Based in the UAE / Available globally / Remote support with optional site visits
Experience Ecosystem
Services
Marina Design & Development Yacht Club & Upland Commercial & Destination Benchmarking Studies Sustainability & Smart Marina Pre-Opening & Mobilisation Customer Experience Operations & Management Standards & Accreditation Yacht Charter Operations
Leadership
Philip Sather — CMM Oliver Rees The partners Let's talk
Wide marina aerial
One advisory platform

Nine advisory disciplines.
One waterfront view.

FMD can join at any stage of a waterfront project — or remain involved throughout the full lifecycle. Each discipline below stands alone as a defined scope, and every one of them is delivered by operators who have run the assets they are advising on.

Request a review Browse the nine
The index 01 — 09
01 Concept — Design

Marina Design & Development Advisory

Operational input before construction becomes operation.

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02 Concept — Design

Yacht Club & Upland Development

Membership, hospitality, F&B, recreation and sailing.

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03 Strategy

Commercial & Destination Strategy

Pricing, benchmarking, home-port strategy and destination positioning.

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04 Strategy

Competitive & Benchmarking Studies

Understand the market before setting the strategy.

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05 Design — Operations

Sustainability & Smart Marina Strategy

Smart systems, environmental controls and accreditation pathways.

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06 Pre-Opening

Pre-Opening & Mobilisation

People, systems, SOPs, budgets and operating readiness.

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07 Pre-Opening — Live

Customer Experience

Design the entire guest journey from enquiry through retention.

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08 Live Operations

Marina Operations & Management

Hands-on Director-level support after opening.

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09 Live Operations

Standards & Accreditation

International standards built into the operation.

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Masterplan / marina under design
01 Marina Design & Development Advisory

Operational Input Before Construction Becomes Operation

FMD brings the operator's perspective into the design process early — so layouts, infrastructure and service flows drive revenue and work in practice, not just on paper.

01

Berthing Strategy

  • /Berth mix and vessel segmentation
  • /Superyacht berths to 150m+
  • /Visitor vs home-port needs
  • /Tender, chase boat and service berthing
02

Marina Infrastructure

  • /Fuel infrastructure and bunkering
  • /Utility pedestals and metering
  • /Shore power requirements
  • /Pump-out and waste infrastructure
03

Operational Design Review

  • /Vessel and customer movement
  • /Office, security and access control
  • /Contractor and service routes
  • /Emergency response considerations

We challenge marina design from the perspective of the people who will ultimately operate it.

Enquire
Live URL · /design-development-advisory
Yacht club terrace / members
02 Yacht Club & Upland Development

The Marina Is Only Part of the Waterfront Experience

FMD helps define what the yacht club and surrounding waterfront should actually become — from membership and hospitality through sailing, recreation and lifestyle programming.

01

Yacht Club Concept

  • /Marina support club
  • /Private members' club
  • /Hospitality-led yacht club
  • /Family lifestyle proposition
02

Membership Strategy

  • /Marina-linked or external membership
  • /Founding member programmes
  • /Tiers, benefits and admissions journey
  • /Retention and renewal planning
03

Hospitality & F&B

  • /Restaurants, bars and lounges
  • /Pool clubs and private dining
  • /Events and service culture
  • /Guest experience design
04

Recreation & Sailing

  • /Gyms, spas, padel and pools
  • /Sailing academy and watersports
  • /Youth programmes and training
  • /Seasonal programming

This upland capability is one of FMD's strongest differentiators.

Enquire
Live URL · /yacht-club-upland
Superyachts / destination berth
03 Commercial & Destination Strategy

Why Will Yachts Choose This Marina?

A world-class marina is not simply a collection of berths. FMD considers the wider commercial ecosystem that influences yacht owners, captains, charter operators and management companies when selecting a destination.

01

Destination Attractiveness

  • /Home-port positioning
  • /Regional cruising patterns
  • /Superyacht demand
  • /Charter market potential
02

Fiscal & Regulatory

  • /Fuel pricing
  • /VAT considerations
  • /Charter frameworks
  • /Commercial incentives
03

Pricing & Revenue

  • /Berthing rate strategy
  • /Annual vs transient pricing
  • /Superyacht pricing
  • /Ancillary revenue planning
04

Competitive Benchmarking

  • /Regional competitors
  • /Fuel and berth pricing
  • /Service levels
  • /Amenity mix

Infrastructure attracts boats. The right commercial ecosystem turns a marina into a home port.

Enquire
Live URL · /commercial-destination-strategy
Aerial marina comparison
04 Competitive & Benchmarking Studies

Understand the Market Before Setting the Strategy

FMD conducts practical competitor and benchmark assessments to help owners and developers position a marina correctly, set realistic commercial assumptions and avoid launching into the market blind.

01

Market Factors Reviewed

  • /Berth pricing
  • /Occupancy strategy
  • /Yacht size mix
  • /Membership models
  • /Yacht club facilities
  • /F&B and hospitality
02

Operational Factors

  • /Fuel pricing
  • /Crew services
  • /Charter ecosystem
  • /Accreditation status
  • /Ancillary revenues
  • /Customer experience
03

Typical Outputs

  • /Competitive matrix
  • /Pricing benchmark
  • /SWOT analysis
  • /Market positioning recommendations
  • /Commercial opportunity assessment

Launching blind is the most expensive assumption a developer can make.

