There is no question that conducting a business meeting on a boat is significantly cooler than having it in a conference room. It might just be good for business, too.
“It’s a perfect place to close a deal,” says Adrian Gradinaru, co-founder of Sailo, an online peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace where you can compare and book a boat for a day or even part of a day. “You tend to be a bit more open to things when you are really happy, so people tend to be happy on the water, looking at New York. You tend to be a little bit more cooperative when you are on the water.”
Related: How the Airbnb of Yachting Was Born
While taking a client out on a boat for the afternoon is not the most frugal way to host a meeting, if it means getting a big client to sign on the dotted line or forming a key partnership, then it could be well worth it.
Gradinaru started Sailo in 2014 with fellow Columbia Business School student Delphine Braas, long-time friend Magda Marcu and former Silicon Valley engineer Bogdan Batog. Their goal is to modernize what was previously a fragmented and offline boat rental industry. With Sailo, customers can compare and book all variety of sizes of boats, with or without a captain, online.
Related: What a Sharing Economy Startup Does to Build Trust in Its Community
Another way that businesses have been using Sailo is for corporate outings to build company culture and nurture team-building skills.
“We have a bunch of America’s Cup boats in Greenwich, so you can go and do some match racing. Two different teams from two different companies can really learn to work together," Braas says. “Because Sailing is a very collaborative sport.”
To learn more about Sailo, how it was born and why you might consider taking your next business meeting on the open seas, watch the video above.
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