The Metropole Hotel has been awarded a spot in the top 10 hotels in France and Monaco by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for the fifth year in a row. The hotel also has the distinction of being the sole hotel in the Principality to receive the honour.
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Charles Leclerc secured a well-earned fourth place in difficult conditions at the Turkey Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite Leclerc leading the pack for a portion of the race, it was Bottas who secured the victory at a sodden Istanbul Park.
Qualifying in third place, Leclerc managed to keep his nose clean and maintain his position on the opening lap in greasy, slippery conditions. In contrast, Pierre Gasly received a penalty when he was adjudged to be culpable for Alonso’s first corner spin, which saw him relegated to the mid-field.
Throughout the field, there was very little overtaking, with drivers finding it difficult in the dirty air. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz were the exceptions to the rule, both of them fighting through the field after grid penalties had seen them relegated to 11th and 20th place respectively.
Hamilton pulled off a series of impressive overtakes to reach fifth place, whilst Sainz miraculously worked his way into the points from the back of the grid.
Amongst quicker cars, Leclerc managed to hold his own, clinging onto the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull whilst simultaneously creating a comfortable gap to Perez behind.
Whereas many of his rivals changed for a fresh set of intermediate tyres, Leclerc opted to stay out in the hope that his worn tyres could last the race. The decision initially seemed an astute one; Leclerc opened up a healthy lead, and many of those that pitted were complaining of graining.
However, as the condition of Leclerc’s tyres deteriorated, he struggled to keep the car on track, and two lock-ups at turn 12 saw his lead slashed. Bottas passed Leclerc to retake the lead, and with other rivals rapidly closing in, Leclerc was forced to pit.
The Monegasque driver rejoined in fourth position, narrowly ahead of Sergio Perez. However, with Leclerc complaining of a lack of rear grip, he was a sitting duck for the superior Red Bull car, who made a simple pass.
Leclerc was then under pressure from championship leader Hamilton, who was flying on a fresh set of intermediate tyres after a late pitstop. However, with an overtake seemingly inevitable, Hamilton’s new tyres began to grain and the drop-off in performance meant he had to settle for fifth.
Leclerc therefore maintained his fourth place, and Bottas, the outgoing Mercedes driver, took the chequered flag in emphatic style to secure his first victory of the season.
Verstappen’s second place was enough for him to retake the championship lead from Hamilton and take a six-point lead with only six races remaining.
An upbeat Leclerc found the positives in his fourth place result, despite his disappointment at narrowly missing out on a podium. “We were very competitive, especially in the first stint and the car felt good… it’s a shame that we lost out on a podium finish, but the performance was there which was a positive.”
Leclerc will go into the American GP in two weeks time in seventh place in the championship, half a point behind his team-mate Sainz.
Photos source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
Monaco Life with press release, photo by Michael Alessi, Government Communication Department
It was at the elegant Wine Palace that members of the Monaco Ambassadors Club gathered on Thursday for an evening of fine wines, entertainment, and a very important message from the Prince’s Foundation.
Monaco Ambassadors Club (MAC) Vice President Mike Powers opened the doors of the Wine Palace, of which he is co-owner, for club members to enjoy a relaxed evening on the Quai Louis II. As music played, the wine and champagne flowed and guests were able to come together in the spirit of the club.
But there was also an important purpose to the evening. Olivier Wenden, CEO and Vice President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, was guest of honour and delivered an important presentation about the most recent projects carried out by the Foundation.
He highlighted the fact that the Prince’s Foundation, which is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary, is the only foundation in the world that is presided over by a running head of state. He said that the foundation has supported more than 700 projects since its inception for a total amount of €84 million, and its flagship initiatives are BeMed, for a plastic-free Mediterranean Sea, The Med Fund, for sustainably managed MPAs in the Mediterranean basin, and the Monk Seal Alliance, protecting the emblematic monk seal.
MAC President Christian Moore reminded guests that club members are in a fortunate position to be able to help in ocean protection efforts and to fight climate change.
Meanwhile, 10% of all wine sales of the evening went towards the Prince’s Foundation.
