Ljubljana, Slovenia, 4 busy days with 90 captains and chief engineers taking part in refresher courses and workshops, including classroom sessions and exciting challenges out on the snow.<br /><br />They say you meet all of Europe in Ljubljana. This charming middle European town was therefore the natural choice for the Ferretti Group to bring together the expertise and character of about a hundred boating professionals from all over the world.<br /><br />Indeed, from 14th to 17th March, the Slovenian capital hosted the 2017 edition of “Convergence”, the traditional meeting with professional training and refresher courses that the Ferretti Group organises for captains and chief engineers working on the craft in its fleet.<br /><br />The goal of the four-day event has been to promote direct discussion on topics linked to the management of the Ferretti Group’s yachts and vessels as well as issues relating to the prevention and management of on-board risks and safety.<br /><br />On day one, the Top Management and the Engineering Department demonstrated the new projects unveiled between late 2016 and early 2017 which are currently under construction in the Group’s yards, together with the most innovative technologies fitted on board. The audience were also given an update on the significant large yacht refitting operations that are taking place at the renovated Super Yacht Yard in Ancona, alongside the construction of new maxi yachts and vessels for CRN, the Riva Superyachts Division, Pershing and Custom Line.<br /><br />The educational day on 15th March was very interesting. Two round table workshops took place in the morning. They were divided into CE craft and CLASS boats, run respectively by the RINA certification body and by the Pantaenius and Willis Towers Watson insurance companies. There was a speech in the afternoon for the event’s main partners: Man (engines), Seakeeper (gyroscopic stabilisers), Cummins (engines) and Cummins Onan (generators). The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the products installed on the Group’s yachts, while also providing trouble shooting and maintenance sessions.<br /><br />The Group’s technical partners took part every day with dedicated corners: Amaregroup (electro-hydraulic drives and glazed window portholes), Dometic (air conditioning systems), Idromar (watermakers), Naviop-Simrad (monitoring and integrated bridge systems), Oceanled-Indemar (underwater lights), Videoworks (infotainment systems), Webasto-Indel Webasto (yacht fridges, chillers and electric roofs) and Wolz Italia (teak decks).<br /><br />The grand finale took place on the 16th March with the Team Snow Challenge, sponsored by the main partners, in the magnificent snow-capped resort of Krvavec. The captains were divided into ten teams and competed in group activities out on the snow. The final challenge involved a contest to build the best igloo.<br /><br />The winning group received their award on the final day and participation certificates were handed out. See you at the next “Convergence” in 2018!