In April, San Diego will play host to megayachts and other high-end products. It’s all part of an invitation-only luxury-lifestyle showcase, a new event for qualified individuals.
DeLUXE San Diego, being held from April 14 to 16, will highlight the city as a destination for yachting enthusiasts and other luxury-lifestyle devotees. Events International Company, a California-based firm whose principals previously arranged fêtes for Robb Report and ShowBoats magazines, is organizing it.
The showcase spreads across three locations, namely Fifth Avenue Marina, Fifth Avenue Landing, and the San Diego Convention Center’s Bay Froont Park. They’re the focus because all three are conveniently minutes from major downtown hotels. Simultaneously, all three provide the atmosphere the organizers believe ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) will enjoy. “This is not a yacht show, or a car or other category show,” says Tim McGrane, president of Events International Company. Instead, he continues, it’s “an ‘experience event’ that we are looking to bring together guests to introduce and expose them to a number of luxury categories.” Yachts by their nature will have the dominant presence. However, McGrane adds, the target audiences are people who “may not have considered chartering before, or those UHNWI on the West Coast who would not consider going to a ‘show.’”
The final list of yachts and exhibitors has not been released, though McGrane anticipates having 15 yachts measuring more than 100 feet, along with classic tenders and dayboats. He adds that “strong interest” has come from major brokerage houses and yacht builders from the USA, Italy, England, and more. In addition, top-marque automobiles and private aviation companies will exhibit, alongside jewelry, watches, and fashion displays.
It’s worth noting that DeLUXE San Diego has its roots in the former YachtFest show, which was cancelled last year. Back then, Doug Sharp, president of Sharp Design and YachtFest’s board chair, explained that he and other participants felt the need to incorporate more San Diego businesses, plus reach out to other megayacht businesses throughout the United States and around the world. Diane Fraser, vice president of Fraser Yachts, which was one of the regular exhibitors, added, “It’s time to substantially refresh and bring the show to the next level. San Diego has grown in so many positive ways in the past 10 years. The show needs to reflect the new San Diego.”
According to Sharp, he and Fraser were keenly interested in further attracting higher-end, luxury-oriented clientele, so “the venue and marketing efforts had to step up considerably, as well as the level and presentation style of exhibitors. The venue decision was fairly easy, as we identified the fact that the more successful shows featured a city-center backdrop as opposed to holding events in areas isolated from the city attractions and activities. It just so happened that a new marina right in the heart of our city and catering to the larger yachts was just put into operation, so the move to there was a natural.” Sharp and Fraser had each met McGrane through previous events, so “we discussed our ideas for a luxury-lifestyle event catering to the level of clientele known to exist in the Western States and capable of understanding and appreciating an event intended to showcase San Diego resources in the large-yacht and accompanying lifestyle arena.”
Sharp continues, “I think that if the event goes as planned, it will serve to set up as a template for intimate luxury-lifestyle presentations to attract clientele to the large-yacht market.” After all, he asserts, “the large-yacht show business has developed to the point where the show is the important thing, not the large-yacht clientele.” In comparison to other events that sprawl across multiple venues, “the clientele will be welcomed in an intimate, friendly, and familiar atmosphere to the resources available in the large-yacht industry, and thus it will be an easier decision for them to invest in the lifestyle and our products and services.”
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