The superyacht industry descended on Monte Carlo from 25-28 September for the 23rd Monaco Yacht Show. This year’s show was approached with a tentative degree of optimism, with murmurings of a nascent recovery circling by the 33,730 participants.
And the 2013 edition of the industry’s largest gathering did not disappoint; Monaco is often touted as the industry barometer, and if that is the case, then this year it indicated that the pressure on the market is easing. Not only were the docks busy from the moment the doors opened on Wednesday morning, but this flurry of activity translated to the tents were busy with intra-industry enquiries from start to finish.
Both 2011and 2012 offered little encouragement for an industry whose exponential growth had plateaued. In 2013 however, brokers, builders and suppliers alike have reported that they are confident a corner has been turned. And whilst it will take time for the metrics that indicate success to filter back from the boardrooms to these pages is evidence that business was being done as the show’s managing director, Gaëlle Tallarida explained:
"Every MYS is the culmination of a year's hard work to deliver the worldwide superyacht hub in Monaco. This year was also particularly intensive and when we met the exhibitors on their stands, my team and I received some positive feedbacks with lots of activity taking place during the four days. Whether it is to pay a first visit to a yacht or the final step before contracting your order, the MYS remains a decisive step when selling a yacht. Sales are concluded during the show and we believe the forthcoming weeks will see other deals contracted after hands shook in Monaco! "
Mauricio Weiszberger of Palmer Johnson believes one of the main trends in evidence this year has been an interest in distinctive yachts offering something different in their design. “I think there’s been a real take-off again,” he said. “And the big sizes from 50 metres onwards, the clients are still interested, depending on what you’re offering. We’re offering a new line and people are increasingly looking for different things nowadays.”
Victor Caminada, Marketing Director of Amels, declared it another good year for the Dutch shipyard. “Monaco yacht show is always the peak of shows,” he said. “This year we had ‘Event’ making her world premier, and that really was a very positive showcase for us. We’ve been busy non-stop, a lot of appointments every hour and a lot of positive feedback.”
When asked about the current state of the brokerage market, things must be looking up according to Jonathan Beckett, CEO of international brokerage house Burgess Yachts, who told us of some very exciting news regarding new offers and potential new construction deals here at the show. ”We’ve got three offers on three of the boats we’ve got here at the show, we’re expecting two more offers (...) and we’re hoping to sign a new construction project here at the show. (...) If we manage to close a couple of those deals and get a new construction project signed then that would be a very successful show for us.”
As for the charter market, Charlie Birkett, Founding Partner and CEO of Y.CO, stressed out the importance of being in Monaco as the real Superyacht hub “This is the biggest show I’ve ever seen in my career in the last ten years,” says Charlie. “I think we’ve got a hundred and something yachts here at the show, over 140 at anchor I believe. Someone told me there was over €1.4bn worth of yachts for sale this week, so my guess is if you can’t find a yacht here then you probably won’t find it anywhere.” The wealth of yachts and impending visitors was undoubtedly a welcome sight for any broker.
Considering next year’s Monaco Yacht Show will deliver 15 additional berths for megayachts up to 120-metre long, no doubt the industry is already looking forward to 2014.
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A new superyachting rendezvous
As part of it drive to extend its activities in the service of yachting, the Monaco Yacht Show held the first ever Monaco Yacht Summit on September 24. An auditorium full of industry experts at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum discussed on the theme of “New Yachting, New Thinking”.
At a time of great potential change for the superyacht industry, and with panels of experts covering three topics, guests were witness to what could be a new train of thought for the future of the industry. The first session laid out the lessons to be learnt from the crisis and the forthcoming challenges in super yachting. Then, the experts of the second session addressed the customer expectations through the spectrum of the latest trends in super yachting, technology and design. And finally, the Summit concluded with a debate at large about what would be the new opportunities in super yachting for the next decade.
“The idea was to gather together the most renowned specialists from the yachting world and high-end industries to debate issues that are important to the superyacht clientele from a wider perspective than only the superyachting angle” said Gaëlle Tallarida; “and for this inaugural edition, we offered a fantastic panel of experts from the yachting, luxury or design markets like Philippe Starck” she added.
110 events and a top clientele in four days
For most exhibitors and visitors alike, what made the MYS so special were the events every day. This year, 110 events were organised on board the yachts, in the stands, in the hotels of Monaco. A breaking record! Charity auctions, prize giving, lunches, gala dinners and cocktail parties were as many reasons to network and attract a new clientele in the glamorous atmosphere of Monaco. Indeed, the MYS team developed their public relations mission by notably hosting top Asian visitors or inviting high-end members of private clubs to the show.
For Sabrina Monteleone, CEO of Sabrina Monte Carlo, the MYS is always a great occasion to make business while sipping a glass of champagne with her clients sitting in her superyacht outdoor furniture in the Upper Deck Lounge: “our participation was again a real success. We were delighted to showcase our products in the privileged zone of the Upper Deck Lounge. There were lots of visitors this year and they really seemed to enjoy the area for business and for relaxation. We also met new yacht owners, new architects, designers and crews for future projects.”
As in previous years, Informa and the MYS pledged a continuing support for Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, a locally based charity. The MYS Committee coorganised the 5th edition of the world renowned Only Watch charity auction at Hotel Hermitage. This year, 33 one-off Swiss luxury watches came under hammer with an outstanding result of EUR 5,066,000 that benefits research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In addition, the Show organizers gave a donation of EUR 53,500 to AMM this year.
EUR 44,000 was also given to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation to support the Wood Forever Pact. The money will be used to better educate those involved in the yachting that only wood certified as originating from sustainably-managed forests should be used in construction, if deforestation is to be halted.
In association with Monaco Yacht Show, the RINA classification society presented the 2013 Green Plus Yacht certificate to Ocean Paradise (2013/55m/Benetti); her construction meets with compliance of the strictest environmental regulations. Earlier, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco also attended the 2013 Prix du Design MYS/ Baccarat to award Galactica Star (2013/65m/Heesen Yachts).
Press release - October 11, 2013
(Quotes collected by SuperyachtNews.com and extracted from interviews at the MYS Breaking News Centre led by Superyachts.com).