The 2026 ASMEX Conference delivered exactly what a modern marine industry conference should: sharp content, relevant speakers, a quality audience and a program that respected both the time and intelligence of those in the room.
Held at The Langham Gold Coast on 19 May, the Australian Superyacht, Commercial Marine and Export Conference brought together an impressive cross-section of industry leaders, operators, suppliers and stakeholders. It was a compact half-day program, but one that never felt light. Every session had purpose, every speaker had relevance, and the overall delivery reflected the experience and care of the team behind it.
Eloquently emceed by AIMEX CEO David Good, the afternoon ran smoothly, on time and with a clear sense of direction. That may sound simple, but anyone who has attended enough conferences knows how important good pacing, strong moderation and a well-structured program are to the overall success of an event. ASMEX delivered on all three.
David Good
The conference opened with Bank of Queensland Chief Economist Peter Munckton, a familiar and welcome presence at ASMEX. His return each year gives the audience the benefit of continuity, allowing him to provide a frank assessment of what has changed since his last address. After sounding out the room on its economic sentiment, Peter laid out the realities facing households and businesses, including the sharp divide between Australians with and without mortgages, the impact of rising costs, and the pressure on productivity.
His observations around business sentiment aligning with household sentiment were particularly relevant, as was his explanation of how larger businesses are often better placed than small businesses to pass on rising costs. He also highlighted that while productivity remains a challenge across the economy, the marine industry is performing better than many other sectors.
David Good then provided a State of the Superyacht Industry update, looking at vessel visitation, state-by-state activity, length of stay and vessel size. His presentation reinforced the importance of continued work to attract vessels to Australia, built around the sector’s ability to reach, catch and deliver. He also noted the impact of global issues, including challenges in the Middle East, which can affect vessel movements into the region.
Peter Munckton
Mick Colliss
From there, the program shifted gear with Mick Colliss, author, writer, sports commentator, MC and guest speaker. His presentation was, quite simply, one of the most entertaining conference sessions I have heard in a long time. With every sentence, Mick set up an expectation, only to deliver a side-splitting reality. His story of representing Australia was funny, clever and unexpectedly uplifting. I would happily pay to hear him speak again. My only regret was that he left before I could get a selfie with him.
Sarah Colgate, founder of Exceptional Experiences & Profitability Co, followed with a fast-paced and highly practical session on marketing in the marine industry. Her presentation gave businesses a structure to think more clearly about their marketing and, importantly, how not to waste money. The absence of questions at the end said more about the strength of the session than any lack of interest. Most of the room appeared either to be furiously taking notes or quietly considering what needed to change in their own businesses.
Sarah Colgate
Kristina Agustin
The final session, delivered by Kristina Agustin of Southern Sky AI, tackled one of the most important and rapidly evolving topics facing business: artificial intelligence. With her background in law, superyacht operations, compliance and AI strategy, Kristina brought credibility and clarity to a subject many are still trying to understand. Her message was clear: most businesses are not up to speed with AI, and given the pace of change, perhaps none of us truly can be. What matters is that we start using it more intelligently.
ASMEX continued the following day with a South East Queensland Industry Tour, headlined by a visit to Volvo Penta’s new headquarters and training facility.
For those who attended the conference, the message was clear. ASMEX was not just well organised; it was thoughtful, relevant and genuinely valuable. The team behind it deserves enormous credit for delivering a program that resonated across the superyacht, commercial marine and export sectors.
For more information about the group, visit their website HERE
