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Written By: Jessica Woodruff
But why? "You go out on the water because you want an experience. There's a huge emotional appeal to being out on the water," says Delphine Braas, the co-founder of Sailo, a boat rental company.
Sailo is an online "peer-to-peer" boat rental marketplace, designed to help you pick the perfect boat for your special occasion. Whether it be closing a deal, proposing to your girlfriend or hosting a corporate function, there is a great ambience and joyfulness after boarding a boat.
Boats are available for a whole day or even just a couple hours, which may be perfect when you are looking to woo a particular client.
“It’s a perfect place to close a deal,” says Adrian Gradinaru, co-founder and CEO of Sailo. He says when people are on a boat, they tend to be more open to things and experience a heightened sense of happiness.
Due to this 'happiness', people can be more cooperative and willing to do business. This is most likely because being on the water is an experience, "It's obviously not something that you decide to do because you need to get somewhere, you go out on the water because it is an experience."
"Life is put into perspective (when on a boat), "says Gradinaru.
While it is understood taking a client out for the afternoon on the boat is not the most frugal thing to do, it is a great win when the big client puts his signature on the dotted line and agrees to do business with you.
Other ways to achieve this "boat happiness" could be borrowing a friend's boat for the afternoon or even having them come along (to do the steering and manoeuvring of course). This way, you get a great day out on the boat and may even be that much richer when you come ashore again.
Another way you can use a boat for corporate good is to organise sailing tournaments as a team-building event. This can be a great way to formulate company culture and nurture those vital team synergy skills.
Two different teams from two different companies can really learn to work together," Braas says. “Because Sailing is a very collaborative sport.”
Whether you decide to brave the waters or not, you cannot deny the wow factor of potentially holding your next conference meeting on a moving vessel where the porthole becomes an everlasting picture window.
