Sarasota to host 2018 World Sailing Annual Conference

Sarasota continues to attract major events in niche sports, as Visit Sarasota County announced today the county will host the 2018 World Sailing Annual Conference.

The event is the annual meeting of World Sailing, the governing body for the sport of sailing. The event will take place from Nov. 2-11, 2018.

In addition to the World Sailing Annual Conference, Sarasota County will also host the Offshore Racing Congress and the Yacht Racing Forum at the same time.

This year’s conference, held in Barcelona, drew in more than 400 participants from more than 100 countries. The 2018 conference will be the first time the event is held in the United States and is expected to generate more than 1,000 room nights in Sarasota County, according to a Visit Sarasota County release.

”When it comes to the sport of sailing, the conference is probably the second biggest event outside of the world championships,” said Rob Wells, director of sports for the Sarasota County Sports Commission. “We’re very excited to get introduced to a new international sport body.”