CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL 2018
CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL 2018 AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR, SYMBOLIC OF MARKET RECOVERY
The opening event of the yachting season, the Cannes Yachting Festival 2018, which ended on Sunday,
16 September, saw 542 exhibitors, 638 boats (including 219 new models) and 51,000 visitors, who
had come from all over the world to admire the best of the French and international offering in motor,
sailing, monohull and multihull boats.
There to discover the latest key technology trends and hear the informed advice of professionals, potential
buyers had the opportunity to test drive some of the world’s finest yachts on trips out to sea. With its
eclectic offering, the Cannes Yachting Festival once again pulled in the crowds and enabled exhibitors to do
a considerable amount of business.
“Over six days, all the major players in yachting gave world previews of their new models. From the Vieux
Port to Port Canto, all along the famous Croisette, over a distance of 10 km, the Cannes Yachting Festival’s
offering comprised 122 world previews of new models, 150 yachts over 20 metres long, 110 sailing boats, 46
second-hand yachts and 46 multihull vessels”, explained Sylvie Ernoult, festival director for the past five years.
“We are delighted with this 41st edition, which has once again kept all its promises!”.
As the French nautical industry appears to have recovered its best pre-crisis performance, with a turnover of
4.8 billion euros and over 40,000 employees, the exhibitors from around the world were delighted to receive
an increasingly high-quality, informed and international clientele, on the lookout for new products and keen
to make purchases in the short term. Once again, the Cannes Yachting Festival, which showcases some of
boat-building’s unique know-how and hosts its experts, has confirmed its position as Europe’s largest in-water
nautical exhibition.
PRESS CONFERENCE-SEPTEMBER:
Announcement of a larger area devoted to world yachting in 2019
At the Cannes Yachting Festival press conference, director Sylvie Ernoult announced the desire to
contribute to the growth of the nautical sector and the development of its French and international
customer bases by becoming the world’s largest yachting show while cementing its position as Europe’s
largest nautical boat show.
“For the past three years, we have seen the Vieux Port become very overcrowded both on land and in the
water. We have already begun relieving the congestion in the Vieux Port by using the spaces available at
Port Canto which hosted the entire Toys area this year,” explained Ms Ernoult. “On the other hand, in recent
years our exhibitors and customers have told us of their wishes to have larger exhibition areas, both in the
water and on land. This led us to rethink the Cannes Yachting Festival overall for its 2019 edition. This project
was made possible after a long consultation with our exhibitors and with the support of the City of Cannes,
the CCI Nice Côte d’Azur and many other partners”, she concluded.
Therefore, a real showcase, 100% dedicated to monohull and multihull sailing and able to accommodate
over one hundred sailing boats, will be installed at Port Canto in 2019. With over 800 linear metres of
quayside for monohulls and multihulls, Port Canto offers exceptional water-based facilities and extensive
areas on land enabling shipyards to showcase their boats in an unparalled way. Following these moves, the
Vieux Port will henceforth be dedicated to the motor nautical industry. It will enable shipyards and equipment
manufacturers to expand their exhibition areas (on land and in the water) and open up their quays to new
exhibitors and brands. This major reorganisation, on the one hand, reflects the desire to better serve the
interests of the clients by providing them greater visibility and, on the other hand, reinforces the legitimacy
of the Cannes Yachting Festival.
BROKERAGE & TOYS
Begun in 2017, the Festival has continued its development at Port Canto by reinforcing its content and
increasing the number of sea and land links.
This has meant visitors have been able to see 46 second-hand boats between 22 and 53 metres long, displayed
by the biggest French and international brokers, as well as the entire Toys area. The brokers shared Port
Canto’s quays with the Festival’s selection of “nautical toys” – equipment for young and old which has become
essential for yachters, including jetboards, longboards, jetskis and much more.
There was also a special focus on the decor of Port Canto, with a new restaurant.
Regarding the connections between the two ports:
– By sea, three types of shuttle were available to visitors: large shuttles, Canto taxis and VIP shuttles, leaving from
five embarkation points at the Vieux Port to facilitate the conditions of access and transport for visitors. The
frequency of the shuttles enabled guaranteeing departures every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the Festival.
– On land, connections to the Vieux Port and Port Canto were complemented by a bus service in partnership
with Cannes City Council, offering departures every 15 minutes and an extended schedule from 8 am to 8 pm.
Developing Port Canto’s content and improving its access meant the shipyards and exhibitors had a significant
increase in visitors to Canto this year.
LUXURY GALLERY
Now in its third year, the Luxury Gallery, an area devoted to luxury, arts & crafts and lifestyle, has proved a
growing success, with an increase of over 40% in the number of exhibitors compared to 2017.
This prestigious sector is devoted exclusively to luxury brands in the spheres of watchmaking, jewellery, fashion
and accessories, art, furniture, design, decoration, tableware, household linen, leisure, high-tech products, and
other high added-value products and services.
The Luxury Gallery was also the site of the Yachting Café, run by Maison Dalloyau.
CONCOURS D’ÉLÉGANCE:
The height of elegance
The fourth edition of the Concours d’Élégance paid tribute once again to the French Riviera’s rich history
of yachting. This year, 15 day-boats under 12 metres, built between 1935 and 2018, paraded along the Festival
foreshore before the jury and an ever more numerous audience.
The winners of this 4th edition are as follows:
The President’s ‘coup de coeur’ award was awarded to the large and small Eureka models.
Prize: Louis Roederer Champagne Magnum
– Vintage boats – built before 1980:
• 1st: ‘Triple Cockpit’ by Hacker-Craft boatyard, dating
from 1935
Prize: Force 10 bracelet by Fred jewellers
• 2nd: ‘Tritone’ by Riva boatyard, built in 1962
Prize: selection of care products from Maison Sisley
• 3rd: ‘le petit modèle’ by Eureka, dating from 1940
Prize: magnum of Louis Roederer champagne
– Modern boats – built after 1980:
• 1st: ‘Titian Tender’ by Cockwells – 2018
Prize: Force 10 bracelet by Fred jewellers
• 2nd: ‘Chase 34’ by Cormate boatyard – 2018
Prize: selection of care products from Maison Sisley
• 3rd: ‘Original Model’ by Iguana Yachts – 2018
Prize: Louis Roederer Champagne Magnum
SUPPORTING SEA RESCUE
Proceeds from ticket sales for this year’s festival supported France’s voluntary sea-rescue organisation, the
Société Nationale des Sauveteurs en Mer (SNSM).
Visitors’ contributions and donations made via the Festival’s online ticket office meant that a cheque for
5,000 euros could be handed over to representatives of the Cannes branch of the SNSM, at the welcome
drink for exhibitors on Tuesday 11 September.
PARTNERSHIPS
For its 41st edition, the Cannes Yachting Festival’s loyal partners – Maserati, Fred, Dalloyau, Louis Roederer,
Wajer Yachts, Azur Hélicoptère, Suzuki and Yamaha – were joined by major new, internationally renowned
brands: Missoni Home, which supplied the furniture for the VIP Club; Marinepool, which provided the staff
uniforms; and cosmetics house Sisley.
VIP SERVICES
The VIP programme, available in four different options to visit the Cannes Yachting Festival, “a little, a lot,
passionately”, was once again a resounding success.
Depending on their chosen option, these privileged visitors were offered exclusive and tailor-made services
provided by the organisers and the Festival partners.
