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The Cannes Yachting Festival is one of the key meeting points for the international yachting and boating industry. Bringing together hundreds of exhibitors, more than 700 boats and yachts, and tens of thousands of visitors across Vieux Port and Port Canto, the festival offers a unique opportunity to see the industry from a global perspective- from yacht builders and brokers to equipment manufacturers, service providers and industry organizations.
For the Bulgarian Yachting Association (BYA), attending Cannes was about more than visiting one of the world’s major yacht shows. It was an opportunity to put Bulgaria into the conversations and to understand how our country is perceived within the international yachting community.
As an organization working to connect professionals, businesses and institutions within the yachting scene, BYA sees international engagement as an important part of its role. Cannes brought together many of the companies and professionals who shape the industry internationally. Being there allowed BYA to introduce the Association, explain what we are working towards and, importantly, listen to the people already operating in the market.
Throughout the show, we had conversations with yacht builders, brokers, charter and management companies, captains, crew, service providers and other industry professionals. These conversations gave us the opportunity to discuss not only opportunities, but also some of the practical challenges affecting the development of yachting in Bulgaria. The feedback was open and direct– exactly what is needed when trying to understand where there is potential for progress.
One of the most interesting aspects of attending an international event like Cannes is hearing how Bulgaria is viewed from outside the country. The conversations we had showed that there is interest in Bulgaria and recognition of its potential, but also that there are questions around the country’s infrastructure, regulations, services, visibility and the overall ease of doing business.
These are not challenges that can be addressed overnight. They require cooperation between businesses, professionals, institutions and the wider industry community.
This is precisely where BYA sees its major role: to help bring the different parts of the industry together, represent the potential of Bulgarian yachting, and create stronger connections between Bulgaria and the international market and professionals.
Cannes was also a great opportunity to meet Bulgarians working across the international yachting scene- from crew and brokers to business owners and representatives of some of the industry’s biggest names. It was a reminder of how many Bulgarian professionals are already part of the global yachting community.
Bringing these connections closer together and creating a stronger network around Bulgaria is an important part of what BYA wants to build– both for the benefit of professionals working internationally and for the development of the industry at home.
For us at the Bulgarian Yachting Association, the visit was therefore both an introduction and a learning experience. We arrived with the goal of presenting the Association and Bulgaria, and left with new contacts, new perspectives and many questions worth exploring further.
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