Mid-March will see the official start to a spring full of events in the Cote d’Azur. MIPIM will open its doors from 11 to 14 March in Cannes, followed by the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco from 9 to 11 May, the Cannes Film Festival from 14 to 25 May and the Monaco Grand Prix from 22 to 25 May. Brokers are seeing an influx in enquiries with guests looking to make the most of their time on site at these events and create a truly memorable experience by chartering whilst in the area. The Superyacht Owner spoke with some of the industry’s leading charter brokers for their insight into the benefit of combining charter with such events and which one of their yachts could help make a clients dream become reality.

Seonaid Thomas, charter broker, Burgess

Chartering a yacht during an event can be attractive to both corporations for entertaining clients and for individual aficionados who are looking to ensure they have a prime-viewing platform for their favourite event. The average choice of yacht leans toward those with open and spacious deck areas and good dining options. Whether the crew has event charter experience should also be an important consideration as there are many restrictions and rules to follow during any event, such as provisioning, access to the yacht, security and getting extra staff on board to ensure a high level of service. It helps to have a team who know how to organise themselves around the event as well as run a hectic schedule on board. I would recommend Slipstream – she’s a yacht that ticks all the boxes and continues to turn heads with her stunning design and outstanding crew.


Molly Browne and Cristabel Nye, charter brokers, Camper & Nicholsons International

Depending on the event, there will be a mix of individuals and businesses looking to charter. For an event such as MIPIM, it is all corporate charters; while we’ll receive similar enquiries for corporate charters for the Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, but there are many private charters at these events as well.

We always have plenty of private individuals with an interest in attending these high profile events as it is such a great platform to entertain friends and have a good time. Quite often, individuals/companies opt to charter a yacht because they require the accommodation (all the best/closest hotels may be booked out etc.). Very rarely do brokerage houses exhibit the yachts at these events as there are other occasions to do this – such as the industry-only MYBA charter show in Genoa and of course the Monaco Yacht Show. We have a wide selection of charter yachts available this season on the Côte d'Azur and would highly recommend Baron Trenck, among others, for those still looking for the perfect charter yacht.


Edmiston

While no one from the team was available to comment, they recommend Apache II for the Cannes Film Festival this year.



Céline Bavafa, charter broker, Fraser Yachts

In the South of France, spring is synonymous with event charters. MIPIM, the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix all provide the opportunity for a company to associate the branding of their company to a yacht, that is to say luxurious and elite. This floating platform becomes a meeting and entertainment facility that ensures guests privacy and exclusivity and guarantees a memorable and special occasion.

The ideal yacht to host an event charter must have spacious decks and a hard working crew ready to serve cocktails, lunches and dinners to business partners, clients or friends, while keeping the yacht in mint condition at all times. Event charters require a special berth application, which needs to be presented weeks in advance so clients should make their enquiries as soon as possible. I would recommend Force Blue due to her large deck space and open salon that is perfect for entertaining.

 
Rebecca Pattinson, senior charter broker at OCEAN Independence

Every year, you’ll walk up and down the quay during MIPIM and see more or less the same yachts in attendance. I suppose there are several reasons for that. Firstly, the clients themselves are generally the same companies year on year and once you have a successful formula, why change it? Another reason is that for event charters, clients are often looking for maximum exposure at minimum cost, therefore the larger older ‘classic-style’ yachts with vast decks tend to be more attractive options than the smaller more recent yachts which have higher price-tags and would accommodate fewer guests.

However, I would say that the Film Festival is a different story. Although the older yachts still get bookings, the Film Festival is all about glitz and glamour and what can be a better platform for that than to entertain your celebrity A-listers on a brand new state-of-the-art superyacht? It certainly guarantees the magazine front covers if nothing else. OCEAN Independence has plenty of great yachts for event charters including star quality head-turners for the film festival like Sea Force One and Bibich Too.


Tamsin Priestley, charter broker, Y.CO

At these events, entertainment, often corporate, is a key factor. Modern, stylish motoryachts tend to be the most in demand, particularly tri-deck yachts, as they offer large deck areas with a variety of spaces for corporate meetings and events. That said, some sailing yachts have fabulous deck space and timeless sophistication which charterers, particularly families, love. For example Elena, has hosted quayside events with up to 100 on board, with the advantage that everyone is in the same place.
We get most of our corporate charter enquiries for events like the Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival, but both events are popular with private charterers as well. In our experience it’s quite an even mix, which is great because that keeps the atmosphere in ports just right.

From the broker’s perspective, large events like the Grand Prix and Cannes are generally not the best opportunity to showcase a yacht. Guests tend to be focused on the event itself and often there are strict regulations regarding branding and advertising. We prefer to organise bespoke open days or on board events, working with select brand partners that will offer guests a unique experience where they can really enjoy the features of the yacht, without distraction.

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All that glitters

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