In this episode we talk about defining luxury, trends in the industry, who’s got it right, and how to get it wrong.
Matteo Atti is Chief Marketing Officer at Vista, the largest on demand business jet group in the world. Matteo has worked with leading global brands in luxury, fashion and telecommunications including Gucci, Nokia and Bottega Veneta, is a contributor to Forbes magazine and his projects have been featured on the WSJ, Robb Report, NYT, and Business Insider. He is also a professor in Luxury Business Development and a Member of the Academic Board at the International University of Monaco.
In this episode we talk about defining luxury, trends in the industry, who’s got it right, and how to get it wrong.
Three pioneering women are to become the new faces of France’s 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces. Their official debut into circulation isn’t until this summer, but we have a sneak preview of what to expect.
According to the Monnaie de Paris, Josephine Baker, Marie Curie and Simone Veil earned their right to be the faces of the soon-to-be-released new coinage by being “sources of daily inspiration for everyone”, by embodying the values of France and by becoming trailblazers in their own realms.
The new edition coins will be released during the summer of 2024. Image via Monnaie de Paris
It was announced on 6th March that, come summer, three new editions of the nation’s 10, 20 and 50 cent coins designed by the Monnaie de Paris’ chief engraver, Joaquin Jimenez, will be launched with these women’s faces and the Sower, a symbol that has appeared on all French-minted coins for 120 years, on one side and the universal European Union design with the denomination and a relief of the continent on the other.
THE WOMEN
The 10 cent coin has been reserved for Simone Veil, the Auschwitz survivor who went on to become the first woman to hold the Presidency of the European Parliament. She also, in a timely twist, was the champion of the 1975 bill that decriminalised abortion in France. The right to abortion was enshrined in the French constitution earlier this month.
Singer, anti-racism activist and resistance fighter Josephine Baker will feature on the 20 cent piece. American-born Baker was a resident of Monaco in her later years, having befriended Princess Grace. In 2021, she became the first black women to be entered into the French Pantheon. She is buried in the Principality of Monaco.
The 50 cent coin will honour scientist Marie Curie. Curie, who was originally from Poland but became a French citizen, is best known for her contributions to uncover treatments for cancer as well as being the person to discover polonium and radium.
Both of Monaco’s mainstream sports teams were away from the Principality over the weekend, with AS Monaco in the Grand Est to face off with RC Strasbourg and the Roca Team on court up north against BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque.
Under the watchful eyes of nearly 400 Monaco fans and the team’s president, Dmitry Rybolovlev, AS Monaco, who are currently in third place in France’s Ligue 1 standings, had pinned their hopes on continuing their march up the rankings, but the game against RC Strasbourg on 10th March proved challenging.
Though several opportunities to score presented themselves, there wasn’t a single conversion from either side during the entire first half of play. The second half wasn’t looking promising either until 73 minutes in when Maghnes Akliouche set up Eliesse Ben Seghir for a beautiful corner kick into the goal. It was the only one of the game.
“I saw Maghnes on the overlap, and it’s true that we have a lot of good connections, we feel quite good together,” said Ben Seghir, who was voted Man of the Match by AS Monaco fans. “In that moment, I knew where to position myself so that he could give me the ball. I looked, he passed [it to] me and I just had to finish!”
AS Monaco’s next game will be a home turf affair at the Stade Louis II on 17th March.
Dream team: Maghnes Akliouche and Man of the Match Eliesse Ben Seghir. Photo credit: AS Monaco
Close call for AS Monaco Basket
That same day saw the Roca Team take on BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque at the Stade des Flandres.
The side was down three key players, with Terry Tarpey, Petr Cornelie and Jordan Loyd all absent, but despite this handicap, the Rouges et Blancs took to the court with energy and determination.
The first quarter went reasonably well for the Roca Team, who came out ahead in the scoring, but they faltered in the second quarter, scoring only eight points against their opponents’ 22 and went into the locker room with an eight-point deficit.
But they came back out swinging and regained the lead with a brilliant third quarter showing and a solid fourth quarter. In the end – though far too close for comfort – the Roca Team squeaked out a win to beat the French side 68-72.
“We scared ourselves, but in the French championship, all the matches are difficult,” said Donatas Motiejunas. “Gravelines has good players and supportive fans. We had the necessary resources to be better in the second half and win. I’m happy with my guys.”
Alpha Diallo and John Brown III tied for the highest scores with 13 points apiece, and there were decent showings from Matthew Strazel and Mike James too, who each scored eight.
The next game will be a EuroLeague away fixture against Alba Berlin on 14th March.
