Le Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 will take place from September 9 to 14 in Cannes. On the occasion of this major European and global nautical event, we were able to interview the show director: Sylvie Ernoult, in prime time!
To begin, can you remind us what makes this show unique compared to other major nautical events?
The inaugural event of the nautical season and the largest in-water show in Europe, the Cannes Yachting Festival takes place each year in the idyllic and iconic setting of the Côte d'Azur. Situated between the Vieux Port and Port Canto, this unique venue is internationally renowned for its elegance and luxury, offering a true haven for sea enthusiasts and visitors alike.
The Festival stands out for its eclectic selection. It brings together a wide variety of boats from 5 to 50 meters, including sailboats, motor yachts, rigid and semi-rigid hulls, monohulls, multihulls, electric and hybrid boats, as well as a wide range of equipment and services. This diversity perfectly reflects the show's creativity and thus offers its visitors an exceptionally rich content, both in quality and quantity.
The Festival is an invitation to explore the best of the nautical environment, in an exceptional natural setting that combines elegance, performance and a spirit of adventure.
Can you share with us some key figures from this edition: number of exhibitors – expected visitors, number of boats exhibited?
Exhibitor registrations are still open, but the 2025 edition is expected to once again reach full capacity, with around 640 exhibitors and 700 boats expected. More than 150 world premieres will also be presented, highlighting the innovation and novelty at the heart of the festival.
Regarding attendance, around 55 international visitors are expected, demonstrating the media importance and global reach of the event.
What types of visitors does the Cannes Yachting Festival attract? Is there a shift towards a younger or more international clientele?
Each year, the Cannes Yachting Festival attracts a high-quality international audience from 130 countries, made up of buyers, investors, enthusiasts, and nautical professionals. This profile is gradually evolving: we are seeing a natural opening to a younger clientele, who also seem to be more interested than their elders in new technologies, more responsible sailing methods, and a more sustainable approach to yachting.
This rising generation of buyers is looking for easily accessible products thanks to the technological evolution that is being installed on today's ships and allows for easier and better supported navigation.
Today's visitors are also interested in respecting the environment, but without sacrificing comfort or pleasure. They reflect an underlying trend across the entire sector: luxury is now associated with values of innovation and eco-responsibility.
This dynamic confirms the attractiveness of the show and demonstrates its ability to meet the expectations of an increasingly diverse public.
Your career has led you to manage one of the most prestigious boat shows. What personal connection do you have with the maritime world?
My connection to the maritime world is deep and rooted in my family roots. I am originally from Le Havre, a port that symbolizes the call of the open sea, maritime trade, and life focused on the sea. I was naturally drawn to this world at a very young age, and I began my career in 1985 with a major shipowner in Le Havre, working on financial arrangements and operational monitoring of large cargo ships and cruise liners.
In 1992, I joined the yacht charter company Stardust, where I worked for over ten years between France and the United States. I supported the development of high-end yachting, oversaw the merger of the American subsidiary after its acquisition by Sunsail, and led the launch of luxury crewed sailing catamaran cruises.
A lover of the sea and a lifelong passion for water sports, I am committed to making the Cannes Yachting Festival an event that showcases luxury craftsmen, exceptional constructions, but also the sector's more responsible commitments.
Since you took over as head of the festival, how has your vision for the event evolved? Has there been a strategic shift in recent years?
Since I took office, the vision of the Cannes Yachting Festival has evolved to better meet the expectations of a rapidly changing sector and the demands of an ever-growing public.
Each year also brings its share of improvements or reorganizations that are less strategic for the show but important for the quality of reception of our participants. Over the years, we have done everything to streamline the visitor experience by going ever further in an organization by type of product, by giving a color to each large thematic space to help our visitors find their way, by consolidating the organization of our maritime shuttles, by adjusting our entrances…
We have also become aware of the growing environmental challenges and the ever-increasing involvement of our exhibitors. To support them, we created the "Green Route," which has become the "Innovation Route," with the aim of highlighting the eco-responsible solutions developed to our visitors and giving them greater visibility. This year, we are creating the "Innovation Route Awards" to reward the most remarkable "green" developments.
