There are boat shows, and then there’s The Superyacht Show. That’s the view of the companies behind this first-ever event, set for May. They believe several shows have become too b-to-b oriented. Therefore, there’s an opportunity to make customers the central, and sole, focus.
The Superyacht Show sprang from members of the Large Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA), a trade organization comprised of brokerage firms. Each firm’s central-agency fleet features the 98-foot (30-meter) and up range. Specifically, the members are Burgess, Camper & Nicholsons, Edmiston, Fraser Yachts, IYC, Merle Wood & Associates, Northrop & Johnson, Ocean Independence, and Yachtzoo.
From May 2 to 5, The Superyacht Show will allow customers of these firms, both buyers and charterers, to visit yachts in a more private, intimate setting. That setting is Barcelona’s OneOcean Port Vell. In the heart of the city, the marina (below), further featuring a spa, restaurants, a crew lounge, as well as meeting and event lounges, has transient and home berths alike. It’s hosted some of the world’s largest yachts in recent years, too. Being within the city, OneOcean Port Vell makes it easy for visitors to access Barcelona’s famed Gothic Quarter, as well as restaurants, shops, museums, and more.
To give The Superyacht Show extra flair, select luxury products and luxury-lifestyle companies will display quayside. They’ll come from private aviation, automotive, jewelry, and financial services sectors, among others.
Thus far, LYBRA isn’t disclosing which yachts will be on display, nor how many. However, its goals are “modest,” according to Jonathan Beckett, LYBRA’s president. He adds that this inaugural show is only open to LYBRA members. But, in 2019, The Superyacht Show will bring in builders, among other additional exhibitors. “Everyone is welcome to visit the show, since our ultimate aim is to benefit the clients, brokers, and the industry as a whole,” Beckett explains. Eric Blair, LYBRA’s secretary general, adds that in the following years, they expect it to be “the definitive, pre-summer buying opportunity in the Mediterranean.”
Tickets go on sale on February 1.
Ridley Fitzgerald
It’s cool to learn about superyachts. I had no idea that there was an entire show that allows people to visit the yachts in a more intimate setting. Is that open to the public at all, or is it only for those firms?
Diane M. Byrne
It appears public tickets will be available, as of March 1, via the website. Scroll down this page: https://www.thesuperyachtshow.com/the-superyacht-show.
Andy Gail
This new show is pretty exciting. One of the biggest challenges in the past as a PA, was meeting the request of clients to go to a show that was actually for them, and offered some privacy…and not for all the professionals in the industry. Well done.