Enquire
Live URL · /competitive-benchmarking
Smart marina / clean water
05 Sustainability & Smart Marina Strategy

Build for the Marina of Tomorrow

FMD helps owners integrate practical sustainability and smarter marina systems into operations and development — balancing environmental responsibility with operational practicality and commercial performance.

01

Smart Marina Systems

  • /Smart utility pedestals
  • /Remote metering
  • /Energy monitoring
  • /Customer portal integration
  • /Digital billing
02

Environmental Management

  • /Waste segregation
  • /Sewage and pump-out
  • /Oil-spill response
  • /Hazardous-material controls
  • /Contractor standards
03

Standards Pathways

  • /Five Gold Anchor
  • /TYHA Platinum Marinas
  • /Superyacht Ready
  • /Blue Flag
  • /ISO 14001 / Clean Marina

Sustainability only holds if it survives contact with daily operations.

Enquire
Live URL · /sustainability-smart-marina
New berths before opening
06 Pre-Opening & Mobilisation

Turning the Development Into a Live Operation

FMD provides structured operational support in the critical period before opening — moving from design intent into people, systems, procedures, training and operating readiness.

01

Organisation

  • /Organisation structure
  • /Job descriptions
  • /Recruitment planning
  • /Authority matrix
02

Operating Framework

  • /Operations manual
  • /SOPs
  • /Rules and regulations
  • /Emergency procedures
03

Systems

  • /Marina software
  • /CRM and customer records
  • /Booking and billing
  • /Reporting dashboards
04

Training

  • /Customer service
  • /Systems training
  • /Leadership development
  • /Accreditation readiness

A marina can be technically complete and nowhere near ready to open.

Enquire
Live URL · /pre-opening-mobilisation
Guest arrival / concierge
07 Customer, Owner, Captain & Crew Experience

Design the Entire Guest Journey

Customer experience starts long before the yacht reaches the berth. FMD reviews the complete journey from enquiry through arrival, stay, departure and retention.

01

Before Arrival

  • /Booking and enquiry
  • /Pre-arrival communication
  • /Documents and berth confirmation
02

Arrival

  • /Harbour approach
  • /Marina communication
  • /Berthing assistance
  • /Welcome and check-in
03

During Stay

  • /Owner services
  • /Captain support
  • /Concierge and technical support
  • /Transport and club access
04

Crew Welfare

  • /Facilities and laundry
  • /Provisioning and transport
  • /Social spaces and recreation
05

Retention

  • /Billing and check-out
  • /Feedback and CRM follow-up
  • /Loyalty and return booking

The captain may choose the marina. The experience determines whether the yacht returns.

Enquire
Live URL · /customer-experience
Live marina operations
08 Marina Operations & Management

Hands-On Director-Level Support

FMD can remain involved after opening or support existing marina operations requiring additional senior expertise. The focus is practical, visible improvement — not vague advisory time.

01

Commercial

  • /Revenue, occupancy and berthing strategy
  • /Budgets and contracts
  • /Ancillary revenue development
  • /Commercial performance reporting
02

Operational Systems

  • /SOPs, rules and administration
  • /Document control
  • /Contractor workflows
  • /Safety and compliance processes
03

Reporting

  • /KPI dashboards
  • /Owner reports and board presentations
  • /Risk registers
  • /Monthly performance summaries
04

People

  • /Leadership coaching
  • /Team training
  • /Customer service standards
  • /Accountability frameworks
05

Technology

  • /Marina software review
  • /CRM and digital workflows
  • /Customer portals and billing
  • /Reporting and data setup

Weekly outputs, not advisory time.

Enquire
Live URL · /operations-management
Gold Anchor / accreditation
09 Standards & Accreditation

International Standards Built Into the Operation

FMD can support marinas seeking recognised international standards, audit readiness and stronger governance structures.

01

Five Gold Anchor

  • /Gap analysis
  • /Service standards
  • /Documentation and customer journey
  • /Audit preparation
02

TYHA Platinum Marina

  • /Premium marina standards
  • /Customer experience
  • /Superyacht services
  • /Facility readiness
03

Superyacht Ready

  • /Infrastructure review
  • /Service capability
  • /Captain and crew support
  • /Large yacht operations
04

Environmental

  • /Blue Flag pathway
  • /ISO 14001 / Clean Marina
  • /Environmental management
  • /Sustainability reporting
05

Governance

  • /ISO-style SOP framework
  • /Audit trails
  • /Controlled documentation
  • /Risk structure

Recognised standards, audit readiness and stronger governance.

Enquire
Live URL · /standards-accreditation
Start here

A two-week Operational Design Review

Fixed scope, fixed fee, delivered before the next design freeze. Share your marina plans and we will respond within 48 hours.

Not sure which discipline you need? Send the plans and the stage you are at — we will tell you which of the nine applies.

Email us WhatsApp
What you receive
  • /A written operational assessment of the current plans
  • /Layout and flow challenges, ranked by commercial impact
  • /Revenue opportunities the current design leaves on the table
  • /Rework risks flagged before the design freeze
  • /A recommended scope for the stage you are actually at