Sylvie Ernoult explains the changes she’s steering for this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival
Sylvie Ernoult is charting change at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival
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As the Cannes Yachting Festival Director for 10-plus years, Sylvie Ernoult has managed the world’s biggest – and arguably best-known – in-water boat show through positive modifications aplenty, and 2024 is no exception, she explains.
Interview: Andrew Dembina; photos: Cannes Yachting Festival/Abracadabra Studio
Sylvie Ernoult faced difficult decisions, from juggling meeting spaces and exhibitors, to making an entrance
Some changes are afoot for this year’s show, please talk us through them.
The first one is a new marina for power boats at Port Canto [one of the two in-water areas, the other being Vieux Port]. The reason for this is that construction began in the port this year – and knowing that we had to reorganise the space for the show, as some areas where we were previously were unavailable. This pushed us to be creative and now we have a new section.
As previously, we make sure that everything is easy to find in our different sectors, so that we keep the visitor and exhibitor expectations of being the ‘best show in the world’. Port Canto used to show fewer boats, but now we have an even split of about 350 boats in both [in-water] spaces.
I’ve worked with my team to make sure people realise that Port Canto will now be smaller power boats, some of them ‘dayboats’ – RIB and hard-bottom ones between six and 12 or 13m – which were previously sometimes hard to find as they were shown in different places [within CYF]. So if people are looking for this size category, it’s now going to be easier, and water presentation will give these boats great visibility.
Vieux Port will still show the bigger megayachts.
An aerial shot of Port Canto with 2023 show area marked, which this year will house a new powerboat marina, dining spot, and VIP area
The new 2,000sqm power-boat marina follows a big change in in-water display areas that you introduced in 2019, when CYF divided areas for large motoryachts and sailing yachts, right?
Yes, that one was quite challenging. We decided to do that for the same reason – to make finding the types of boats visitors wanted to see easier.
Making a separate sail area was not easy then, as many shipyards, especially in France – Beneteau, Jeanneau, Fontaine Pajot, for example, and others – build both sail and motor boats. We had to ask the same company that makes both to separate and show in two different spaces.
We understood it was a lot for them to organise, but I was really convinced it was a big improvement to the show and it took us three years from telling exhibitors to making it happen by convincing and helping them. But success was direct.
Exhibitors said the new sailing area was ‘magic’ and the visitors’ feedback was great. I expect the same from the new powerboat marina this year.
You’ve announced that there will be a new dining area with 130 tables in the power-boat marina in Port Canto, which sounds like a good sociable or meeting point for attendees.
I wish I could have a show with more meeting points, restaurants, music and places to relax but at the port there is not much space, so I have to consider whether I should give the space to an existing or new exhibitor, or save space for people to have a drink – it’s not easy to decide!
The new power boat space has 450m of waterfront, so I negotiated with the port to get an upper-level terrace for the restaurant. It took a lot of logistics but we managed to do it.
Is this where a new VIP lounge that is launching this year will be too?
No, that’s in a different space in a new, modern port authority building, also on the highest level, so it will have a terrace that looks over the whole of Port Canto. It’s for those who have VIP tickets – about 1,000 people [of the approximately 55,000 attendees who attended in 2023].
Another new-for-2024 element is the Innovation Route – for those offering yachting hardware or services that represent fresh ideas on efficiency. How many stands will be taking part in this area?
About 40 or 50 exhibitors – from 600 taking part. There is a certain level of innovation needed to be selected to take part. The industry has become more and more concerned with ecology, so a lot will focus on that, which will allow visitors to learn more about this. Today it is still expensive to be ‘less dirty’, but it’s evolving. All kinds of new technology, including navigation will also be on display.
Vieux Port in 2023 was home to RIB powerboats that will be in Port Canto this year
How are entrance positions changing this year?
We will be entering at the bottom of the red steps that lead to the famous Cannes Film Festival red carpet. To be honest, it was not our choice. It’s due to construction works that are going on in the buildings that are used by that festival and also ours.
You’ve been supporting the same marine charity for a decade through CYF. Tell us about this.
Yes, the National Society for Sea Rescue (SNSM), which is made up of volunteers and saves lives in danger at sea and along the coast in France. We support the Cannes operation – and they have a stand at the show. Growing up on the ocean, and seeing how they really save people, I have so much respect for them.
About your pre-CYF working life, your first job was in a maritime office in 1985, what was this?
I worked for a big French shipyard, in the owner’s office – it was all kinds of administrative work, including finance; a great experience for 10 years. I then went into hospitality, luxury property and yacht chartering companies, in marketing. This was a good learning experience in many ways for this boat show – in logistics and accounting, but running this event needs the help of many other experts.
What’s the size of your core team, and do they work with you for a whole year in advance?
It’s very small – about four people. But I use more and more contractors and their teams as we get closer to the show time. The boat show has used some of the same technical experts and companies for 20 years – longer than I have been involved. That adds up to 2,000 people working onsite during its last weeks, but these are under their subcontractors not me and my team.
What are your plans beyond the 2024 show?
I want to continue focussing on quality, not quantity, because the show is very big already, with a very wide range of boats – from 8-50m. We will need to stabilise the new power-boat marina introduced this year. There will always be new things, though – it’s in the blood of me and my team.
