Acumum Legal & Advisory attended the Cannes Yachting Festival, a delightful celebration of yachting, bringing professionals and clients together from the yachting world, from all over the globe.

The Cannes Yachting Festival heralds the opening of the show season for the yachting industry, as well as the closing of the charter season in the Mediterranean. It is held every year during early September.

September is a time when many chartered yachts begin to plan for their winter maintenance, or head to the Caribbean where they can continue their operations in warmer weather. Private yachts may follow the same course, depending on the owner’s itinerary. For some, the weather is still sufficiently inviting to warrant a few more trips out at sea, or even a few more charters for that matter.

The Cannes Yachting Festival is held in the beautiful Port Vieux, hosting motor yachts, and Port Canto, hosting some of the world’s largest sailing yachts. This exciting yachting event brings yacht builders and brokers together, suppliers of all types of yachting goods, and a wide range of service providers.

Stakeholders in the yachting industry review the success of the charter season. Owners begin to plan the winter schedule; from winterising, a maintenance programme for the winter months, to general upkeep, be it technical or cosmetic. The yachting festival also boasts a number of servicing and parts providers, which make it a great opportunity to book any refits, or upgrades in the appearance of the yachts, and all types of maintenance programmes.

For service providers such as Acumum, being involved in this event means staying on top of the industry. Yachts are very special assets, and hands-on knowledge of their maintenance requirements means that those responsible for a yacht’s operation and management are well aware of what the industry has to offer. This is key to offering expert advice and guidance in the ownership and operation of a yacht, whether private or commercial.

Surrounded by the glamorous buildings from the Belle Epoque and a stunning promenade, some of the largest yachts proudly flew the Malta flag, which is the largest superyacht registry in the world.

This year, a number of yacht builders featured their newbuilds in Cannes, while a number of events aimed at networking brought together a number of professionals, some of whom had not been to any yacht shows during the previous two seasons, due to the pandemic.

Many professionals visit the show, travelling from all over the world to close the charter season and to commence a series of events after the other which lead to networking, professional discussions and hopefully, brokering deals.