The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Genoa on a mission to the Cannes Boat Show
Silvia Salis and Alessandro Terrile, accompanied by Formenti (Confindustria Nautica) and Alberto Cappato, visited the French event to show their support and listen to suggestions from the sector
Cannes (France) – First at the Sanlorenzo shipyard's evening cocktail reception and the following morning at the trade fair, the participation of Genoa's mayor, Silvia Salis, accompanied by her deputy mayor, Alessandro Terrile, at the Cannes Yachting Festival did not go unnoticed. Also attending the French event were Piero Formenti (president of Confindustria Nautica) and Alberto Cappato, former general manager and current innovation director of Genoa's Porto Antico company.
The reasons for the presence of the mayor of Genoa and her trusted deputy mayor in Cannes are easily explained: "We want to convey the city council's support to the operators and, more generally, to the nautical industry, which has a particularly significant impact on the city of Genoa and Liguria." The implicit message is clear: the center-left government intends to support and develop the nautical industry in Genoa, starting with the International Boat Show. "We are certainly here to see if and what more can be done; if others are doing better, we must follow their example and strive to improve. I am a sportswoman, so I have great respect for others, but at the same time, I aim to do my best," Salis told SUPER YACHT 24. She and Terrile appear to already be actively working to determine how to help the Genoa Boat Show grow and improve.
Listening to the Italian shipyards and exhibitors present at Cannes is certainly a great start, as critics' assessment of the French show has been less than positive. Many complain about high prices, poor logistics, suboptimal conditions, an excessive number of boats in the water (which in some cases prevented them from going out for trials), a lack of public restrooms, food outlets, and more. In short, although public and especially company participation has so far remained a guarantee, the work currently underway in the port of Cannes is creating challenges for an event that many would never have questioned until recently.
Genoa, on the other hand, with the restyling of its eastern waterfront now almost complete and with some new ideas (including the possibility of hosting superyachts at anchor or creating fast sea connections to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Rapallo), could seek to further increase the appeal of its International Boat Show in the future, the next edition of which opens its doors on September 18th.
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