Sensational comeback for Palma International Boat Show - With Royal approval
Final figures will show that in the region of 37,000 visitors attended the 30th edition of the Palma International Boat Show which came to a close yesterday, Sunday 5 May. Amongst them was the King’s only son, Crown Prince Felipe, the first time in 30 years that a member of the Spanish royal family has attended.
A keen sailor, even competing in the 1992 Olympics as part of the Spanish sailing team, Crown Prince Felipe paid a surprise visit to the Show to present the Marcial Sanchez-Barcaiztegui Award, the first of its kind to recognise those who promote sailing. Sanchez-Barcaiztegui was one of the most respected and loved personalities in the sailing world and played a fundamental role in the promotion of the sport throughout Spain. Having paid tribute, Prince Felipe spent more than an hour walking around the Boat Show, greeting both exhibitors and the public.
Director of the Palma International Boat Show, Chema Sans, was delighted at the event’s success, “This was a completely different Show from 2011. Most notably, it has grown a lot, the number of exhibitors was up 25% and the sea-based exhibition area up 76%, largely due to the crucial addition of a Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show – a venture that makes a good deal of sense for the Balearics. Last year Monaco reported a record attendance of 33,000, we know for sure that we have beaten this figure and certainly had many more sailing superyachts on display. In total 47 superyachts over 24 metres lined the quayside of Moll Vell marina and, based on this year’s runaway success, I envisage this expanding to 65 or more for 2014.”
Chema continued, “All the exhibitors I have spoken with seemed to be happy having gathered quality contacts and conducted serious business. Those promoting smaller craft may not have sold ten boats at the Show, as could have been the case a decade ago, but have had their expectations exceeded considering the difficult economic environment. Many are already thinking about next year, discussing their stand and berthing requirements. And, with the all-new eight million euro Moll Vell due to be complete and open for business by spring 2014, the Show can only build in importance and quality.”
For the 30th edition, public and private sector worked together to remodel the Show into a nautical week with TapaMar gastronomy, the Gaastra PalmaVela regatta and Maremostra Ocean Film Festival running alongside the more traditional boats, accessories and services. The intention was to promote the Islands, in particular Palma, and confirm their strategic importance in tourism and yachting – giving impetus to the economy and job creation.
Speaking exclusively to nautical channel NTVE.TV, Jose Ramon Bauza, President of the Balearic Islands who declared the Show open on 1 May, said, “It is absolutely necessary for our economy, because now we want to improve our economy, we want to give opportunity for unemployed people and we want to be very proud of our industry in this nautical sector because they say we are the best all over the world.”
Quotes from the six members of the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association formed to organise the inaugural Palma Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show:
Jochen Brill, Dahm International: “I am really pleased that we created the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association and staged this superyacht-specific Show. It’s good that Palma has understood the potential of this important sector of the industry. I have been 32 years in the business and we have never had so many big boats at this Show nor such serious buyers. We will be very happy to do it again next year.”
Marc Haendle, Ocean Independence: “The reaction has been good. We have welcomed a lot of serious customers, people we didn’t expect, including some famous faces, international celebrities who have houses here on the Island – this is exactly the calculation behind the idea to create this Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show. They know that with six famous companies involved, six good companies, when we stage an event it will be worth attending. For Ocean Independence we received a good offer on one of our yachts and we believe the Show was held at the right time in the right place. We love Mallorca and are happy to support it.”
Arne Ploch, Camper & Nicholsons: “For the first time the Boat Show represents what yachting actually is in Mallorca - an industry that makes its living from the larger yachts. We had a unique amount of sailing superyachts and, as the Show was organised by an association of half a dozen brokers, we worked hard to achieve the aim we wanted – to sell boats. We welcomed owners, clients and received two offers on one boat. Everyone is in a very positive mood and this is certainly the beginning of something much bigger in Palma. Next year we will bring more boats and expect more clients. It is now a question of working hard to establish the Show on the nautical calendar.”
Giulio Riggio, Fraser Yachts: “The Show worked up to a crescendo from day one to day five and, thanks to nice weather and superb organisation, it met our expectations. We spoke with a range of good potential clients, not just from the Island but also German, English, Swedish, Finnish and Russian clients who love to stay in Mallorca and combine land-based pleasure with their passion for yachting. The main aim at a Show is to create a good impression of our yachts and our Company, the business comes later, we must put it all together to earn the results, but certainly by working together with the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association we have more power in these pressured economic times. One thing that must come to an end is the ridiculous matriculation tax issue, it must be put on the table and resolved. Of the 47 yachts on show, only six were for charter due to matriculation tax. Prospects for 30 or 40 metre boats say if they can’t charter their boat in Spain, they will take it elsewhere, I heard this every one of the five days of the Show. The Balearics and Spain are losing valuable charter business and giving it on a plate to Italy and the like.”
