All the glamour of the Cannes Yachting Festival, the power of the Genoa Boat Show, the luxury of the Monaco Yacht Show, the growth ofthe Puglia Boat Show: the period of the fall boat shows, certainly distinct events, each with its own peculiar soul, but at the same time complementary, has ended again this year. In the immediate moment, when one crosses the exit threshold of these impressive shows, it is difficult to understand what the real news was, what information to take home, in short, what tomorrow’s boating world will look like. Just let a little time pass, however, and day by day one is able to “filter out” what are the real innovations and points of interest that have arisen from the fall boat shows, beyond the products actually presented. Thus, it becomes possible to isolate individual pieces of information to understand how the boating world is changing, what boats will be mooring at the berths in our Ports of Genoa tomorrow, as well as what will be the “must-have” accessories.

The first of the fall boat shows: Cannes Yachting Festival

Boats with novel designs, engines with peculiar innovations, next-generation nautical accessories, technologies capable of reducing costs and waste: of novelties during these fall boat shows there have been many. It is not surprising that many of these were presented in Cannes, for the simple fact that this is the show that opens the golden month of international boating.

The primacy of the Cannes Yachting Festival is certainly not tied solely to the date. In fact, it is the largest boat show in Europe, with the Croisette having been a reference point for French, European and global boating for years. This year’s show took place between September 9 and 14, presenting the public with the beauty of 711 boats (up to 50 meters in length) and as many as 680 exhibitors. Getting your bearings in Cannes is easy, with Port Canto dedicated to Sailing Boats and Vieux Port to Motor Boats: in total, the French kermesse hosted more than 150 world premieres (suffice it to say that the Ferretti group showed up in France with no less than 7 global debuts).

The fact that the Cannes Yachting Festival continues to look to the future is confirmed by the increasing centrality of the Innovation Route (launched in 2024), which focuses on projects aimed at making boating more sustainable. Moreover, in this latest edition, much space was given to the Innovation Route Awards, which, for example, honored Vaan Yacht’s VAAN R5, a 49-foot sailboat made from recycled aluminum and circular materials, which in turn is 95 percent recyclable; and Benetti Yachts’ B.Yond 37, a 37-meter superyacht powered by hybrid engines to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 24 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 85 percent.

Among the top players in Cannes were Azimut, with the debut of the new Grande 30M; the aforementioned Benetti; and San Lorenzo, which brought no fewer than 10 yachts to Cannes.

The Genoa Boat Show: more than 1,000 boats

It has been said that Cannes is the largest boat show in Europe. It may be because of parochialism, it may be because it is always a big event for our marina as well, it may be because it is the biggest Italian show: for these and other reasons, we want to mention first of all that the Genoa Boat Show has been growing for years , qualitatively and quantitatively, and that it actually has the cards to challenge Cannes.

As boaters who took advantage of our ports in downtown Genoa to visit the show are well aware, the show was staged between September 18 and 23. More than 1,000 boats were on display, with 96 premiers and exhibitors from 45 countries. Here, too, visitors’ eyes were hopelessly enraptured by the new creatures from Azimut and Ferretti, not to mention Cappelli’s magnificent Stradivari 52, theinnovative Dufour 54 and the stylish Itama 54, to name but a few.

Of course, those who have passed through our port of Genoa have also brought some subtle criticism to the Show: for example, there are those who complain about the small number of small sailboats, as well as those who point the finger at the very few catamarans. But, to be fair, the Genoa Boat Show is constantly growing, and there is no shortage of margin.

Monaco Yacht Show: space for luxury yachts

The principality’s boat show was confirmed again this year as the premier event for luxury yachting. Between September 23 and 26 in Port Hercule , more than 120 superyachts were presented to the public , with an exhibition boasting an average length of as much as 47 meters.

Thus, the giants of the sea are the stars here, hulls that are first and foremost daydreams, in many cases designed and built in Italy. And fueling the dreams of sailors from all over the world have been precisely Cantiere delle Marche, with its 47-meter ocean explorer RJ; the majestic Katana, the 60-meter sailing yacht from Perini Navi; or again, the 39-meter elegance of the Swan 128.

More than a trade show, an exhibition, a stage for the highest-end brands, a prestigious and elite meeting point: just think of the fact that daily admission cost more than 700 euros.

SNIM Puglia boat show’s desire to grow

We close with a decidedly smaller and younger boat show, which, however-and several sailors mooring at our marina in Genoa confirm this to us-has experienced good growth. SNIM, the Puglia Boat Show that was staged between October 9 and 13 in Brindisi, reached its 21st edition. A total of 300 boats were on display between sea and land, with the main Italian shipyards alongside smaller and more artisan realities, representing the nautical production fabric of the South.

But that’s not all: in fact, there were operators from 16 countries in Brindisi, demonstrating that the event is becoming increasingly international, aiming to become a strategic hub for boating in the Mediterranean.