SO MANY BOAT SHOWS AND SO LITTLE TIME - THE MARATHON BEGINS

 

As the annual superyacht boat show endurance marathon begins today in the south of France, I actually recall a time when boat shows were fun. 

 

Every February in the ‘60’s (that’s the 1960’s for those in any doubt) my Dad would get permission to take me off from school for the day.  We’d take a packed lunch of my Mum’s special fried chicken and make the two-hour drive from Laconia, New Hampshire, USA to Boston.  It was always a great day out with Dad. For several years the venue was the horseracing track, Suffolk Downs. And I remember the really big boats – over 20 feet – being forced to step their masts through ventilators in the ceiling. If the New England Boat Show, as it became, was not sophisticated by some superyacht standards it was a perfect chance to be around boats when there were several feet of ice back home on Lake Winnipesaukee. 

 

But now for those of us who attend  superyacht shows on business, they stop being fun and because there are so many of them there seems to be even less fun - “Do you know how much just my booth at this show cost me? Can’t talk now, gotta sell something – send me an email.”

 

Anyway, today the Cannes show (Cannes International Boat & Yacht Show) opens, not so surprisingly I suppose in Cannes which of course is more famous for cinematic extravaganzas featuring the stars of Hollywood. Bollywood and Pinewood Studios.

 

Perhaps this explain the rather grand opening paragraph of the Cannes show’s newsletter, called a “magazine”: “The Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show will once again be marked by unfailing passion. Mobilised more than ever, the show teams are going to give this event that dream portion its visitors, who hail from countries around the globe, are so expecting.”  ????

Thank heavens the Monaco Show will be carbon neutral; but that’s another story.

 

I’m often hear from people who are interested in getting into the superyacht industry, “There are so many superyacht shows and conferences, which one should I attend?”

 

Alas if there was only one….

 

The answer to that depends on your objective, of course.

 

These gatherings do represent opportunities to network, if only fleetingly during the day. That can be extended in the evening at the endless parties but not without reputational risk. As one superyacht magazine publisher I know observed, just this morning in fact, “I sweat at the show all day to build my reputation and in just thirty minutes after three glasses of that champagne I can blow it all at one of those parties.”

 

In fact, I never recommend Cannes for superyachts, which is perhaps a bit unkind, but first consider the name “Boat and Yacht Show.” And a close look at the website www.salonnautiquecannes.com   reveals lots of not-so-super-large boats and from a business perspective, superyachts begin around 125 feet where the dynamics of the people, the marketing, regulation and production are different.

 

And besides in less than two weeks, there’s Monaco just down the road.

 

At the Monaco Yacht Show www.monacoyachtshow.com "under 100 feet" is a just tender – but then, there’s no boat in the title. And if like me you like to say that you’re in the superyacht industry, you absolutely must be seen at Monaco, because people talk. But expect to find it hot, crowded and full of self-important people – not the owners of the yachts, by the way who ironically are generally quite down-to-earth. If nothing else you will get a feel for the global industry, even if it tends to be Europe and USA centric. But sadly if you’re looking for cheap boat shoes and cargo shorts offered in a jumbled nautical souk like those at Southampton or Fort Lauderdale, you obviously don’t understand. An of course the champagne at those endless Monaco parties is better, and more reputationally deadly.

 

Next and considerably further afield I think a visit east is now vital so I’m seriously considering all of the air miles I’ll get by flying to Singapore for the Superyacht Singapore Association’s "First Annual Asia Superyacht Industry Conference" www.superyacht.sg/news/ssa-news/127-ssa-first-annual-asia-superyacht-conference-singapore  to be held from on the 13 - 15 of October.

 

Conferences are always better networking events but sadly they don’t have the boats.  

 

That gives me 13 days to get to Fort Lauderdale (10 if I’m first going to the BOAT INTERNATIONAL’s design symposium in New York – see below). 

 

Although there are lots of small boats at FLIBS as it’s known (“Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show ”) www.showmanagement.com/fort_lauderdale_international_boat_show_2009/event  it also has a an incomparable gathering of superyachts albeit displayed in a less pretentious, er “sophisticated”, style than Monaco AND I get to make my annual cheap boat shoe investment. 

 

If you can spare two days before FLIBS, BOAT INTERNATIONAL Design Symposium www.superyachtdesignsymposium.com in Manhattan was really good last year with real yacht owners presenting and in the audience for the entire event. This year promises to be even better.   

 

By the way, at both Monaco and Fort Lauderdale, if you want to meet Captains and crews, they can be found en masse in the Captains Hideout www.dockwalk.com/advertise/captainshideout.aspx  where they are enticed, in veritable droves, by a free breakfast, open bar and substantial lunch. But if you’re not a bona fide crew member getting inside is almost impossible as a very small number of companies selling everything from pensions to plane tickets have paid considerable sums to be there and have the crews’ undivided attention. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, even in superyachts.

 

So, that takes me to the third of November.

 

The next important event occurs two weeks later in Amsterdam – known in the Industry as METS (“Marine Equipment Trade Show”) www.metstrade.com/home.asp which has a growing dedicated Superyacht Pavilion with apparently 150 new companies exhibiting this year.  

 

Running almost concurrently, THE YACHT REPORT has its European annual conference. Formerly known as “PROJECT,” Global Superyacht Forum www.superyachtevents.com/gsf/index09.asp is one of the industry’s best networking events if you’re new to the industry; get there early each day sit down in a conspicuous seat outside the auditorium with a cup of coffee and you’ll be surprised whom you meet. In fact, choosing between attending the seminars, which some have observed to be advertorial at times, or staying outside the hall to network was for me a hard one admission.

 

That takes me up almost up to Christmas and to halfway point of the show season. But just writing this has made me as tired as I will be after METS, so can we revisit that nearer the time.

 

Oh by the way, I actually do intend to enjoy a boat show before Christmas; next week, in fact I’ll be at the Southampton Boat Show www.southamptonboatshow.com . There’s not a lot of champagne but there’s always cheap boat shoes, a good pint and lots of people who actually sail and maintain their boats themselves.