Superyacht News speaks to the team at IGY Marinas to learn how the inaugural Caribbean Charter Yacht Show (CCYS) hosted by IGY Marinas in partnership with IYBA, hopes to radically update pre-existing boat show models while contributing to the growth of the global superyacht Charter market. The CCYS will be held at one of IGY’s Premier Marinas, Yacht Haven Grande, St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands from 9-12 December 2021.

It could be argued that boat shows of late have fallen into a rinse and repeat playbook and many have seemingly lost sight of the investment, time and money put into participating and the need for ROI. IGY’s re-assessment and self-reflection on these old models has created an opportunity for refinement and a change in perspective – CCYS is considered IGY's response to the industry-wide desire for an update to the current charter show models.

Self-analysis is vital to an industry’s ability to innovate and improve products and services. “When it comes to other key industries such as automotive, digital, retail or anything else, consistent and timely customer feedback initiates positive change that benefits both users and businesses. This analysis doesn’t happen often enough in the superyacht sector to advance refinements for a wide range of clients," states Bert Fowles, VP of Marketing & Sales at IGY.

A major part of the problem, according to Fowles, is that the market has become too accustomed to following the path of least resistance without differentiating individual customers and their different needs. For instance, during the unique environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry should have seen the trends developing and championed new US charter destinations with the view to further stimulating the charter market globally, especially when a major number of the world’s charter clients are American.

The business of chartering a yacht can, especially for first-time charterers, be complicated and seemingly difficult to access. However, by contrast, the major appeal of the luxury cruise market is its simplicity. If we consider the positive examples of Superyacht Australia and Costa Rica, both have proven that local economies are missing out on potential revenues because chartering a superyacht is perceived as being too complex.

“In an evolving yachting environment, the charter market must adapt to the needs of the client and not the other way around," continues Fowles. "It is for precisely this reason that CCYS is being held in the US Virgin Islands, making it easier for the world’s largest charter markets to access a leading destination without leaving the USA. “The CCYS will be the first of its kind as the only superyacht charter show outside mainland USA.”

Focusing primarily on the needs of Charter Brokers, CCYS has been designed from the ground up to deliver a quality USVI experience in terms of key seminars, catering, valuable exhibits and the ease of access for yacht viewings along with top-class entertainment.

IGY is also taking the long-term view towards the show as the only truly global superyacht marina network, currently featuring 21 marinas in 13 countries across three continents - and counting much of the world’s transient superyacht fleets among their celebrated clients.

"IGY Marinas is ideally placed to leverage our globally based destination assets and we look forward to representing and offering our support in promoting the charter market in several/key regions for the benefit of the entire industry," concludes Fowles.

Click here for further information about the Caribbean Charter Yacht Show.

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