Click on the images below to see more pictures of the evening. All photos by Yvan Grubski, Prince Albert Foundation…
We speak to Northrop and Johnson Managing Director of Europe Patrick Coote about artificial intelligence in the yachting industry, whether this year’s Monaco Yacht Show lived up to expectations, and what it’s like to head the fastest growing yacht brokerage in the continent.
Monaco Life: Where did Northrop and Johnson begin?
Patrick Coote: Northrop and Johnson (N&J) was started in the United States in 1949, to service the needs of wealthy New York clients, and it gradually spread throughout the US over the course of the next few decades.
About four years ago, the company came to Europe for the first time and set up offices in France, Monaco and Palma. I joined last year with the remit to significantly expand our operations across the whole of Europe. We now have a growing presence in those territories, plus representation in Istanbul, Malta, Italy and soon in London.
What are the key strategies to achieving such rapid growth in Europe?
It is through an absolute focus on three things that underpin our entire brand strategy. Firstly, our exceptional brokers. There are no minimum requirements, standards or qualifications needed to become a broker. It is as easy as getting a business card at the local print shop.
But we don’t want to put anyone in front of a client unless they are highly experienced and knowledgeable, can add value to the conversation, and know exactly what they’re talking about – not in a sales sense, but in a technical sense, from a financial, operational, legal, and taxation perspective, etc. So, we’re being highly selective in who we bring on, and we’re starting to see an appreciation that N&J does add value and is highly professional.
Secondly, our exceptional marketing, particularly marketing in a technological and digital sense. Yachting is a highly traditional space where it takes a long time for a new approach to get traction. In the yachting sector in the past, it’s been all about brochures and advertising in magazines and boat shows – very traditional activities. But we are virtually a fully digitally-focused company; we are 90% focused online. So, when we are either seeking new clients or marketing the yachts that belong to our clients, we are achieving significantly greater visibility for those yachts and generating significantly more leads for our brokers through significant investment in new technology and digital applications.
Thirdly, we are very focused on ocean conservation, because that is the playground where our clients go to have fun, so it’s imperative that we play our part in looking after the ocean to ensure that it is there for our clients to see, swim and dive in. There are numerous initiatives that we are undertaking in this area. Internally, we ensure that our own qualities and practices are sustainable, whether it is travel related, single use plastics related, carbon offsetting our operations, or whether it is providing onboard operational guidelines for the yachts in our charter fleet to try and ensure that onboard practices are as sustainable as possible.
We are also actively encouraging our yacht owners and charter guests to participate in philanthropic endeavours, to go and visit research centres during a charter, to take their children to coral regeneration fields to try and educate those who really have the means to make a financial impact on those philanthropic initiatives.
Is your company’s focus on digital technology a direct response to Covid?
No, it is something of a luck of coincidence. We were moving in this direction over the last few years, and the fact that the whole world has moved fully online in the last years is simply to our benefit, but it is a path we were on well before Covid. But the pandemic has certainly kicked us on – we have had to do five years of development in 12 months, but that’s fine we had the people already in place to embrace that.
What specifically are your advances in technology?
We’re particularly advanced in terms of Artificial Intelligence. We maintain close communication with our prospective clients and all of those who enquire about our listings initially through AI. So, whilst we are creating a huge volume of leads, those leads are communicated with and nurtured via AI technology before being passed to a broker. We don’t want to swamp brokers with leads until we’ve established the quality and true viability of those leads and enquiries, so all of the first stage of communication is via AI.
Can you tell us more about your new Monaco office?
Our new office is twice the size as the one we had previously, and our sales and charter activity is approximately 50% up on last year. We have 18 people in our office here in Monaco.
How do you feel the Monaco Yacht Show went this year?
All of the feedback has been very positive. We saw limited numbers and less boats than usual, but the quality of visitors was high, the level of interest was strong, and you can’t ask for more than good inquiries from qualified buyers. We had a lot of interest in the listings that we had on display, quality listings that were realistically priced, but you never truly know the outcome of a show until a few weeks after when you’ve sifted through the offers and negotiated with the owners. However, initial indications are very positive and the word on the dock amongst the industry was overwhelmingly positive. I think the increase in the ticket price has limited the numbers in a positive way.
