The team behind the Flavien Foundation, a paediatric cancer research charity based in Monaco, has pulled out the stops for its grand 2024 Pouce La Vie event in April. Here are all the details.Â
On 23rd April at the Auditorium Rainier III, the Flavien Foundation will be holding one of its biggest – and most popular – events of the year.Â
This year’s Pouce La Vie, now approaching its sixth edition, is embracing all things Quentin Tarantino with a programme featuring musical scores from his biggest films that were written by greats such as Ennio Morricone, Grammy winner Dave Grusin and Argentinian composer Luis Bacalov. Â
Tribute band Call Me Winston will be performed these hits live on the night and the 11-member ensemble will be joined on stage by the foundation’s historic sponsor, the renowned pianist, producer and musical director, Yvan Cassar, who has also invited trumpet player JoĂ«l Chausse, cellist Julie Sevilla-Fraysse and harmonica player Greg Zlap to be part of the evening’s festivities.Â
Hosting the musical evening will be Monegasque journalist and film producer Yann-Antony Noghès.Â
The Flavien Foundation – or Fondation Flavien in French – was founded in 2014 by Denis Maccario in memory of his young son, who tragically lost his fight to cancer.Â
Pouce La Vie will start at 8pm. Tickets can be found online here.
With a clear focus on inspiring sustainability and innovation, Monaco Marina Management’s GCC Smart Yachting Days in Dubai last month attracted a strong turnout of key players from across the Gulf and its maritime sectors, who agreed that there was a growing need to “collaborate, communicate and educate at all levels in the region”. Â
Hosted by the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina on 28th and 29th February, Monaco Marina Management was able to export its view on “smart ideas, smart yachting, smart marinas and smart ownership” to the UAE and involve a much wider audience in its discussions than has been possible at previous events.
It proved the ideal setting from which to explore the latest and greatest advances and ideas coming out of not just the Principality of Monaco, but the world of yachting as a whole. Â
SUSTAINABILITY, INVESTMENT AND ACTIVE INVOLVEMENTÂ
Sustainability was the buzzword of the event, which placed a strong emphasis on the need to foster responsible practices across the board, from owners and crew to service providers and the ports themselves.
The advantageous involvement of environmental foundations was also presented as a method of helping marinas and their management set and achieve targets for future eco-friendly systems alongside the importance of involving local communities in proactive projects to reduce waste and environmental impacts. Â
Another key topic was the need to “refocus” investors’ mindsets and convince them of the long-term financial and environmental benefits of investing in smart marinas.
Monaco Marina Management also used the event to unveil the new M3 Smart Marina certification, which has been designed to measure smart and efficient marina operations, with the ultimate goals of reducing and optimising overall sustainability at all levels of the marina, from its initial conception to its construction and real-time operations.Â
AWARDS CEREMONYÂ
Finally, start-ups Arkhaus, BatteryCheck, Boatmate, JetCycle, Posseidon, Seares and Ship O’Hoi were among those given an opportunity to present their ideas at the event, with a chance of winning a GCC Smart Yachting Days Award. Â
In the end, Expedition Zero, represented by Andrew Cowen, won the 2024 GCC Smart Yachting Days Yachting prize thanks to the company’s net-zero adventure tourism concepts.Â
Camille Lopez, representing HY-Plugs, won the GCC Smart Yachting Days Marina Award. Her company is actively involved in the maritime energy transition. Â
The Yes Women gala, an event co-organised by Fight AIDS Monaco and Coalition Plus, is set to take place at the InterContinental Hotel in Paris on 13th June. The goal of the gathering is to highlight the critical role of women in combating AIDS, a timely focus given that UNAIDS recently reported that 53% of all new HIV infections globally were among women and girls in 2022.
Another key element of the occasion is the honouring of six exceptional women who have made remarkable strides in the battle against AIDS through their support for projects for women living with HIV, their contributions to science and the study of the AIDS disease, and their advocacy for human rights and treatment access.
“It struck me that men often receive accolades for their work, but what about the women and their organisations? They are equally deserving of honour,” says Savard Dionne. “I’m deeply thankful to everyone who believed in this vision. Their unwavering conviction has been pivotal in bringing this project to life.”
The gala is currently seeking sponsors and is offering tickets starting at €1,000, with the funds going to three projects dedicated to fighting for this worthy cause.
The real estate sector is the latest industry to embrace the potential of Artificial Intelligence, namely through property technology, which, as Monaco Life learned at the recent PropTech conference at the Yacht Club de Monaco, looks set to reshape how designers and architects integrate sustainability into their projects.
