Show attendance down
The Grand Pavois celebrated its 50th anniversary from September 27 to October 2, 2022. An anniversary for which the weather was unfortunately not at the party, the main cause of the drop in the number of visitors, according to the organizers. They counted 73,000 visitors over the 6 days of the event, a decline of 9% compared to 2021, where the weather and a gale during the last weekend were already menu. Compared to the last pre-Covid edition in 2019, the 2020 edition having had to be canceled, attendance remains down, although lighter, by only 4%.
As for the exhibitors, the figures announced remain identical to the last 2 editions with, according to the organizers : "some 800 international brands and 750 boats on display" .
The return of the Night Sails show, which should have marked the originality of the 2022 anniversary edition, was finally cancelled due to weather conditions.
Innovation and fishing on the front line
The big boat builders are present and will reserve the majority of their new products for Cannes or Düsseldorf. We will find more surprises on the side of the small artisanal builders, like a new generation Beluga or the ACE 30, a scow hull sailboat for the IRC circuit.
If the Grand Pavois is to stand out from other French boat shows, it is probably because of the growing space left on one side to fishing and on the other to innovation for a sustainable yachting.
The first one benefits from dedicated pontoons and an animated area throughout the day. The Grand Pavois Fishing attracts sport fishing teams, a practice that is particularly interesting for equipment manufacturers and specialized boat builders.
On the innovation side, the space supported by EDF grows every year, welcoming more and more start-ups working on electric boats and alternative propulsion systems. The electric boats were next to Michel Desjoyeaux's demonstrator sailboat and the Wisamo inflatable wing he is developing with Michelin.
Alain Pochon, president of Grand Pavois Organisation, is pleased with this: "There were many sea trials, and this remains an undeniable strength of our meeting. I remind you that more than 100 boats were on trial from 10am to 7pm and that from 5:30pm, the pontoons opened to allow other brands to go out to sea. The Sustainable Innovations theme with EDF is developing very strongly and we are convinced that this area will become even more important in the years to come. This theme is very important for the Grand Pavois La Rochelle and we clearly want to be leaders in this field. The Grand Pavois Fishing did take place and 30 branded boats participated in this unique competition in France. Real successes!"
