Monday, May 18th, 2020
On the back heel of a rather big announcement regarding the pull out of SYBASS and LYBRA from the Monaco Yacht Show we ask ourselves what is the direct worth for us attending the shows as we know it? We saw the dedicated effort to the show through the years from its event organizers and the incredible and positive move forward to make the show happen especially during these odd times. We applaud this commitment, however; we also cannot help but feel the need for a re-assessment and direction for the large shows in general.
Edge Yachts operates on a different level as an independent yacht management company in line with the big houses and charter/management companies. Over the years we have invested time and commitment to the large shows. We have moved forward with successful relationships and quantifiable leads; however, the return rarely seems to add up in the end. Mark Barker (Edge Yachts operations manager and co-founder) and I have also watched the evolution of many managers and consultants compete on all levels of sponsorship and attendance and the conclusion seems the same result: the revenue is not quantified from the result.
This is not to say that gain is made with zero commitment to the yacht shows. In fact, we invested all the hours we could to attend and expand our company within each show. And even though the hours at the show meant more hours at the office, we would never skip the sweaty walks down the docks or the old friends we were sure to run into during each event. In fact, the SYBASS and LYBRA territory brought much to our table and in the past years became an obligatory attendance.
Since the decision SYBASS and LYBRA took to pull out of the Monaco Yacht show this year it has shed light on the future commitment that we will all be forced to make in either support or not support on the development of the yachts shows. I continue to look forward to the growth for Edge Yachts and our team and stand in support of the next generation of yacht shows. We will move forward to aid and communicate the importance of the yacht shows providing a more private and exclusive event.
Anthony Sands
