Setting Sail at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2023: An Exclusive Preview with Sylvie Ernout.

Managing the Cannes Yachting Festival: Where passion for boats meets the magic of teamwork.

BA – Your journey in the maritime and tourism sectors eventually led you to the yachting industry. Could you share some pivotal moments from your career that inspired your passion for yachting and led you to your current role as part of the Cannes Yachting Festival?

SE – I started my career in the maritime sectors in 1985, in the financial department. Then I joined Stardust in 1992, first in budget control, then with a sales & marketing position, and I held various positions between France and the USA for over 10 years. That was my first step into the world of yachting. During that time, I first oversaw the merger of the American subsidiary, and then launched a new luxury chartering programme with my team, Stardust Platinium, aimed at the European and American markets. I then continued my career with cruise operator Festival Croisières France as Sales Director, before moving into the luxury hotel sector. In 2010, I joined the luxury property department at Club Med. I have been managing the Cannes Yachting Festival since 2013 with lots of challenges and even more passion. To do this job, first you need to be versatile, as you have to supervise both the technical and marine aspects of the show, closely follow customers with sales representatives, collaborate with the port authority, and discuss things with service providers and Cannes officials. You also have to build the trade show’s sales and marketing policy, and lastly, monitor financial commitments to balance your P&L. I am lucky to have acquired this vital versatility thanks to the various positions I have had in finance, marketing and sales, as well as the various sectors I have worked in in the yachting and luxury sectors. More than anything else, to do this job you need to love and be loved by the yachting industry and, as far as I am concerned, one thing is sure: I have always loved boats, whether large or small, industrial or for leisure, and I like sailors because I feel and share their passion for the sea in my own way.

700 boats, 130 world premieres, and the allure of sea trials: 

The Cannes Yachting Festival 2023 promises a triumphant showcase of success.

BA – Your affinity for the sea and water sports is evident from your background. How do you personally connect with the atmosphere of the Cannes Yachting Festival, and what aspects of the event resonate most with your lifelong passion for beautiful things and challenges?

SE – Managing the Cannes Yachting Festival is real teamwork because it is a real challenge. I share this challenge with my colleagues, and this means the show is a down-to-earth story starring humans. In fact if it weren’t for its magical team, the Festival would not be so successful. I have to deal with a complex machine and ensure everything is going smoothly for each member of the team. The salespeople need those handling the technical aspects, marketing works with logistics and sales, finance deals with everybody, and so on. Apart from loving the sea, and the enjoyment of working with these superb boats in such a luxury environment, apart from all that, there’s a real down-to-earth human experience and that is the most incredible and powerful thing about this job.

BA – With the Cannes Yachting Festival being Europe’s largest in-water event and a significant platform for presenting new products in the leisure boating industry, could you provide insights into some of the exciting debuts or innovations that attendees can look forward to experiencing this year?

SE – Visitors will be able to see more than 700 boats, including 130 boats presented for the first time in the world. Most major players in the yachting industry come to Cannes in September to open the yachting season and exhibit their new products and world premieres. The Cannes Yachting Festival is a real showcase for the jewels of the seas. The show presents a very wide range of boats, from 5 to 50m long, motor and sailing boats, monohulls and multihulls, new and brokerage yachts, highlighting the unique know-how and craftsmanship in boatbuilding. This year we are delighted to be accommodating more than 610 exhibitors. Also, this year many exhibitors are exhibiting new green aspects. Boatbuilders have been making great efforts over the past few years to develop a new range of more eco-friendly boats that are suitable for the times thanks to new, greener energies with electric, hybrid or hydrogen propulsion. Among the 130 world premieres, visitors will have the opportunity to see the Lomac Granturismo 14.0, the New Solaris Power 52, The Prestige M8, the Centouno Vespro, the New Fountaine Pajot 80, the Azimut Magellano 60 or the Baglietto T52. And visitors can see more premieres on our website so they can get ready for their visit and make sure they make the most of the time they spend with us!

BA – The festival is known for its distinct spaces, including Vieux Port, Port Canto, and the Palais des Festivals. Can you highlight any enhancements or changes to these areas for the 2023 edition,
and how do these spaces contribute to providing a comprehensive and immersive experience
for visitors?

SE – This year we will be inaugurating a small boat marina in the Vieux Port to develop the 8-12m boat segment. There will be around fifty of them. This small new boat area is in the centre of the Vieux Port next to the RIB area. There is major demand from our visitors for small boats, especially on the French market, and our exhibitors want to exhibit smaller boats in water to have better visibility and give their customers the opportunity to jump onboard.

BA – As the Cannes Yachting Festival continues to evolve, can you share some insights into the anticipated number of exhibitors participating this year and your expectations regarding visitor turnout?

SE – 2022 was an exceptional year, with over 54,000 visitors from all over the world, more than 600 exhibitors and 650 boats, including 545 in water. Despite the limited space we have and the difficulty in finding new space, this year is even better with 700 boats and more than 610 exhibitors. That’s a record for us! It’s too early to confirm visitor numbers but I’m not particularly concerned about that. Visitor numbers have been slowly but regularly increasing over the past few years. The total number of visitors is not what is important in fact, it is more visitor quality that matters. Our exhibitors tell us that Cannes is a show that generates a lot of business, which means that we have high quality visitors. One thing is for sure, we are determined to consolidate and develop our visitor quality by providing an ever-higher quality of service and welcome for them to enjoy, and offer them an increasingly eclectic range of products and services. So, we’ll be pulling out all the stops to make 2023 a vintage of exceptional quality.

BA – The Cannes Yachting Festival is uniquely known for offering sea trials, providing attendees the opportunity to experience the boats on the water. With that in mind, have you personally planned any sea trials for yourself during the festival this year? And if you had the chance, which specific type of boat from the event would you be most excited to take for a spin on the sparkling waters of Cannes Bay?

SE – Each year, I dream of doing a sea trial and jumping onboard a few jewels of the sea exhibited at the show…. And on Sunday at 6pm, I come to realise that the days have just gone by without me having had time to experience any boat in water. I keep my fingers crossed for 2023. I don’t have any particular model in mind, just the enjoyment of going sailing for a short time, like a “parenthèse enchantée” as we say in French, to escape from problems to solve, questions to answer…