All of these developments reflect the desire to constantly adapt the show, so that it always maintains high-quality content, remains at the forefront of innovation, quality of reception and sustainability.
What are the biggest logistical or human challenges that you and your teams face each year?
Organizing the Cannes Yachting Festival is a real challenge every year, a huge puzzle to be perfectly assembled. As soon as we receive the registrations, approximately 10 months before the event, we discover the specific needs of each exhibitor and the constraints they face. Finding the ideal location for each boat and each stand is often a headache, as it requires optimizing the available space, respecting safety constraints on land and afloat, and following a coherent exhibition logic, which highlights each product in its category.
Logistics is also a major challenge: this includes coordination with exhibitors, management of port infrastructure, installation of necessary equipment, and coordination with our important partners who sweep and modify the port bottoms, install more than 500 pontoons and barges afloat and position the outdoor stands with more than 600 tents on the quays.
In terms of quality and service, we must also consider the welcome and experience of visitors, who may be curious novices or experts who have come to buy their next boat. Whether for general public visitors or VIPs, our goal is to offer them an exceptional, pleasant, and seamless visit, where they will find everything they are looking for, whether it be boats or nautical-related products.
Each year, our greatest challenge is therefore to constantly improve the quality and content of the show, while responding to the demands of all stakeholders: former exhibitors, new entrants, visitors of all profiles.
It's a giant Tetris game, where every piece must fit together perfectly to ensure the event's success.
Innovation is a key pillar of the nautical industry. What trends are emerging this year in terms of technology and design?
There's a growing trend toward hybrid and electric-powered boats, with a real increase in the use of solar energy. Shipyards, both large and small, have understood the environmental challenge and are tackling it with great creativity. Buyers are also looking for increasingly eco-friendly and innovative boats, with a high level of comfort and technology, regardless of the boat's size.
Artificial intelligence and new technologies are now playing an important role in this transformation. We're seeing the arrival of increasingly intelligent onboard systems: automated energy management, assisted navigation, connected interfaces, etc. Boats are becoming more intuitive, more efficient, and also more secure. And this is very popular, especially among demanding customers looking for tailor-made solutions.
The festival has strong local roots. What economic benefits do you think this generates for Cannes and the surrounding region?
The Cannes Yachting Festival is one of the largest events hosted by the city. As Europe's premier in-water show and the season's premier nautical event, it occupies a strategic position for the entire tourism industry.
In terms of reception, infrastructure and mobilization of local services, the show is a major event which generates significant international attendance and reinforces the attractiveness of Cannes as a destination.
Every year, more than 5000 professionals (more than 600 exhibiting companies) and 55 visitors from more than 000 countries come together, strongly involving all local stakeholders: hotels, restaurants, transport, technical service providers, etc.
This success is also based on close and constant collaboration with the city, to make the Cannes Yachting Festival a real economic and tourist driver for the region.
Through your discussions with professionals, what major movements or expectations do you identify in the world of yachting today?
As mentioned earlier, the trend toward greener boating is on everyone's lips. The industry is mobilizing to shape a more sustainable future, where technology rhymes with energy efficiency and respect for the environment. This new wave is accompanied by an increase in onboard comfort: optimized volumes, eco-responsible materials, interior design inspired by luxury hotels, on-board home automation, silence on board... Nothing is left to chance.
They also need to optimize their production and distribution costs to control the price increase of boats and at the same time constantly innovate to meet the demand of buyers looking for increasingly well-equipped and clean boats. A major challenge for the industry!
If I had to describe this edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 in three words, I would choose: innovation, commitment, and emotion. This last year at the helm of the show is a powerful moment for me, filled with pride and gratitude, as the show continues to reinvent itself while remaining true to its values and its passionate audience. And I will leave with confidence because I know that the show's strong and unique position will endure for a long time to come.
Photos: Cannes Yachting Festival
