BOAT SHOWS: SIGNIFICANT MANOEUVRES

Faced by challenges and a period of doubt, professionals are learning to adapt.

After many long weeks of uncertainty and rumours around the pontoons, the organizers of the Cannes Yachting Festival have confirmed the 2020 edition while accepting “a probable decline of about 30% in the number of boats on show as compared to last year”. Europe’s largest boat show afloat will in fact take place from September 8th to 13th, in two separate sites: the Old Port and Port Canto. Meanwhile, the Southampton Boat Show, an essential gathering for British boat enthusiasts, has preferred to throw in the towel this year faced by the nervousness of major yacht-builders. Much earlier on, the Monaco Yacht Show had decided to postpone its 30th edition until 2021. Based on reasoning that a large part of the fleet of Super-Yachts is currently to be found in the USA and the Caribbean, thus complicating the normal agenda of activities. On site, however, yachting professionals are pulling long faces: they fear losses in their turnover and consider the decision as abject, given the fact that Cannes Boat Show has been confirmed.
Informa, the owner of the Monaco Yacht Show, is defending itself by betting heavily on the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) at the end of October, in the USA. The flag-bearer of the American boating industry, this giant event encompasses the entire boating universe from dinghies to super-yachts. But here again, one may well wonder about the healthcare crisis across the Atlantic this fall, and the US economic situation, just a few days before the the Presidential election in early November! 

In Europe, and within specific contexts, yachting fans and professionals will nevertheless have something to dream about after the summer holidays with a few fine sail and motor boat novelties.From September 29th to October 4th, direction La Rochelle with its “fishing”, “sailing” and “surfing” scoops, prior to the Genoa Boat Show from October 1st to 6th, largely devoted to the latest offerings from Italian boat-builders. This event will be followed by the Barcelona Boat Show from October 16th to 20th, also perhaps in a lighter version. As for the “Salon Nautic de Paris” scheduled for December in a brand new configuration at the Porte de Versailles, it is probably too early to talk about it. Exhibitors are expected to confirm at the last minute, preferring to wait for the first results and figures from the autumnal events. The key word this year being… adaptation!

Source: Figaro Nautisme