Image © Monaco Yacht Show

Having attended every single edition of the Monaco Yacht Show, I feel qualified to comment and share my opinion on this annual gathering of the superyacht market, with some suggestions and recommendations for the future. After all, this is perhaps one of the biggest investments our industry makes in the marketing calendar, and yet after four intensive days, it’s all over. What is even more impressive is that many of the exhibitors, visitors and media have endured the Cannes Yachting Festival and the Genoa Boat Show immediately prior to Monaco.

As soon as the Monaco Show finishes, I’m sure many are already analysing and planning what they can do better next year, asking their teams what worked and what success they measured from the various encounters. In fact, it can take a year to plan what you should do the following year, but it’s amazing how many people still decide at the last minute. However, let’s spare a thought for the organisers, who may breathe a huge sigh of relief when the horns sound at the end of the show, but know that there is a huge task of breakdown and clearing away all of the evidence that the Principality had been invaded by the superyacht world.

When you consider the logistics and mass migration involved, it’s worth considering the economics of the show; not the cost of exhibiting or showcasing our industry but more the economic investment and impact on this tiny country. Flights, hotels, bar bills, helicopter rides, uniforms, lunches, dinners, airport transfers, limousines and hundreds of hostesses are all part of the operations of this industrial relocation from all corners of the world. Some of the big brands invest hundreds of thousands of euros, flying in large groups of team members, all fully branded and looking pristine and ready to represent their product or service.

A simple estimate is that with several hundred exhibitors and several thousand industry visitors and representatives, there must be an investment of several millions (at least 50 million euros plus) just to fly in, spend a few nights in the various hotels and apartments dotted on the coastline, and fly out again. If you do the math on the exhibition space, the yachts in the harbour, the sponsorship, the branding, the partnerships, the VIP lounges and the myriad parties, it’s easy to multiply this industrial scale of investment into the same or similar amounts.

Therefore, with an estimated 100-million-euro investment, it would be interesting to get a feel from the market what the ROI looks like, as it only takes a few deals to start at the show or a new-build discussion to evolve to make this all worthwhile. This, combined with the vast network of intermediaries and advisors doing their homework or shopping on behalf of their client, really makes it, in our opinion, the most important annual meeting of the industry.

Such a rare and exclusive gathering of experts makes this industry work, along with the vast community of sales teams looking to find their targets at all levels and the huge gathering of crew who are charged with presenting their yachts for almost 96 hours of show-arounds, press calls, parties and receptions. Everyone who survives this physical and mental marathon needs some time out to recover and refresh bodies and minds, but it seems that we never stop as we have to follow up on all our opportunities and plan for the next sequence of shows in the coming weeks as we join this global travelling circus.

When we consider the future of yacht shows and maybe more specifically Monaco, there are some observations and ideas that are worth sharing that may get some industry input or support. The Monaco Yacht Show is so important because of its location and the infrastructure and opportunities that are on the Show’s doorstep – safety, security, VIP treatment, private bars, expensive restaurants, five-star hotels and, of course, the Yacht Club de Monaco all tick the customer boxes. However, I do feel that there is a blurring of the lines between a trade show and a VIP client show, as it was clear that many people were walking around with VIP badges who may not quite meet the grade, but had managed to convince the system that they were worthy. It was also apparent that the media, press, videography and influencer numbers had mushroomed to new levels, all of which were very focused on selfie-taking and talking to their virtual audiences about their exclusive presence at the Monaco Yacht Show.

What is interesting from the perspective of a VIP visitor/client – an owner, potential buyer or charter client – is that it is clear that the docks are maybe still a little over crowded and access to the yachts is a battle between getting real clients on board, inviting social media influencers to film themselves sitting on a sunpad or letting brokers or advisers explore and investigate the latest sales opportunity. Perhaps we need to strike a new balance and rethink the days and hours of the show to ensure that any one of the hundreds and maybe thousands of real clients get the best out of this unique and valuable showcase.

It was also interesting to analyse and observe the myriad social gatherings and parties that were being hosted. I’d hate to think of the liver damage inflicted on some, but it seemed that over the five days, the day prior to and the days of the show, there were hundreds of social events of all shapes, sizes and budgets, with after-parties and nightclub visits thrown into the mix. At one stage, there were nine separate significant social events happening in the same short calendar window and even though I managed to visit more than half of them in 60 minutes, by Saturday morning you could see that it was taking its toll on some.

I’m not saying we should stop the celebrations and parties, but perhaps rethink the model and explore certain nights for specific sectors, like VIP nights on Tuesday and Wednesday, Captains nights on Thursday and Industry nights on Friday. Yes, everyone can choose how many events to attend and which parties are the best and most valuable, but logistics and distances between events on all sides of the Principality can leave many people walking thousands of steps to get from A to B or sitting in branded Mercedes vans for hours on end, while the traffic flows like treacle.

At the end of the day, we have all invested in yacht shows around the world as they are a unique opportunity to engage with our clients, customers and community, but as we enter a new era of sustainability and efficiency, maybe this is a huge opportunity to ask questions about logistics, merchandise, printed material, plastic waste, energy use, investment and the overall experience, so that we deliver the best possible experience for our potential buyer to see our industry in the best possible light – exclusive, efficient and without traffic, crowds and too much body searching and barriers. After all, this is Monaco.

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