The Monaco method and madness

Having attended every single Monaco Yacht Show since it was founded in 1991, I feel qualified to comment and share my opinion on this magnificent collection of superyachts and the myriad supply-chain and luxury-partner exhibitors who take over the Principality every September.

It is absolutely logical to assume that every major builder will have a brace of good examples of brand-new product on display – the list is emerging and growing by the week, with the full inventory to be found on the yacht show’s site. However, the search function needs some tweaking, as it’s not easy to create a wishlist. As a buyer who wants to plan their visit, it would make sense to be able to intelligently filter the yachts in your price range or compare and contrast all of the 45 to 55-metre projects on display, for example, complete with location. Yes, there is the VIP Experience and the VIP Prestige Experience, and I have not yet signed up, but with such an overwhelming portfolio on display, it must be a logistical headache for the concierges to coordinate the registered VIPs with the brokers and sales teams who are managing their own VIPs too.

Now let’s focus on the 500-plus exhibitors of all shapes and sizes. I’ve almost given up walking the exhibit tents, as it’s too overwhelming to try to absorb and engage with all of the stands and products on display. On a quick search on the website and applying some logical search functions – ‘nautical equipment supplier’, for example, gives a list of 115 companies (I was expecting many more) and then when filtering further, you’re faced with a huge list of sub-categories that may have been created by the exhibitors themselves, as there is limited logic … I was intrigued by the category ‘mudguards’. Luckily, there isn’t an exhibitor displaying these vital additions.

With 120-plus yachts, along with many at anchor or in the neighbouring bays, combined with 500-plus exhibitors, to get the most out of Monaco you need to be hyper-efficient and know exactly where you need to be across the Port. With only four days available, the idea of flying in for 48/72 hours of superyacht shopping and or equipment research, energy efficiency is perhaps the most important rule, as there is so much to cover. If you’re visiting yachts for charter, sale or just want to see the latest delivery, with a good system and even better broker or sales representative, you may be able to see five yachts in one day. That allows 90 minutes per tour, a light lunch and relocation time, when even the most energetic buyer will feel mentally and physically exhausted and may not have the stamina for the social gatherings that pepper the nights.

I’m not criticising the Monaco Yacht Show, now under new management, I’m just keen to ensure that this does become the most valuable and powerful exposé of our industry, so any visitor who is seriously buying or searching is able to do so with super efficiency.

If you’re an owner’s rep, captain, project manager or yacht manager and your mission is to look for cool new equipment, again stamina is the word of the day. Perhaps you’re seeking out batteries, chargers and inverters; if you search on the site it suggests that there are no exhibitors in this category, which surprises me with the current focus on silent energy and electricity.

I’m not criticising the Monaco Yacht Show, now under new management, I’m just keen to ensure that this does become the most valuable and powerful exposé of our industry, so any visitor who is seriously buying or searching is able to do so with super efficiency. However, when I walk around the show and observe what’s happening among the buyers and advisors who are putting deals together or seeking new acquisitions, there is definitely another side to the show. There are thousands of sales people and other trade actors who migrate to the mecca of superyachting and see it as a bit of a bonus escape from the office, to enjoy champagne breakfasts, long lunches with colleagues of friends they haven’t seen for a year and most definitely a chance to expense late-night activations in the bars and clubs, when all the free drinks have dried up.

Maybe it’s just me, after years of visiting and hosting various events during the Monaco Yacht Show taking its toll, but I can assure you that this year I will be doing two things: one, using my four days very carefully to spend time with clients and colleagues to get as close to what’s really happening out there and take the temperature of the market; and two, book a few tables at some good restaurants in and around the Port and host some small private dinners with a handful of good people I want to spend time with and have some serious conversations over some good food and wine.