Whether
supporting a new certification program or offering state-of-the-art
technology solutions, the International Yacht Council (IYC) is dedicated
to helping yacht brokers serve their clients more effectively. Since
its formation in 2000, the IYC has also become a strong advocate for
the global yacht brokerage industry, representing both the interests
of its six member associations and their individual broker members.
"By
conducting and holding ourselves to this higher standard, we can be
proud of our industry and never hold our head down."
"Broker associations that have worked together for as long as 80
years have finally joined under one global federation-the IYC,"
says Walter Sea, President of the Florida Yacht Broker Association (FYBA).
"By combining their experience and enthusiasm, the member associations
are able to advance the worldwide interests of the yacht brokerage profession,
while helping members generate more sales."
In addition to the FYBA, the International
Yacht Council includes five other not-for-profit broker associations:
Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA), Mediterranean Yacht Brokers
Association (MYBA), California Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA), British
Columbia Yacht Brokers Association (BCYBA) and Northwest Yacht Brokers
Association (NYBA).
"We are a group of professional
yacht brokers promoting cooperation with our fellow brokers on a level
playing field with consistent and strict codes of conduct and ethics,"
says Michael Myers, President of the Yacht Brokers Association of America.
"YBAA is pleased and excited to be a part of the IYC."
The IYC and its member associations offer
a broad range of tangible benefits to individual brokers, including
a new Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB) designation. For the
past two years, the FYBA, YBAA and NYBA have been developing the program
and testing of the first applicants began this fall. "Already the
CPYB program has generated inquiries from outside the United States,"
says Sea, "and when fully implemented, this certification program
will be widely promoted to the public."
To make it easier to connect with brokers
and their clients around the world, the IYC, through Sunrise, Florida-based
Marine Solutions, offers an industry-controlled online multiple listing
service for brokers through www.yachtcouncil.org, as well as the general
public through www.yachtcouncil.com. These websites help assure brokers
that they have accurate vessel listing information, as well as tools
to better service their customers.
Recently, Marine Solutions added a new
feature to the online informational system, enabling brokers to download
all of the vessel information directly to handheld portable devices.
"This ability to carry an entire database, as well as update the
information continuously, will enable the brokerage community to communicate
on another level," says Allan Gardner, Executive Vice President
and Chief Technology Officer of Marine Solutions.
Sharing information with brokers around
the world is one of the prime benefits of IYC, according to Carlo Agliardi,
President of Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association. "The basic
goal of MYBA has been to raise the ethics and professionalism of our
business, and IYC certainly supports that goal," says Agliardi.
MYBA has helped its members through the
sharing of listings with other members, and the development of standard
contracts for purchases, sales and charters. "Use of our contracts,
which are recognized by law firms around the world, leads to quicker
and easier transactions because there is less discussion about the contractual
terms," Agliardi says. "On top of that, we have developed
a web-based charter listing system for all MYBA members."
California was the first state to require
brokers and sales personnel to be licensed and bonded, and the California
Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA) goes one step further, says Jim Johnson,
President. "The CYBA and the IYC promote the qualities that I feel
all respectable brokers and salespeople strive for," he says. "That
is to ensure that each client is treated fairly and to always maintain
a high standard of ethics, while conducting the day-to-day business
of a yacht broker. By conducting and holding ourselves to this higher
standard, we can be proud of our industry and never hold our head down."
The CYBA offers its members an arbitration
and grievance service that has served as a model for other organizations.
"We provide fair and equitable hearings in a timely manner for
all parties involved," Johnson says. The association has also developed
a close working relationship with the state's Department of Boating
and Waterways.
The Florida Yacht Brokers Association,
like other IYC members, offers a variety of educational seminars, as
well as broker-only trade shows that showcase new listings, as well
as social events that let members stay in close touch with each other.
As FYBA's Walter Sea concludes, "We
educate our members on how to do business in a professional manner and
to make boat buying and selling a positive experience for all involved."
For more information about the IYC and its broker associations, visit
www.yachtcouncil.com. 
