A sign for the boating industry
From his very first words, Philippe Michel does not hide his relief and satisfaction after the successful holding of the Multihull Occasion boat show, despite the economic and health situation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. "It was obviously a very special context and atmosphere. There was a kind of euphoria to finally get together, to work and do business, when it's hard to exist commercially. You feel that the profession needs the event business to live. It's a breath of fresh air and it shows that the world is still turning" rejoices the co-founder of M2 Organisation, who together with Frédéric Morvant, heads up the multihull boat show at La Grande Motte and is the service provider for the nautical centre at Canet en Roussillon for Multihull Occasions.
Multihulls sold despite the crisis
For its 5th edition, the Multihull Secondhand boat show was held over 4 days from 15th to 18th October 2020. "We created this show to help the sector and enable charter companies to sell their boats when they leave the fleet. It may have been born a little early, but has now reached cruising speed. The marketing was done in 3 weeks. In terms of exhibitors, the nursery of the Pôle Nautique de Canet en Roussillon and the brokers were there. The big rental companies didn't come this year because the context was complicated for them, but they will come back, I'm confident. In terms of attendance, it was good too, with a nice Sunday day" estimates Philippe Michel.
The exhibition also saw sales in line with previous years, despite the crisis. "Out of the thirty or so boats presented, a good third found takers and there are some very hot contacts. This is neither the best nor the worst score. On the other hand, the boats are bigger, so it's more important in terms of turnover. There are few "small" boats of around 40 feet available second-hand, as the charter companies have kept them longer in the face of the yards' production difficulties. At the end of the day, the boat show is a decision accelerator for the prospect, who is afraid that the boat will slip under his nose" underlines the co-founder of M2O to justify the interest of registering for the Multihull Occasionals.
The nautical event industry will adapt itself
A few shadows remain in the picture for M2O, which continues to resort to short-time working since the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the Grande-Motte trade show, a drop in turnover of 1 million euros. Restrictions on travel are crucial for the industry, which is highly dependent on an international market, according to Philippe Michel. "As long as air travel has not recovered at least 50%, it will be complicated."
After the success of the Occasions du Multicoque, Philippe Michel is nevertheless optimistic about boat shows. "We don't know what the shows will be like, but we're going to adapt with shows that are more structured in terms of size. M2O is at niche boat shows, which allows us to be reactive. This is a determining element in order to place the cursor on expenses in terms of installation and logistics. We are starting to work on the 2021 edition of the Salon International du Multicoque de la Grande-Motte. If we have to transform a large hall into 4 smaller ones, it will be possible. The profession pushes us to do the shows. If we have succeeded in making Canet, it shows that things are possible" concludes the manager.
