Representatives from governments, maritime authorities, international organisations and industry leaders from around the world will gather in Monaco from 20th to 23rd April for the Assembly of the International Hydrographic Organisation — the principal forum for decisions on hydrography, seabed mapping and maritime data standards.
Held every three years, the Assembly is the IHO’s central decision-making body. Delegates from 104 member states and international organisations will review progress in hydrography and set priorities for the next three-year period. The 2026 edition carries particular significance as it will include the election of a new Secretary General and Director to lead the organisation in the years ahead.
Prince Albert II will open proceedings on Monday 20th April and will present the prestigious Prince Albert I Medal for Hydrography, awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the field. The opening ceremony will also welcome six new member states — Cabo Verde, Kiribati, Gambia, Lithuania, the Bahamas and Panama — whose flags will be presented on the day. Sessions will be chaired by Michel Amafo of Suriname.
Technology on show
Alongside the official deliberations, an exhibition at the Auditorium Rainier III will showcase technological advances in hydrography, ocean mapping and maritime services. Among the highlights, French company Exail will unveil its DriX O-16 — a new transoceanic uncrewed surface vehicle capable of full ocean-depth mapping, operating autonomously for up to 30 days with a range of 3,500 nautical miles. The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project will present the Bathysphère, an interactive globe allowing visitors to visualise seabed data from around the world and track progress towards the ambitious goal of mapping the entirety of the ocean floor.
Several countries have confirmed the presence of research and naval vessels in Monaco during the Assembly week. The United States is expected to send the 110-metre oceanographic research vessel USNS Marie Tharp, while Italy has confirmed the participation of the 152-metre destroyer Caio Duilio.
The future of navigation and ocean mapping
A special session on Wednesday 22nd April will focus on two themes shaping the future of maritime operations. The Smart Navigation session will explore how digital technologies, maritime services and international cooperation are transforming navigation, with speakers including Nathalie Balcaen, director of Flemish Coastal and Maritime Services, Erik Eklund, Director General of the Swedish Maritime Administration, and Antonio Di Lieto of Carnival Corporation’s maritime simulation training centre.
The Ocean Mapping session will examine global efforts to better understand the seabed, featuring Victor Vescovo, CEO of Caladan Oceanic, Joanna Post of UNESCO’s ocean observations and services division, and Salomé Mormentyn, Polar Initiative coordinator at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
The IHO will also sign cooperation agreements with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and ProtectedSeas during the Assembly. For the first time, the opening ceremony and thematic session will be streamed live on the IHO’s YouTube channel.
Monaco reinvents its global marketing pitch every year, and it has to. In a world where luxury destinations compete fiercely for the attention of high-value travellers, standing still is not an option. This spring, Visit Monaco has launched its new international leisure campaign — and its central argument is one the Principality has long had reason to make: that there is considerably more to Monaco than its most famous exports.
‘Monaco, Everything At Once’ sets out to show the full picture.
The idea behind the campaign
The tagline is deceptively simple, but the thinking behind it is pointed. Monaco is 2.08 square kilometres. It is the second smallest country in the world. And yet within that space sits a concentration of experiences that would be remarkable in a city ten times its size: world-class sporting events, Michelin-starred restaurants, a serious museum and arts offering, pristine coastline, genuine wellness destinations, vibrant nightlife and — less often talked about — a natural environment of surprising richness, from the Jardin Exotique to the Larvotto Marine Reserve.
The campaign’s premise is that this is Monaco’s true competitive advantage, and that it has been underplayed. A visitor can move in a single day from a morning swim in the Mediterranean to a world-class gallery, a Michelin-starred lunch, an afternoon of sport, and a night that ends well past midnight. The multifaceted nature of the experience is not incidental — it is the point.
How it comes to life
The creative rollout comprises six visuals, each illustrating a different dimension of Monaco — sport, culture, dining, wellness, nightlife, nature — supported by headlines built to cut through in competitive international media environments. A destination film extends the narrative into something more immersive, weaving together scenes designed to convey the pace, richness and variety of what the Principality actually offers when experienced in full.
The distribution strategy is built around the international network of the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority and its overseas promotion offices, backed by a digital strategy across social media, institutional and partner websites, and targeted media placements across key markets.
What it is really saying
Guy Antognelli, Director of Tourism and Conventions for Monaco, framed the campaign as a reaffirmation of identity rather than a conventional destination pitch. “Monaco embodies a unique destination where every experience can be lived intensely and simultaneously,” he said. “We reaffirm our distinctiveness and our ability to offer, in a single place, an unparalleled richness of emotions and moments — a destination where every instant matters, and where everything truly happens at once.”
The underlying message: Monaco is not asking travellers to reconsider it as a luxury destination. It is asking them to reconsider what kind of luxury destination it actually is.
