Meetings and Events
ASTA’s Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships
ASTA’s Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships gathers ships' masters, port representatives, public officials, marine suppliers, naval architects, program administrators, festival managers, preservationists, environmentalists, crewmembers, and educators. Topics concerning vessel operations, regulatory issues, management, educational programming, and safety at sea are addressed each year, as are sessions on media relations, marketing, funding, communications, and port event organization. Held annually during the first week in November, the ASTA Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships is both fun and informative and offers oceans of networking opportunities.
ASTA’s Biennial Safety Under Sail Forum
Initiated in 1992, the Safety UnderSail Forum expands the international dialogue among professional mariners by presenting case studies of actual incidents at sea, discussing emerging technologies, and sharing “best practices” so as to constantly insure a high level of safety and professionalism in the sail training industry. Professionals engaged in sail training, sea education, vessel operations, and tall ship events from throughout the world participate in this annual symposium. Topics covered have included preparing for heavy weather, hypothermia, technology and forecasting, survival gear and much more. The American Sail Training Association hosts the Safety Forum during odd-numbered years, in conjunction with the Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships.
ASTA’s Biennial Education Under Sail Forum
The ASTA Education Under Sail Forum made its grand premiere in Chicago in 2000. The first of what has now become a program-focused complement to the Safety Under Sail Forums biennial series. The Education Under Sail Forum is held during even-numbered years, in conjunction with the Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships. The forum is designed to inform and inspire excellence in the development and delivery of educational experiences under sail, and overflows with creative exchanges among captains, crew, administrators, teachers, program developers, curriculum designers, and others.
ASTA’s Maritime Heritage Forum
The ASTA Maritime Heritage Forum is designed to give participants insight into the role of maritime museums in preparing the public for tall ship visits, developing and delivering Tall Ships Are Coming!® activities, and recruiting and training volunteer Tall Ships® Ambassadors by exploring ways to link local museums and historic sites with sail training traditions and history.
ASTA’s Annual Regional Meetings
Regional-Atlantic, Pacific and Great Lakes-meetings are held late winter/early spring. These meetings are less formal than our annual conference, but like the conference, we encourage our professional members to submit ideas for locations and topics.
The regional meetings offer an opportunity for the host to showcase their facility and programs while providing an intimate setting for attendees to network. A typical regional meeting may include a tour, special presentation, safety demonstration, day sail, luncheon and reception.
Planning usually starts in November at the annual conference with meetings held in February, March or April. If your organization would like to host a regional meeting, please send a letter of interest along with a proposed agenda to ASTA.
