How did the Cannes Boat Show go? Some people found it bad.
An Italian exhibitor has shared his views with SUPER YACHT 24 regarding poor service and dissatisfaction after the latest French event.
The Cannes Yachting Festival just announced that it closed its doors on Sunday, September 15, after six days of exhibitions. 55.000 visitors from 130 countries attended, along with more than 700 boats ranging from 5 to 45 meters in length, motorboats, sailboats, monohulls, and multihulls, on display in the Vieux Port and Port Canto. On land, equipment manufacturers and service companies (electronics, design, furniture, institutions, marinas, etc.) set up shop on the docks and in the Palais des Festivals to unveil their latest innovations. They toured the Vieux Port and Port Canto to discover, both on land and in the water, numerous innovations dedicated to developing the maritime economy and protecting the marine environment.
“The 47th edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival has just concluded, and we are extremely proud of it. This year's offerings, both on land and in the water, lived up to its promise. Our 640 exhibitors appreciated the facilities on offer, and the quality of visitors met our expectations. This is the most important thing for us. The new in-water space at Port Canto, the 'Power Boat Marina,' was a real success and allowed many visitors to discover the quality of these boats on display, some of which were tested at sea. After all the effort, we are delighted with the results,” said Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival.
However, some were disappointed by the organization, the flow of visitors, and the feedback received during the Cannes boat show.
At SUPER YACHT 24, an important Italian exhibitor, who for obvious reasons asked to remain anonymous, wrote the following:
How did the Cannes Boat Show really go? A personal survey among my fellow accessories exhibitors yielded mixed results. Some say it was bad, some say it was terrible, but the truth is that it was the WORST edition of the last 15 years.
The number of visitors to the Old Port has dropped dramatically (the first two days were completely empty). Business at the show has plummeted by 70%. Almost all exhibitors, who were moved to Port Canto, and visitors alike, did not visit the accessories stands in Porto Vecchio, causing a significant reduction in business contacts.
The price exhibitors charged for their stands increased. Exhibitors were not given a single complimentary invitation for their customers. The general public entrance fee was doubled compared to 2023, to 40 euros.
The lack of dedicated parking areas forced visitors to drive for up to two hours to find a spot, parking far away and walking for miles to get to the show.
Setting up and, more importantly, dismantling the stand in the Pantiero accessories area proved to be a nightmare due to the complete lack of space for parking vans and trucks, the absurd unavailability of roadside parking, the failure to remove the portable pillars, and the closure of the access lane until 7:00 PM on Sunday.
Many exhibitors were forced to park their vehicles hundreds of meters away and carry all the products on display to their stands individually. Dismantling operations therefore dragged on until late at night in pitch darkness because the electricity was turned off at 6:00 PM.
Some of my accessories exhibitor colleagues have already told me they won't be showing at Cannes next year. I'll wait until next spring to make a decision because I want to see if anyone will place orders in the coming months.
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