIA PACIFIC PREMIERE AT THE 2014 CHINA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW IN SHANGHAI:
RIVA ISEO
In less than three years since it was first launched, the 27 foot open ISEO has become a must for lake- and seafarers for its fabulous looks and superb stern driven handling. Its unique design makes it perfect for anyone wishing to make their yacht even more precious with an exclusive tender with water jet propulsion that is impossible to ignore and lets you access areas with very shallow seabeds. The size and design criteria of the ISEO ensure its owner can “experience” the sea or lake with no limits, and so a customised trailer has also been designed for this specific version of the yacht for easy transportation and towing. ISEO is the first craft in its class with an infotainment system and GPS charting based on the Apple iPad platform. Its software was specifically developed for Riva with many interesting features, such as the possibility to browse through the owner’s manual, check the weather, listen to HIFI radio, stream a TV show or enjoy your own playlists by simply connecting your iPad to the on board Hi-Fi system via Bluetooth.