There are not many people who leave a job they love, move to New York, manage a private celebrity apartment at Tiffany & Co., and then return to the exact same role they left — but that is precisely what Chris Dhondt has done. In March, he was reappointed Director General of the Club des Résidents Étrangers de Monaco, known as CREM, a position he held for five years before decamping to the United States with his husband Stephen. He is back now, and by his own account, delighted to be here.
“What matters most is waking up and enjoying your work,” he says, sitting across from me in the CREM headquarters in Monaco. “Meeting people, organising activities. So I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it again’.”
A very good life, interrupted
Chris’ first chapter at CREM began when the club was navigating real challenges — financial pressure, falling membership, a team that needed restructuring. He threw himself into it, building what he describes as a family atmosphere among members and staff alike.
Then Stephen got the call. Ralph Lauren wanted him to run their flagship store in New York. “You don’t say no to that,” Dhondt says simply. “We also wanted to live our American dream.”
By the time Chris left, the finances at CREM were solid and membership was strong. “I felt like I had completed my mission,” he says. “In my mind, it was over.”
New York delivered, at least initially. Chris landed a role at Tiffany & Co., part of LVMH, overseeing customer experience at the New York flagship — specifically, a private apartment on the 10th floor that most of the store’s own employees had never seen. “We hosted VIP clients and celebrities — Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Dr. Jill Biden, Ed Sheeran — people who wanted to be very discreet.” He had a full team: concierge staff, hospitality, a driver. “It was incredible. It was a great time.”
But New York has a way of wearing people down. The pace, the noise, the relentlessness. “In the U.S., it’s really work, work, work. You have fewer vacations and you work weekends. At some point, we felt like we were only working.” That, he says, is when Europe started looking considerably more appealing.
CREM club house is a welcoming space for members
The return that almost didn’t happen
The plan, when they decided to come back, was Paris — Stephen with Ralph Lauren, Chris with LVMH. It seemed straightforward. Then Stephen sent a casual email to Monaco to let people know they were returning to Europe. The next day, his phone rang. The Metropole Shopping Centre wanted him back.
“At first, we weren’t sure,” Chris admits. Then the same day Stephen accepted, Chris received a call from CREM’s president, Louisette, telling him the previous director was leaving and asking if he could help find a replacement. He told her he was moving back to Monaco. There was a pause. “Later, I learned she already knew,” he laughs. “She had heard through connections. Monaco is small. Everyone knows everything.”
He took a day or two to think it over. The club he had left was in good shape — he had no unfinished business there. But his husband’s words stuck with him. “He reminded me how often I said I loved my job.” That was enough.
What CREM actually is
For those unfamiliar, CREM occupies a particular niche in Monaco’s social landscape. With more than 500 members drawn from the international community that now makes up the vast majority of the Principality’s population, it exists to solve a problem that money alone cannot fix: loneliness.
“People move here for tax or security reasons, leaving behind family and friends,” Chris says. “At first it looks like paradise, but once you settle, you can feel isolated.” CREM’s answer is a calendar of two to three activities every week — cocktails, wine tastings, exhibitions, weekends in Courchevel or Bordeaux, truffle hunting in Alba — and a culture of genuine connection. “It’s not like other clubs where you stay within your own group. Here, because of the size and the activities, you naturally meet others. People build real friendships.”
The club has also evolved since he last ran it. When Chris first took the helm, CREM had something of an older image. He set about changing that, introducing more social and dynamic programming, partnering with institutions like the International University of Monaco to attract younger members, and investing in social media. “It worked,” he says happily.
The family spirit, though, has remained constant. “When new members arrive, they are welcomed immediately. People connect straight away.”
Events are often held at the CREM club house in Monaco
Life back in Monaco
The readjustment, so far, has been easy. Chris and Stephen are in what he cheerfully calls the “honeymoon phase” — walking their golden retriever along Boulevard d’Italie to Larvotto in the mornings, rediscovering the quiet, the beauty, the unhurried pace of a very small place. “The quality of life here is amazing,” he says.
There is one thing he misses from New York. “Takeaway coffee. You can’t really grab a coffee and walk here like you can there.” He says it with a smile that suggests he has made his peace with the trade-off.
He has also noticed how Monaco has changed. Prices are up, particularly housing, and demand continues to outstrip supply. The international community has diversified further — more British residents, more Australians — drawn by a combination of tax efficiency and, increasingly, security. “In today’s uncertain world, Monaco feels like a safe haven,” he says.
What comes next
Chris is clear that he does not want to reinvent CREM. Its DNA — family, connection, genuine warmth — is not something to be interfered with. But he does want to raise the club’s ambitions. More partnerships. More exclusive services. A concierge dimension that helps members navigate Monaco’s particular complexities: bookings, events, travel, the kind of access that even significant wealth cannot always guarantee. “These are experiences you can’t buy, even with money,” he says, referencing the cooking classes held at the Prince’s Palace, or access to places normally closed to the public. “That’s what we offer.”
The club’s 16th anniversary cocktail is coming up in June, followed by a summer gathering and the Christmas celebration. Key moments, he says, when the full CREM family comes together.
