Informa Markets has today announced that Monaco Yacht Show will no longer be taking place in 2020, with the 30th anniversary edition of the event being postponed until September 2021. This news follows independent announcements from key market stakeholders, including LYBrA, SYBAss and MYBA, that outlined the reasons why they would not be taking part in the 2020 event.

According to Informa, this decision follows a period of constant discussions with stakeholders and partners within the international superyacht community with the aim of better understanding the challenges facing yacht owners, shipyards, brokers and other key participants in the face of the disruption caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“Like many other industries, the international superyachting community has experienced significant disruption in 2020. As we move to the other side of COVID-19, we are remaining agile in how we are supporting partners and customers, flexing our events calendar, adapting products and providing digital alternatives where beneficial to best meet the needs of international communities through this difficult period.

“To this end, we are focusing our efforts in the latter part of the year on delivery a strong platform to showcase the industry at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October, with the Monaco Yacht Show now set to return in style in September 2021, when it will celebrate its 30th anniversary,” comments Charlie McCurdy, Chief Executive of Informa Markets.

According to Informa Markets, the deciding factor in the postponement of this years’ Monaco Yacht Show was the fact that much of the superyacht fleet is tied up in the US and Caribbean, choosing not to comment on whether or not it was right for the show to go ahead even in the eventuality that these superyachts were able to attend the show.

When SuperyachtNews broke the news that LYBrA and SYBAss had withdrawn from Monaco Yacht Show on 15 May, it was revealed that a letter sent to Informa Markets and Monaco Yacht Show cited the associations' joint concerns about allowing the show to take place. These concerns included the safety of the show, the ability and/or willingness of clients to attend and how appropriate it was to host an event that is, for all intents and purposes, a celebration of extreme wealth while the world struggled to contend with negative humanitarian and economic costs of the pandemic. The letter also voiced general discontent with the relationship between Monaco Yacht Show and its exhibitors. In today’s announcement, Informa has opted to avoid responding to these criticisms.

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