BOOTE EXCLUSIV: You are developing your new marina in Livorno with Azimut|Benetti. What does that mean?
Dean Smith: The site is just a stone's throw from the shipyard and they used the site for deliveries, storage and repairs. About 15 years ago, they applied to build a marina. But it is difficult to make such a project a success and run a huge company at the same time. So they were looking for a partner and we worked together on the design. They had a strong influence on how the whole thing should work and look. They brought in their ideas and market data and we brought in our experience, knowledge and expertise. We talk every day, because we run Marina Varazze for them. We ask what the shipyard needs and try to integrate this into the infrastructure.
Normally it works differently.
Yes, you would be flying blind a bit and making some assumptions based on the market and our experience. In Livorno, we have a direct line to find out what's going on in the shipyard and we can incorporate that. We try to build a beautiful marina in a beautiful area that takes into account the needs of both the shipyard and its customers. What we learn here, we transfer to the rest of our group.
What about the project on Mallorca? It's not actually a new marina.
Palma was a tender. The city put all the marina facilities in the bay out to tender, and we submitted a bid and won. We are bringing our innovations to the site in terms of energy consumption, mooring systems and more. It's a small site with 79 boats, but one where owners of larger yachts wanted us to be present. We want to choose locations that are appreciated by owners. If we can do that and improve this location, then we know that our customers will use it. So it's a win-win for everyone involved. Our customers visit the marina and appreciate that we know them and know what they need. So we improve our service and they get a better experience. On top of that, it's Palma. It's beautiful.
Do you also start projects from scratch?
We have three sources for property. We look for marinas to buy, refurbish or develop. Either it is an existing property whose characteristics match our objectives: Location, size, service. The facility is in operation and needs to be integrated into the D-Marin Group. The second case is redevelopment, where there may be a tender or the sale of a harbour whose infrastructure is at the end of its life. The pontoons are worn out, as are the jetties, the promenade, the flats and shops. Then we could redevelop it. Camille Rayon is probably also heading in this direction, a beautiful harbour, fully booked, but the infrastructure is 30 years old. We are investing 50 million euros to modernise the marina, pay the concession fee to the city council and can include the location in our network. And then there is the third type of development, like in Livorno, where we are transforming an old commercial and naval harbour into a modern five-star marina.
Which customers are you primarily targeting: the yacht guests or the captains?
In 2021, we conducted a study with an external company and surveyed our customers in the ports. At the time, we had nine: three in Greece, three in Turkey and three in Croatia. We wanted to find out what customers liked and didn't like about the service. We wanted to find out if there were any problems and to adapt our digital solutions accordingly. This took us nine months, but clearly segmented our target group. So we had fishermen, pleasure boaters and owners who treat their yacht like a holiday home, plus superyachts and captains. Once we had categorised the customers in this way, we were able to think about how to serve them.
There are also the crews.
Yes, larger crews need a special service. That's why our facilities with berths for large boats also have facilities for crews. Porto Mirabello has a fully equipped fitness centre and a leisure area. The crews have their own separate barbecue areas where they can let off steam to stay motivated and feel good. This certainly helps the captain with team morale and also to motivate the crew to perform at their best.
What will happen at D-Marin in 2030?
Oh my goodness, 2030! I think it will be a continuation of the current course with solid growth in the number of properties. We have set ourselves the goal of building a pan-Mediterranean network. We are now at 26 marinas and would like to be at 32 or 33 by 2030. I wish our system was even more stable and that we could offer even more functions. In fact, we have just introduced "Latitude" and bundled all our advantages into it. And we have the "Happy Berth Days", a programme for reciprocal berth use.
"Berth Day", from b-e-r-t-h, meaning berth.
Yes, a funny play on words. "Happy Berth Days" includes seven nights in any D-Marin marina. This is included in the annual mooring contract, as are the safety sensors for boats. We have bilge alarms, heat detectors, really everything. Together with Berth Days, the annual berth holders also have their own events and digital columns and supply connections. All of this has been put together independently and we've wrapped it up in a package with Latitude.
Like an airline's Platinum card?
It's a basic level rather than the platinum level, a membership that gives benefits. If someone has sailed from Gouvia to Zea in Greece, all they have to do is show the card on arrival and I immediately know who it is, can make the reservation and take care of everything. I want it to be super easy for everyone. We start with blue, which is for everyone. And then there's an option for customers who want to upgrade to silver or platinum and enjoy more benefits. I think that in 2030 we will have more marinas, a better membership programme and a better user experience.
Do you also focus on superyachts?
By purchasing marinas in prime locations, we have acquired many very large berths. This is how we happened to become the largest superyacht service company in the entire Mediterranean. We have 14,000 berths, over 1,000 for large yachts. In terms of knowledge and understanding of superyachts, we have gone through an accelerated learning curve. The data we collect here is incredible. By 2030, we will have even more sophisticated digital systems. Because it's software, it's much easier to implement than anything else. I don't have to pour concrete or lay cables.
And in the year 2040?
I hope that we will then be represented on many continents and that our platform will be so scalable that we could go to Northern Europe. Perhaps also to Asia. We are already in the United Arab Emirates and will continue to expand our presence there. I'm not going to say America now, because there are some huge players there. They probably wouldn't let us in.
Uske Berndt
Editor News & Panorama
