Following Monday’s announcement that Monaco Yacht Show 2020 will be an “intimate” affair, Monaco Life spoke to the show’s Director Gaëlle Tallarida about organising this year’s event amid an unprecedented environment of uncertainty. 
 
Monaco Life: What is the feeling among the local yachting industry now that you have been able to confirm that the Monaco Government and Informa are pushing ahead with this year’s Monaco Yacht Show?
Gaëlle Tallarida: Even before the announcement made this week, some exhibitors had decided to confirm their participation in the show (if the Covid19 pandemic improves with the arrival of summer). So we can assume that Monday’s announcement will strengthen their position. Other exhibitors await the evolution of the pandemic in the coming weeks. It is in this perspective that we wanted to reassure the yachting industry on the framework of the show and in particular on the sanitary measures implemented to ensure the safety of participants. Other companies have decided to cancel their participation given the current health framework. As every year, each exhibiting company is free to participate in the event with a presence in terms of exhibition space that it chooses according to its commercial and marketing strategy (stand area, number of yachts on display for example), so it’s the same this year. 

You have labelled this year’s event an “intimate” yacht show. How different – in terms of scale – are you expecting it to be compared to last year?
The intimate nature of this year’s show, with a focus on putting the safety of participants first, will maintain the quality of the event for all participants, with exhibition areas which are in line with usual stand organisation: The quays will still be dedicated to brokers, shipyards, designers, yacht management and tender manufacturers. Large tents will regroup equipment and services companies, and decoration and interior design companies will be located on Parvis Piscine.

The Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) and the seven yacht brokers belonging to the Large Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA) have pulled out of this year’s event, saying the 2020 edition of MYS should not go ahead. What is your response to this and how will the withdrawal of these associations affect the show?
We are all coping with an unprecedented situation. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the businesses of everyone. Each will have different plans for the remainder of the year. This is understandable. We respect the decision of any company to withdraw from the MYS, whatever the reason. Each company faces its own commercial and economic issues and we must respect this, keeping in mind that our mission is to support any yachting company that would like to recover in the aftermath of Covid-19. And we’ll always be there for any company that needs the support and the long-standing experience of the MYS. 
With restrictions on international travel still uncertain, are you expecting a stronger European presence at this year’s show?
The MYS attracts visitors from worldwide indeed, and we know that there are lots of exhibitors and visitors coming from Europe. As we will run an intimate show with a low density controlled footfall, this can be turned as an opportunity for European citizens to attend the show. The first brake is safety. Everyone of us must now face a new reality with health and safety constraints. Our mission is to set the highest health and safety standards to reassure the visitors that would like to come.
When will we know for sure if the 2020 edition of the Monaco Yacht Show will go ahead? 
We’re currently working on the pragmatic details of the health and safety measures with Informa and the Monegasque Government. But if, by 20th July, the evolution of the Covid‐19 pandemic renders it impossible to put on an MYS that complies with the highest levels of sanitary measures we want to set, the MYS will not go ahead as planned.

Read more: 2020 MYS will be smaller, not-for-profit