London Yacht Show relaunched as 'boutique' event offering slice of luxury in heart of the capital

The newly relaunched London Yacht Show, to take place from May 8-12 at St Katharine Docks in the heart of London, is being billed as a ‘boutique’ event, with a VIP preview day very much setting the tone for the show that will focus on high-end luxury products.

In the two weeks since the event was relaunched as London Yacht Show, Sunseeker, Princess and Fairline have joined more than 10 brands that have signed up to exhibit their boats & yachts including: Azimut; Bayliner; Bavaria Power & Sail; Chris Craft Boats; Discovery Yachts; Greenline; Hallberg Rassy; Malibu Boats; Sunsail Yacht Ownership and Sealine. More brands are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, with the organisers in close discussion with at least another eight builders.

Addressing media at a press conference in London, Andrew Williams, president, Maritime, Informa Markets, said: “The decision to completely relaunch this event was not taken lightly so to get the immediate support of such significant brands is a true reflection of the confidence the industry has that London Yacht Show will be an important platform in the international boat show calendar.”

The relaunched show replaces the London On Water Boat Show, which was acquired by Informa in late 2018, and will be organised by Informa Markets with partners, British Marine and St Katharine Docks.

“This will be a significantly different show to previous years,” added Williams, “and follows on from extensive research to ensure we are delivering the right audience to the exhibitors while providing a great on-water experience for visitors.”

The organisers are hoping to attract around 12,000 visitors, and Williams confirmed that builders will be allowed to show no more than three models in an attempt to broaden the brand, type and size of boats on display. The Docks has capacity to show around 60 boats of up to 35m and there is room for eight superyachts adjacent to the Docks.

The decision to rebrand and evolve London Yacht Show into a world class luxury event in the heart of the capital has also been welcomed by Colin Capewell, Managing Director of Princess Motor Yacht Sales, who said: “To be able to showcase our boats in this iconic setting, on-water, is a great platform for us to reach our customer base. We look forward to supporting this event and seeing the new audience that is delivered.”

Keeping the venue as the historic St. Katharine Docks, London Yacht Show will host two floating villages with full size event marquees including a Platinum Pavilion, featuring luxury yachting and lifestyle products and a Monument Marquee, featuring boating accessories and toys.

Luxury cars, bikes, trailer boats will be on display at the Docks’ Marble Quay. VIP Elite guests will enjoy a preview day on the Wednesday and VIP ticket holders will be able to enjoy the floating champagne bar, VIP Lounge and Concierge service.

Speaking for British Marine, Lesley Robinson, CEO, British Marine, said: “Our alliance with Informa hopes to deepen the show’s ties to the marine industry and enable key partners, from yacht builders and brokers to luxury goods manufacturers, to participate in shaping the development and growth of London Yacht Show in the future.”

The Yacht show market is not new to the Informa business which has a portfolio of world class maritime events including the prestigious Monaco Yacht Show in Europe as well as the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and Miami Yacht Show. Informa’s extensive visitor database will no doubt play an important part in ensuring the event attracts the HNWIs to live up to its billing.

“We made it clear that our requirements were for the show to attract new visitors and offer them a luxurious environment in which to interact with a broad range of high-end brands”

As part of its relaunch, London Yacht Show, will open on the Wednesday for an exclusive VIP Elite function and press afternoon which will give guests the opportunity to preview the over 60 yachts and boats on display.

Speaking for Fairline Yachts, Miles Moorhouse, Head of Marketing, said: “When we first met the Informa team, we made it clear that our requirements were for the show to attract new visitors and offer them a luxurious environment in which to interact with a broad range of high-end brands. We are delighted that we were listened to and are sure that this is going to be a winner!”

Tickets will be available for visitors to purchase in mid-February through the website: www.londonyachtshow.com

The London Yacht Show will open: Wednesday 8th: 2pm – 9pm (VIP Elite & Press Only) – this is the pre-show viewing for VIP Elite pass holders only.

Visitors can purchase tickets, which will be priced from £30 up to £160-£180 for VIP passes, to attend: Thursday 9th: 11am – 8pm; Friday 10th: 11am – 8pm; Saturday 11th: 10am – 6pm and Sunday 12th: 10am – 5pm.