More than 100,00 people attended the famous corsos and parades of Menton’s 2024 Fête du Citron while a total 200,000 visitors are estimated to have made the trip to the seafront town during the course of the event.
Despite poor weather causing the cancellation of one of the biggest parades of the festival, Menton Mayor Yves Juhel has hailed this year’s event as a “record edition”.
The traditional winter festival, which has been held in Menton since 1934, saw its revenue boosted by 45% compared to 2023 thanks in part to the numerous side events, such as lemon grove tours, the orchid flower market and behind-the-scenes experiences, that added another layer of interest and intrigue to the programme.
Spectators came from all over the world, not just France, to enjoy the festival, including Italy, the UK, Belgium, Canada, the US, China and Japan.
Following the conclusion of the lemon and orange-themed extravaganza, which took place from 17th February to 3rd March, Mayor Juhel announced the theme for next year’s Fête du Citron: A Journey in the Stars. The theme of the 2024 edition was the Olympics in homage to the upcoming Games in Paris in the summer.
Check out the video below to get a taste of the 2024 edition:
In a matter of days, the Monaco International Investment Forum will return to the Yacht Club de Monaco with a programme featuring talks on topics such as AI and micro-financing.
The name may have changed, but the event is bigger and better than ever.
The Monaco International Investment Forum (MIIF), formerly Monaco et Suisse Investment Forum, is taking its 2024 edition to new heights by giving an exclusive group of invite-only entrepreneurs, investors and other key finance players a chance to network and participate in a range of fascinating talks on what’s happening in the industry today and where it’s headed tomorrow.
“The Monaco International Investment Forum (MIIF) was born from the idea of creating something special over the years and to stand out in the market of the Principality of Monaco,” Raffaello Cairoli, Director Monaco International Investment Forum, told Monaco Life. “In the last years we have accomplished many goals and this year the level of implementation has risen considerably between the enlargement of the team and the creation of an internal platform to which exhibitors and guests have access to. The goal is to become an established event in Monaco and to be renowned in Europe and internationally.”
A DAY OF OPPORTUNITIES
Alongside networking opportunities, the programme for the event on 15th March features a number of targeted conferences led by investment professionals that are expected to touch on topics ranging from AI and business ethics to last-stage investing and microfinancing.
This year’s participants include exciting, cutting-edge companies such as Auxasphere, Giano Capital, Woodville Litgation Funding, Ethimedix, Mikro Kapital, DIGI Mind Sphere, KeeSystem, Christian Dominici spa, eH2P, YACHTNEEDS, Coraliotech, Aurum Global Partners, Sotheby’s International Realty Dubai, Gami Capital, MKNL Technology Ltd and Cape Wellness.
Among the partners of the prestigious event are the likes of the Monaco Economic Board, Monaco Tech, CMLS, Brand Therapy, Reshape MC Design, VBC Virtual Business Card, Solid Rusk Production, Gold Ventures Investment, Theta and Atlas Investment.
Monaco Life is proud to be the official media partner of the 2024 Monaco International Investment Forum.
From Sophie Lacaze’s ‘The Boundless Stuff of Dreams’ to Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado’s ‘The Salt of the Earth’, this weekend’s Printemps des Arts programme will blend theatre with film and the traditional with the modern.
Following on from our coverage of the opening days of the Printemps des Arts festival, which officially began on 13th March, here are this weekend’s highlights.
On Saturday 16th March, a series of masterclasses will be hosted by renowned cellist Henri Demarquette at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Nice. Later, a conference entitled ‘The Earth According to Gustav Mahler’ and led by musicologist Jean Castellini will unravel at the Auditorium Rainier III.
The concert that follows will feature musicians Lucile Richardot, Stefan Cifolelli and Het Collectief under the baton of Gregor Mayrhofer. They will present a rendition of Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ in a chamber version transcribed by Reinbert de Leeuw alongside Mahler’s ‘Quartet for Piano and Strings in A Minor’.
The evening continues at the Théâtre des Variétés with the world premiere of ‘L’Etoffe Inépuisable du Rêve’ – The Boundless Stuff of Dreams in English – by Sophie Lacaze. This chamber opera, brought to life by the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain under Bruno Mantovani’s musical direction, will delve into the dreamtime of Australian Aboriginal culture in an ode to nature and our planet’s fragility.
Transitioning into Sunday 17th March, the festival will be screening ‘The Salt of the Earth,’ a documentary directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. This event explores the profound work of photographer Sebastião Salgado.
The day will conclude with a concert by Henri Demarquette at the Galerie Hauser & Wirth, where the cellist will embark on a solo journey through the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Benjamin Britten.