The PropTech conference, which was organised by the Monaco Economic Board on 12th March, brought together key players from the local real estate and architecture fields to showcase the significant impacts that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and PropTech are having on the real estate sector.
The integration of AI into design and architecture reflects the sector’s dynamic expansion; a record-breaking $74 billion investment was made in PropTech during 2021, according to the PropTech Global Trends Barometer, in a demonstration of the industry’s willingness to embrace advancement and innovation.
Architectural innovation
During the conference, speakers from Foster + Partners, the award-winning international architecture firm founded in 1967 by Sir Norman Foster, shed light on the evolving role of technology and sustainability in their field.
Yorgos Bitsianis, an Associate Partner at Foster + Partners, stressed how sustainability is central to the company’s operations, with tools like carbon calculators enabling smarter, quicker decisions in the design process.
On the topic of digital twins, an innovative technology that generates virtual models of physical buildings for detailed simulation and analysis, Bitsianis noted the revolutionary potential of simulation in design, saying, “The opportunities presented by designing with digital twins are boundless.”
Meanwhile, comments by Martha Tsigkari, the company’s head of Applied R&D, that “AI will augment our creativity and our capacity to solve problems” underlined the tech-enhanced future of the architecture sector.
Transforming real estate
The panel discussions, which featured Monaco-based startups including Net0, YouStock and Oghji, highlighted the role AI is playing in achieving decarbonisation within the industry.
Sofia Fominova, co-founder of Net0, made a strong case for AI, stating, “AI is the only answer for decarbonisation.”
In another discussion about PropTech investment, Gregory Dewerpe, Founding and Managing Partner at A/O, the biggest venture capital firm in Europe to focus on the construction industry, enthused on how technology can change real estate for the better.
“Our mission is to fund tech companies that will revolutionise the construction sector,” he said. “Many businesses aim to achieve net zero emissions by deadlines like 2030 or 2050, and technology is key to reaching these goals. Real estate currently lags behind in digital adoption, and we’re determined to lead the change.”
The PropTech conference also provided a platform for the Prince’s Government, in collaboration with ESCP Business School, to unveil the 4th edition of its global PropTech market barometer, which can be found here.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to make a state visit to the Principality “by the end of the year”, according to France’s Ambassador to Monaco, Jean d’Haussonville, who has emphasised a “desire” from both sides to make it happen. Â
No president of France has made a state visit to Monaco since François Mitterrand’s trip to meet with Prince Rainier III in 1984, a full 40 years ago. Incidentally, the late French leader was the first and only leader of France to have ever made an official state visit to the Principality. Â
This is likely to change in 2024 if the revelations by d’Haussonville, France’s Ambassador to Monaco, do come to pass. Â
The diplomat, who was confirmed as France’s official envoy to the Principality back in September 2023, has publicly said that there should be a formalised trip by President Macron to Monaco “by the end of the year”. Â
“The Prince has made working visits, official visits to France, but never at the protocol level of a state visit with all the honours of the Republic,” explained the ambassador. “It will be an expression of full support from France to the Principality of Monaco.”Â
Prince Albert’s most recent high-profile visit to France, when he met with President Macron to discuss topics such as the Paris Agreement and the rights of French citizens working in Monaco, came back in 2019.
Though it may seem odd that two nations so intertwined have little history of these kinds of visits, it does not mean they are not friendly nor lacking in communication. French presidents and Monegasque sovereigns often meet and see each other at working events, such as conferences and the like, but these are classified in a different context. Â
“It is really a desire on both sides [that] this visit should take the form of a state visit, which qualifies the highest level of protocol in terms of travel,” said d’Haussonville of the potential upcoming event. Â
A state visit adds a level of formality to the proceedings and comes with certain requirements, such as a stay of at least one night as a guest in the host country and distinguished honours being bestowed on the visitor.Â
The list of players set to take to the clay courts of the Monte-Carlo Country Club in April for the 117th edition of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has been announced. Here’s who made the cut. Â
Included on the roster are men’s tennis’ biggest stars, such as the Top 3 seeded players of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as well as World No.4 and notorious court rebel Daniil Medvedev. Â
Other Top 10 ranked players who will also appear on the famous clay courts are Andrey Rublev, who won his first Masters 1000 title last year in Monaco, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz, Caser Rudd and Alex de Minaur. Â
Perennial crowd favourite Rafael Nadal is also expected to play, marking a return to the courts after more than a year on the side lines. He was forced to withdrawal from the Australian Open in January, having suffered from a muscle tear on his hip. Â
Among the French players to feature are 14th ranked Ugo Humbert, 21st seeded Adrian Mannarino and Arthur Fils, who is currently in 43rd place in the ATP Rankings. Â