As a side… N&J is a member of the Leading Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA).
Do you feel the organisers of the MYS delivered on their promise to provide something new and better this year?
We had several meetings with the MYS over the past 18 months and I think they took onboard a lot of the industry’s concerns about the quality of visitor, quality of the experience, and the overall return on investment (ROI) for those participating in the show. Therefore, the quality of visitor was better this year, the quayside experience was better, and I think we will see a significant improvement on ROI compared to previous years.
How are you finding the yachting industry in general, given the fact we are just starting to emerge from a year and half marked by the pandemic?
There has definitely been a carpe diem attitude to yachting, and increasingly so over the last 18 months. People who thought they would get a boat ‘one day’, have realised perhaps today is that day because we don’t know what is around the corner, life is uncertain, so let’s go and have some fun. And that sentiment is prevalent across the whole industry. We see very strong sales this year, a very strong market; we see ongoing interest from buyers, and we see shipyards that are full or are filling up and the interest is not waning at all. That’s for both sales and charter. So, right now the prospects for the industry over the next 12 months, at least, are still very positive and very strong.
Digital artist Houda Bakkali, recently featured in Monaco Life, is among the first in the world to be selected for an NFT drop by the acclaimed TIME media group, with her digital art inspired by Monaco.
As of Thursday 23rd September, collectors have been able to purchase digital artworks, under the title TIMEPieces, via a randomised, blind drop on nft.time.com. The drop consists of a variety of editions totaling 4,676 pieces, with each TIMEPiece priced at 0.1 ETH.
“While many of the NFT drops that have happened to date within the media space have focused on high-end single editions or multiple versions of collectables, the release of TIMEPieces marks the first time a major media brand has taken on a Web3 approach toward building community and using this technology as an innovative extension of our current Digital Subscription efforts,” said TIME in a statement.
The international artists for the genesis collection of TIMEPieces were selected by TIME Creative Director D.W. Pine and include a mix of experienced NFT artists and traditional artists. They use a wide variety of approaches to their work including photography, illustration and painting. Nearly a quarter have produced covers for TIME in the past, while half have never produced a NFT. Some of the pieces are still, some are animated, and all are original to TIME. Each piece in the collection is themed around the idea of ‘Building a Better Future’.
One of the artists is Houda Bakkali, a Spanish-Moroccan digital artist who regularly exhibits in the Principality of Monaco.
“When I received the invitation to take part, it seemed like a unique opportunity in many ways,” Bakkali told Monaco Life, “especially, as a way to get into the NFTs cosmos through an iconic magazine with almost 100 years of history. The ‘Building a Better Future’ campaign was also an ideal opportunity to unite synergies with other artists and show the world that together, with energy, passion and attitude, a better future is possible.”
Titled ‘Apasionadamente’ (Passionately), the piece, says Bakkali, was inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean, from Monaco to San Remo. “The polka dots beat to the rhythm of the heart and play with the psychology of colour, drawing worlds where goals are met. The ideas move in gentle undulations, like the sea when it is calm. The flowers, which pay a tribute to nature, embrace the woman, who represents strength, serenity, sensuality, beauty and life. This piece represents the desire of a dynamic future, without limits, full of creativity, fantasy, partying and fun. The desire of a better and passionate future based on accomplished dreams.
Houda Bakkali, who is also known for her work in augmented reality, says she is excited at the potential NFTs hold for artists – those who are willing to let go of their fears, to research the field, and to look to the future.
“The NFTs cosmos, in addition to being exciting – almost addictive – presents many opportunities for artists,” she says. “But like everything in life, we have to work, know the rules of the game, be patient and, fundamentally, enjoy the ride.”
Collectors will be also able to purchase TIMEPieces on the secondary market via OpenSea once the initial drop is completed.
Meanwhile, the collection will be turned into a hardcover book available later this year and will also be on display at Dreamverse, the world’s first NFT Art and Music Festival in New York City on 4th November.
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