Stable attendance
As the rocky boat show drew to a close on Monday, October 2, 2017, Alain Pochon, president of Grand Pavois Organisation (GPO), already announced attendance figures of around 80,000 visitors. There is therefore no tidal wave, but the crowds remain staggering, identical to that of the 2016 edition. As every year, the influence of the weather on attendance is mentioned by GPO, which estimates the number of visitors lost because of the bad weather on Sundays at 2,000, a risk inherent in an outdoor exhibition in this season. Nevertheless, the Grand Pavois remains the autumn rendezvous for all yachtsmen in the Channel-Atlantic area.
Satisfied professionals
800 exhibitors from over 30 countries were represented at the Port des Minimes during the exhibition. They presented 750 boats, 300 of which were afloat. As we saw two weeks earlier at the Cannes Yachting Festival, in a market more oriented towards large yachts and international and Mediterranean yachtsmen, boating professionals are showing optimism. Medium-sized shipyards in the Atlantic arc, from Finistère to the Vendée, present in force in the Minimes basin, are feeling the recovery and have well-filled order books, with delivery times exceeding 2 years.
A BtoB space
For the first time since the creation of the show, a space reserved for professionals had been opened, on the margins of the event. Organized by Vidal Diffusion Marine, the meeting enabled the distributor to receive its customers and present its products in greater detail and in a quieter atmosphere than at the show. The example could inspire other distributors. According to our information, the GPO office is interested in the experience.
Areas for improvement
In its press release, GPO indicates that the visitor car park arrived at saturation as early as 10.30 am on Saturday morning. Parking will therefore be a key area for improvement for the organization in the future.