Jamie Small, Burgess Yachts and OceanStyle by Burgess: “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of qualified clients and yacht owners that visited the nine yachts we had on display at the Show. We received clients from across Europe and one from the United States that resulted in a positive viewing. We are excited about next year where the Show will be bigger, better and the new Moll Vell marina up and running. There is no reason why it shouldn’t become the premier pre-season show in Europe.”
Simon Turner, Northrop & Johnson: “For the first time we have given Palma a Boat Show that appeals to locals, tourists and serious buyers. The mix of boats alongside equipment and accessories has been an important one, particularly with captains, owners and crew in attendance - a captive audience for tenders, water toys, marine electronics and the like. It’s also been great for the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association to be able to manage itself, an enormous difference in comparison to say Monaco where the brokers go into tough competition with the yacht builders themselves. We hope that the Show will be a must-attend event on the calendar for the future.”
And quotes from other exhibitors:
Paul Allan, Portbooker: “This is the Show that Palma has been missing. The Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show in particular has given us a great platform to launch our brand new 40 metre plus site, superportbooker.com, and we’ve generated keen interest from marina partners and end-users over the past five days. We’re a global business but with strong local representation in the Balearics and we recognise these Islands as the leading nautical destination in the Med.”
Jimmy Blackburn, Fairline South Mallorca: “The weather has been fantastic and Mallorca is a great place for our customers to come and see us – a touch point to build relationships. We’ve gathered good leads, via previously known customers and new business, and it’s brilliant that we’ve been allowed to bring both new and used boats to the Show, priced between 200,000 and 1.4 million pounds. We will return in 2014.”
Stuart Bray, Bray Marine International: “At long last they’ve got it right. We’ve had a very productive five days, busy with customers. We will be back next year.”
Jamie Collins, Oyster Yachts: “Compared with 2011, the Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show has brought a new dimension to the Palma International Boat Show. Inter-broker cooperation is key to business existence on the Island and it has worked well. Footfall has been impressive, aided I am sure by three non-working days, a bank holiday and the weekend. Our Oyster 100, Penelope, has been received well on her debut and it has been nice to see yachts of a similar size and usability alongside her. A large mix of nationalities from Russian to British, German to Italian, have come on board for a viewing and all been impressed. We’re very pleased and keen to participate again next year.”
Peter Franklin, The Islander magazine and NTVE.TV: “We were thrilled to have been awarded a contract by Show organisers to handle international promotion of the event. To then see it become such a great success has delighted the whole team. Part of our contract was to provide internet-based and local terrestrial TV coverage of the whole Show. To focus our programming we awarded ten 'Captains Lounge Best in Show' prizes which included six yachts across the size range - motor and sail – now viewable on ntve.tv. We look forward to being involved in an even bigger Palma International Boat Show in 2014."
Marc Kelly, Palma Refit: “The revamped Show has been well received and feedback positive. Without the Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show we would not be here, as superyachts are our main target market, and in my opinion it’s been a long time coming. Not only have we been able to network and generate leads, but we’ve also been able to reinforce our image in the marketplace. We will be back next year.”
Salvador Sancho, Marina Estrella: “With last year’s Show postponed, it gave the event the opportunity to start again with a new format and of course the new agreement with the Superyacht Brokerage & Charter Show. Overall this has brought more international clients to the Show, many of them serious boat buyers. We have sold our Azimut 88 to a Portuguese client who travelled from Vilamoura, our Minorchino 42 to a British client who will berth her in Torrevieja, a Hanse 415 to another British client, an Azimut 55S to its new owner in Cascais and finally a Cobalt 242. Many enquiries also came for the Hanse 630 and 575. Not bad given we were expecting a quiet Show. The emphasis was on quality rather than quantity which was a blessing as it allowed our sales team to invest time in their clients and conduct sea trials without being under pressure. Next year we will certainly return, with at least ten boats, and feel positive that we are with the best yachts and businesses that Palma has to offer.”
For more information on the Show visit boatshowpalma.com.
