What is the trend this year?
At our level, we have a lot of so-called Grand Voyage boats, whether they are sailing units or multihulls, with aluminum hulls or units that allow us to go far away. The Grand Voyage is a trend that is developing. The Grand Pavois remains a show that is very open to the Atlantic with the idea of going offshore and living great adventures.
We also gained new exhibitors, both in boats and in equipment, which is quite interesting considering the context. This year we have 130 more than last year. They are Swedish, Italian, Finnish or even Spanishâeuros¦ This shows that there is still some confidence in the event.
What is the specificity of the Grand Pavois?
It is the fact of being able to try the boats, it is one of our big specificities. The season is also important, because September allows us to launch the new products for 2016. It is interesting for the dealer network and for the enthusiast who can try and discover the boats.
Moreover, there is the election of the European Yacht of the Year just before the Grand Pavois. This allows us to discover the boats since all the nominees will be present at the show. Finally, at the end of the Grand Pavois, there will be the election of the sailboat of the year by Voile Mag and the motorboat of the year by Moteur Boat.
Another of our specificities is the number of new products exhibited, whether for the year 2016 or ongoing.
The Grand Pavois is also the thematic areas: sailing, motor, fishing which is in development this year. There will be a fishing competition at sea that will bring together prostaffers (sponsored by brands), but also meetings with the public to share techniques between enthusiastsâeuros¦ Today, fishing is developing a lot, boat dealers have developed specific boats for fishing, but also electronicsâeuros¦
There is also the Beach (with all the board sports). We are one of the only salons in the world with our feet in the sand. We can easily launch sport catamarans, organize stand-up paddle sessions. Every year we celebrate 1500 baptisms that allow new people to go on to water sports.
Another of our specificities is also the guest country of honor. This year, it will be the islands of Guadeloupe which have been present for 20 years at the Grand Pavois. It is also a department and a region of France where there are many registrations and also many charterers. Finally, there is the thematic area, Heritage and Tradition
This year, we have developed a new space, the "Atypical Boats" space, to allow small yards to exhibit at Grand Pavois which is a nationwide exhibition, at the lowest cost. Many yards do not have a communication department, so we bring them together in a specific area with a service developed to help them promote their know-how. It is interesting to question ourselves and to always satisfy the actors of the nautical industry. Tools for the nautical professionals.
