Excitement is palpable surrounding the Monaco Yacht Show 2021, with the 30th anniversary of Europe’s most prestigious luxury nautical event eagerly awaited by exhibitors and visitors alike.
The show, cancelled last year due to Covid-19, is scheduled to take place in and around Port Hercule in the Principality of Monaco, from September 22nd to 25th, 2021.
More than just a carbon copy of previous events, this year’s Monaco Yacht Show promises to be a far more intimate and exclusive affair in response to new COVID-related safety requirements.
Details regarding the actual content that we can expect to see at the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show are currently limited, with the exhibitor list due to be published next month. However, we are able to disclose specifics of the ‘new look’ of the event, designed to respond to the commercial and marketing challenges that the luxury yachting industry now faces.
Monaco Yacht Show 2021 gains new format to enhance experience for both exhibitors and visitors
Since being forced to cancel the show in 2020, organisers have been working hard to come up with a new strategic formula to ensure that everyone – from visitors to exhibitors and organisers – can enjoy the event in complete safety this September. A steering committee of decision-makers from the industry was set up to confront the issues thrown up by the global pandemic, and as a result of those conversations the following measures have been put in place:
- New sections dedicated to trends in yachting – and in particular, innovation in the yacht industry – will be launched at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show. Each area of the show will be clearly named and identified by theme so that they are easy for visitors to find.
- New categories of badges will be introduced for visitors so that exhibitors will be able to identify potential buyers when they approach the stands. There will be three categories with individual badges: the ‘Discover’ badge for yacht clients; the ‘Advise’ badge for yacht clients’ advisors and consultants and the ‘Connect’ badge for trade visitors. It is hoped that the new badge system will make it easier for ‘Discover’ badge holders to board superyachts and tenders, for example.
- New restrictions on Wednesday September 22 will mean that no trade visitors will be allowed to visit the Superyacht and Tender Exhibition in the Dockside Area, to allow potential clients and their advisors to meet with shipyards, yacht brokers and designers in a more privileged atmosphere.
- More extensive provisions for VIP visitors will include two brand new first-class VIP entrances, while a new method of registering for the show will identify the profile of visitors in advance.
- New digital solutions for socialising are being introduced, with an aim of encouraging interaction between visitors and exhibitors not only during the show but for the 12 months after the event.
Johan Pizzardini, communications manager for the Monaco Yacht Show, told the Robb Report that the new format for 2021 has been designed to rise to the commercial and marketing challenges still facing the market amid COVID-19. “For months, we’ve been working closely with the yachting industry to best understand yacht owners’ and new clients’ expectations when attending a world-class lifestyle event. Superyachting is part of a way of life for them. So must be the MYS. We will not deliver a boat show: we’ll offer a mesmerizing lifestyle experience for the world of superyachting.”
Superyachts set to make their debut at MYS 2021
At each edition of the Monaco Yacht Show, 120+ superyachts are typically exhibited in Port Hercules under the September sun. Most years, up to 50 of the superyacht participants come to Monaco to make their official debut, creating an enormous buzz around the already renowned event.
Whilst no official list of exhibitors has yet been released for the Monaco Yacht Show 2021, two of this year’s most exciting new builds are understood to be lined up to make their world premieres at the event in September.
The first is the impressive 50m Columbus Sport M/Y K2, built at Columbus Yachts’ Ancona shipyard in Italy. Being billed as the ‘icon of sportiness and elegance’, K2 is Columbus’ largest Sport yacht to date, with ample room to accommodate 11 guests in five suites as well as a crew of 11. She has three decks, an on-deck Jacuzzi and an enviable stash of water toys.
Another superyacht expected to make her debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September is
the first of two units of the 45-metre GT model by ISA Yachts, which is currently under construction in Ancona. This sleek and sporty motor yacht with interiors by Florentine Luca Dini Design & Architecture can accommodate up to 10 guests in 4 spacious staterooms on the lower deck and in the luxurious master suite with balcony and private access to the bow sunbathing area.
Tickets, which start at 280€ per day, will be available shortly on the Monaco Yacht Show’s website here. Relevance will also be attending the Monaco Yacht Show, where we will be meeting with businesses in need of digital strategy and demonstrating how we can help. If you would like to get in touch with us before, during or after the show, please contact us.