“CREM is much more than a club,” he said publicly at the time of his appointment. “It is a space for meetings, exchanges and lasting connections. I am very happy to contribute to its development.”
Sitting here now, back in Monaco, back at the helm, it is clear he means it.
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters once again brought together world-class tennis, celebrity appearances and a vibrant Riviera atmosphere. From decisive moments on court to scenes from the stands, here is a look at the tournament through the lens.
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters once again drew a strong international field, with many of the top-ranked players competing for one of the most prestigious titles of the clay season. Throughout the week, the tournament delivered a series of closely contested matches, including a standout run from hometown hero Valentin Vacherot and the rise of a new world number one.
Beyond the court, the event upheld a true sense of Monaco, combining high-level sport with a refined social atmosphere. Prince Albert II, along with other key figures of the Principality, added to the occasion, reflecting the tournament’s important place in Monaco’s sporting calendar.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz share a moment at the net following their match on center court. Photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier
Carlos Alcaraz in action during a rally on the clay courts of Monte-Carlo. Photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier
The trophy ceremony unfolds on center court at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle / Monaco Life
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene with Valentin Vacherot, Charles Leclerc and Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy during the Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo source: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
Members of the Princely family and guests watch the action from the stands during the tournament. Photo credit: Frédéric Dides / Hans Lucas
Valentin Vacherot celebrates a point during his Monte-Carlo Masters run. Photo credit: Yaro T. / Yaro Films
Hugo Nys and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, representing Monaco and France, reached the doubles semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Monte-Carlo Country Club
Carlos Alcaraz and Valentin Vacherot embrace at the net following their match. Photo credit: Luke Entwistle / Monaco Life
Simone Zanoni, the Michelin-starred Italian chef and one of the most followed culinary figures in Europe, will open La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo at Monte-Carlo Beach on 12th June, Monte-Carlo SBM has revealed.
The restaurant – which regularly takes on new identies – occupies the tip of the Monte-Carlo Beach peninsula — one of the most striking positions on the Riviera coast.
From a Lombardy farm to the top of European gastronomy
Zanoni grew up on a farm near Lake Garda in Lombardy, where his grandmother shaped his instinct for fresh, seasonal ingredients from an early age. He moved to London at 18, worked his way through Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant group and eventually helmed Ramsay’s three-Michelin-star London flagship — earning the title of Best Italian Chef Working Abroad along the way — before relocating to Paris. There, his restaurant Le George earned a Michelin star in 2017, followed by a Michelin Green Star for his commitment to sustainable, eco-responsible cooking, including a 3,000 m² organic vegetable garden he created in the Yvelines to supply the kitchen directly.
Chef Simone Zanoni. Photo source: Monte-Carlo SBM
The chef who became a household name
What distinguishes Zanoni from most chefs of his calibre is the breadth of his appeal. During lockdown, he launched Casa Zanoni — a series of cooking videos filmed at home, unpretentious and joyful, that drew in an audience far beyond the world of professional gastronomy. His children, his kitchen, his passion for cars, his Italian warmth — all of it translated into a following of more than 6600,000 on instagram, alongside books, television appearances and a public presence that is, by the standards of the Michelin world, highly unusual. He has spoken often about his belief that good food should not come wrapped in formality. “Our clientele is relaxed and doesn’t like the stiff atmosphere of starred restaurants,” he has said. “Neither do I, actually.”
What to expect at La Vigie
The menu will draw on the same philosophy that has defined his cooking throughout his career: Italian at its core, built around seasonal produce, with pasta, fresh fish and generous sharing plates. The setting — decorated with lemons and bees, with small pots of honey on each table — suits his approach entirely.
La Vigie Zanoni Monte-Carlo runs from 12th June to 13th September.
Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo is back for its 2026 season with a lineup that spans American rap, international electro and a full programme of disco nights, as Monaco’s most storied club — founded more than 50 years ago — continues to build on the new format that won over crowds last year.
The club reopened on 20th March with a Villanova-branded disco night and a set from Brazilian DJ Marina Diniz, setting the tone for what promises to be its most festival-spirited season to date. Friday 10th April marked the first of five nights in collaboration with Coya Monte-Carlo, opening with a performance from DJ Francis Mercier.
The Coya partnership runs throughout the season, with further collaborative nights on 26th June with Alex Wann and a closing date on 25th September with Bob Sinclar — who brings the curtain down on the summer in typically emphatic fashion.
Between those bookings, the programme covers considerable ground. American rapper Quavo performs on 25th April. Carlita takes the decks on 24th July, Vintage Culture on 6th August and Monolik on 31st July. Marten Lou plays on 8th May.
Running parallel to the guest bookings is the launch of seven Disco Club nights, paying tribute to the sounds of the disco era across six dates from April through to September — on 24th April, 22nd May, 19th June, 18th July, 8th August and 11th September.
