The Epicentre of a Booming Yachting Industry

As participants reunited in the flesh, the quays of Port Hercule filled with a unanimous and very palpable feeling of euphoria. Legitimate questions raised over the last few months concerning the show’s new format finally gave way to a long awaited – and truly successful – Monaco Yacht Show!

Gaëlle Tallarida, General Director of the MYS: “We worked alongside stakeholders from across the industry in order to put on a show that meets the latter’s expectations and, more specifically, those of their clientele. The 2021 MYS appears to have benefited from the excitement spurred by this reunion, as well as from the favourable state of the market, with an increase in yacht sales over the last 18 months: clients have turned to yachting to escape the gloomy context that the pandemic has brought about and the frustration of having their freedom restricted. Therefore, 2021 has been a win-win for everyone involved in yachting. Thanks to the steering committee founded this year, we intend to pursue our collaboration in order to further improve the MYS for the 2022 edition”.

In 2021, the exhibition appeared more diverse than ever. Week after week, the show came to life in sync with the increasing general excitement. While 300 exhibitors and a maximum of 90 yachts had originally been announced, the 2021 MYS featured 440 exhibitors and 101 superyachts, half of which were launched in 2020 and 2021.

19,000 visitors: Less is more

Travel constraints and health regulations partly explain the drop in attendance on Monaco’s quaysides, but a reduced turnout had in fact been expected and planned for by the organisers. Their objective was to decrease the number of visitors, whilst focusing on specific profiles and thereby facilitating connections between exhibitors and their targeted clientele. The MYS also benefitted from more clear-cut themed exhibition areas, thus improving the visitors’ experience.

The Monaco Yacht Show: The key to the yachting world

The day before the show, the 5th edition of the Monaco Yacht Summit – which has become a yearly staple here – welcomed some sixty owners, charterers and future buyers (or their representatives) in a positively confidential setup. Before visiting the show, the following day, participants had the opportunity to talk with various speakers, designers, brokers and builders, gleaning essential information in order to safely embark on their yacht construction, chartering or purchasing projects.

Among the new additions to the 2021 MYS, the Yacht Design & Innovation Hub offered visitors a better understanding of a custom yacht’s construction process and a look into the future of superyacht design.

The success of the 2021 MYS was all but a foregone conclusion: despite a favourable and flourishing market, the pandemic made exhibitors’ participation and the unfolding of the show itself quite uncertain.

The very real enthusiasm that filled Port Hercule is therefore a sure sign that the MYS remains a powerful vector for promoting and marketing yachting activities. The 2021 edition thus marks a key step in the MYS’s new approach for the coming years: the event aims to offer a tailor-made platform to promote superyachting for a new generation of customers, thus benefitting all sectors across the market.