At the end of the summer holidays, Yacht Club de Monaco sets the tone for the international yachting calendar with several flagship events at the Monaco Yacht Show underpinning its multi-faceted approach to stimulate innovation, support the sector’s growth and bring the community together. In this vein, the annual Winter Pop-Up, organised by Cluster “Yachting Monaco”, took place on 9 October.
“We are delighted to see more and more attending this gathering, a sign of a close-knit dynamic ecosystem,” said Bernard d’Alessandri, YCM General Secretary and President of the Cluster Yachting Monaco. Arthur Bohr, Monaco Site Director and Key Account Director at Monaco Marine and Cluster Vice-President highlighted “the spirit of continuity that unites stakeholders in the Cluster”. Olivier Lavagna, Managing Director of SEPM (Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco), also a Cluster Vice-President, presented the calendar which includes the next AGM on 11 November.
Chaired by journalist Katia Damborsky, discussions focused on how to “meet owners’ expectations” by instilling a healthy and sustainable work ethic on board. Chris Durham, former captain of M/Y Savannah described his approach to leadership: “Creating a culture on board is down to small daily gestures,” he said, stressing the need for regular meetings and constant dialogue with the crew. “You need to know what the owner really wants and how they want to use their yacht,” said Sam Thompson, Sales Director at JMS Yachting, stressing the role of communication between owners, managers and crew. He highlighted tensions caused by a lack of adequate staff rotation, leading to fatigue and disengagement, and advocated better schedule planning.
James Brooke, RYA Instructor – La Belle Classe Academy, YCM’s training centre, says training wins loyalty: “Training is about valuing someone; a trained crew is a crew that stays”. He also highlighted the fact that programmes developed at YCM now include wellbeing and sustainability elements. All agreed that the quality of service is directly linked to crew well-being. Investing in their development and wellbeing is no longer a choice, but a condition for good performance.
Between the two panels, Professor Dr. Phillip Klaus, co-founder of the consulting firm Lex & Lux and Professor of Strategy and Customer Experience at the International University of Monaco, gave a presentation on “Next Practices” in luxury and yachting. He highlighted the emergence of new purchasing decision-makers (family offices, architects, private consultants) and invited the sector to better understand these intermediaries who are reshaping the client relationship. As for technology, he said: “In five years, 70% of charter-related interactions will involve AI interfaces. We must prepare now so as not to be left behind”. Finally, he drew attention to the rise of Asia and the Korean market: “Asia waits for no-one. Those who want to set up there must understand its cultural codes”.
Chaired by Andrea Dini, Managing Director Investor Media Monaco, the second panel entitled ‘Customer experience: design, technology and charter’ analysed profound changes in the charter market: new client profiles, accelerating technology, and redefining of the experience on board. For Sofia Penvern, Sales & Charter Consultant – IYC, the evolution over the last 20 years is clear: “Customers are younger, travelling with their families. They’re looking for an active lifestyle involving sport, wellbeing and health, while demanding the best: the finest restaurants and most exclusive venues”. The new generation wants it all: the peace and quiet of secluded coves and at the same time access to the most lively destinations. More connected, they often book at the last minute, contacting several brokers simultaneously, often via social networks, and make decisions based on price, hence the need to educate them about the real charter experience.
Boris de Bel, Co-founder & CEO – Charter Itinerary, pointed out that “the arrival of specialised technological solutions these last five years has profoundly transformed the yachting landscape”. As he says, the role of technology is not to replace the broker but to help them save time, as “every hour spent on administration is an hour lost maintaining the client relationship”. Enrico Chiaussa, Chief Commercial Director – Azimut Yachts, explained how their strategy has evolved: “Ten years ago, the charter market was not a strategic focus for us. We realised we were missing out on a lot of opportunities”. The group has since invested in two new points of contact (Monaco and Palma de Mallorca) to be closer to customers. All agreed that the success of a charter depends on the crew. A cruise can be successful with an outstanding crew and an average yacht, but not the other way round.
Throughout the day, visitors were able to discover yachts on show in the YCM Marina: M/Y Aquila (12m – Mysea), M/Y Ciao (28.5m – Yachtzoo), M/Y Damari (29.2m – Ocean Independence), M/Y Elegance of Cannes (26m – Yachtzoo), S/Y Imagine D (44m – Camper & Nicholson), M/Y Meme (24m – Yachtzoo), M/Y Next (39m – Camper & Nicholson), M/Y Reduce (35m – Espen Øino), M/Y Silent Grace (19m – Mysea) and M/Y Stephanie 7 (24m – Ocean Independence).
Federating as it does nearly 100 businesses across the value chain, the Cluster Yachting Monaco stands out as a platform to support the sector’s transformation by stimulating innovation, encouraging synergies and anchoring yachting on a sustainable path to growth in the Principality.
