As the doors to the 33rd Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show begin to close, yachting professionals find optimism increased, after two years of crisis.
The show is strengthened by its extraordinary international reputation and exceptional offering. With 400 exhibitors from 34 countries and 500 boats displayed in water, 87% of which come from abroad, the Cannes Show, a genuine barometer of the coming trends, has opened the season with signs of recovery, thus putting smiles back on the faces of trade professionals
Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show Photo from above
Signs of Recovery
No cry of victory, but “real signs of hope,” confirms Jean-François Fountaine, president of the French Nautical Industries Federation (F.I.N.). “The foundations are healthy for beginning to restart the market, stocks are low, the new orders are now going to be translated into renewed activity”.
The show was highly anticipated by yachting professionals and after six days of exhibiting, the quality of the contacts made reflect the beginning of a recovery.
A large number of exhibitors reported “fruitful contacts”, “promising enquiries” and orders taken that “make it possible to view the coming season optimistically,” says the show’s manager Eric de Saintdo
Buyers from Around the World
Interest in water-based leisure activities remains strong in 2010 as shown by the high number of visitors (54,000) from all over Europe (Italy, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe…).
But Cannes is also a business show worth travelling to from afar. Visitors from the USA, Turkey, UAE, Asia, Australia and Russia were in attendance at this, Europe’s finest in-water boat show, to contemplate and try out the 500 boats on display in water, among which were 139 new models and world premieres.
A Fighting Spirit Rewarded
In these times of economic difficulty, “the shipyards took up the challenge and succeeded in demonstrating creativity, ingenuity and extraordinary drive so as to be able to offer new products favouring, in particular, a more environmentally responsible approach to boating,” notes the show manager.
A strategy which, in the eyes of many exhibitors, seems to have already borne fruit, as visitors returned to the show this year with real projects in mind.
Key figures
- 500 boats displayed in water(Vieux Port and Port Canto)
- 87% of which came from abroad
- 50 boats displayed on land
- 139 new models
- 169 boats over 20 metres
- 400 exhibitors, 152 of them newcomers
- 80 000m² net exhibition area
- 54 000 visitors
Thanks
The French Nautical Industries Federation (F.I.N.) and Reed Expositions France wish to thank the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the City of Cannes for their cooperation, as well as the official partners of the show: Blancpain and Jaguar
Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show Photo of Port in the evening
