Rivergate AIMEX VIP Dinner celebrates ‘social networking’

The 10th Rivergate AIMEX VIP Dinner was held at Ioesco restaurant at Sanctuary Cove on the eve of the 2021 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, welcoming clients, colleagues, industry, ASMEX conference speakers and media partners.

Although a smaller group than in years past, the camaraderie and sentiment were high after COVID-19 restrictions prevented the annual get-together last year and in 2021, international guests were unable to attend AMEX and SCIBS.

“We are so thrilled to see so many familiar faces again,” said Tom Hill, Rivergate Director.

“Our events are renowned for their mix of socialising and the opportunity to discuss the pressing issues in our industry in all parts of the world. Good company and delicious food definitely produce interesting conversation!”

Over shared platters of Italian delicacies, such as Calamari Fritti, Pollo Pepato, Risotto and Steak Primavera, as well as house specialties including Crispy Skin Barramundi and Peking Duck in Mushrooms, from the famed Chefs at Ioesco, washed down with Australian, NZ and Italian wines, guests dissected the ASMEX Conference, discussed how they’d adapted and diversified their businesses in 2020, and reminisced about boat shows and travel experiences over the years.

Jeremy Spear, AIMEX President and Managing Director of Spear Green Design declared the evening “Tremendous!”

“It was a great group of high-calibre industry representatives, sponsors, Rivergate customers and people I’ve never met before, which turned out to be very interesting indeed. The highlight of the evening was catching up with old friends and meeting new people.

“The conversation was fantastic, the speeches elegant in their brevity, names tags correctly spelt, partners attended, it was very relaxed, convivial, and of course, the food was delectable, as usual.

“Because it’s held between the two shows, there’s a relaxed kind of spirit of relief and anticipation for what’s ahead. It’s very much a worthwhile event and one for the calendar! Our thanks to Rivergate for their hard work and hospitality.”

Jess and Brian Gatt, Managing Directors at Marine Protection Systems, based on the NSW Central Coast were guest speakers at the ASMEX conference and exhibitors at SCIBS.

According to Jessica, the Rivergate dinner was “a chance for a break and a nice evening off!”

“We really enjoyed the dinner – our first! It was an absolute pleasure to be invited,” she continued. “We were pleased to catch up with some old friends and meet other AIMEX members we’ve only known from afar to solidify the relationship. We met some interesting people during the conference, so the dinner was a wonderful occasion for chatting, time for proper engagement and wide-ranging conversations.”

Tom Hill concluded “We believe hosting industry events such as our Captains’ lunches and supporting initiatives such as Interior Motives, Sarah Egan’s initiative for crew, are productive for enhancing relationships, encouraging professional networking and exchanging ideas, which can only benefit the industry as a whole.”