On June 26, Informa Markets announced the Monaco Yacht Show has been postponed for 2020 and the 30th edition MYS will take place in September 2021 instead. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is still currently scheduled to take place in late October.
“Like many other industries, the international superyachting community has experienced significant disruption in 2020,” Informa Markets Chief Executive Charlie McCurdy said in a press release. “As we move to the other side of COVID-19, we are remaining agile in how we are supporting our partners and customers, flexing our events calendar, adapting products, and providing digital alternatives where beneficial to best meet the needs of international communities through this difficult period.”
In mid-May, the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) and Large Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA) withdrew from the show, citing safety concerns and return on investment among the reasons, and called on Informa to cancel the event. Following this, the Monaco Yacht Show announced later in the month that it would switch gears and move ahead as a non-profit event to support the recovery of the industry.
On an Instagram Live interview with Boat International Editor-in-Chief Stewart Campbell, MYS Managing Director Gaelle Tallarida says that since March when the COVID-19 pandemic began, they planned to keep moving forward with the show until mid-June, when they would know more about the situation and decide then.
“Considering the evolution of the pandemic worldwide, most of our clients explained [to] us that they were really not comfortable attending a show, such as the yacht show, which welcome a large community from worldwide. More than that, their clients were sending them a signal that they would certainly not want to travel to Monaco in the midterm for September,” she says. “So that’s why this week we decided to cancel the show.”
Before the cancellation, they were already planning for a smaller show as some exhibitors, including SYBAss and LYBRA, told them they weren’t attending. While Monaco as a place is safe with cases under control and residents respecting the measures in place, including wearing a mask in any public space, and with all measures that could be taken, exhibitors and clients didn’t feel comfortable attending, Tallarida says.
“Since we announced the cancellation of the show this morning, the very, very large majority, I think from all the calls we got, have all [been] people telling us that they respect this decision, which they think was the right decision to take,” she says. “And that they are very supportive of working with us for providing for a very beautiful event next year.”
Photo: © Monaco Yacht Show