Objectives achieved!

With a host of new boats previewed, 800 international brands from 33 different countries in attendance, and more than 700 boats on display on land, including 300 afloat, the Grand Pavois La Rochelle confirmed its status as a business show, a show of new boats, a meeting place for tomorrow’s boating trends, and a benchmark show for the French and European boating industries. In terms of visitor numbers, the international afloat show will have attracted 72,000 visitors (73,000 in 2022), with a rainy Thursday and a closing day shifted to Monday (from Tuesday to Sunday in 2022).

In terms of exhibitors and professionals, the Atlantic show sold out in June, welcoming 130 new exhibitors and 68 new brands. This year’s show also saw a 30% increase in the surface area dedicated to OEMs, the presence of new countries and new foreign regions such as Spain, Brazil and Sicily, and the strong growth of the ‘Eco-navigation & Sustainable Innovations with EDF’ area, which welcomed 52 companies and start-ups this year (23 in 2022), not forgetting South Africa as guest of honour in 2023.

Alain Pochon (President of Grand Pavois Organisation):

Satisfaction and a trend…

‘This 2023 edition has been satisfactory on a number of counts. First of all, we should be closing the show this evening with almost 72,000 visitors. On the business side, many professionals have told me how satisfied they are, and that they have achieved their objectives in a number of sectors, including boat builders, equipment manufacturers and services. While the market is still predominantly focused on powerboats, this year we saw renewed interest in sailing boats. So some business has been done, and we’re pleased to hear it. This confirms that our show is an important date for our profession. The Grand Pavois La Rochelle, the last major boat show in France this year, confirms that it is an important meeting place for the industry and a real opportunity to take the pulse of the year to come.’

Loyal partners who listen to us…

‘Grand Pavois Organisation and its Board of Directors would like to thank all its public partners, who have responded to our invitation, including the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Charente-Maritime Department and the La Rochelle CDA, not forgetting the City of La Rochelle and the La Rochelle Marina. It’s important for us to have these public partners by our side and to work with them to build the Grand Pavois La Rochelle of tomorrow. In concrete terms, the show enables us to look ahead to the future of our event and to build, adapt and direct our offer and services in order to meet the expectations of the professionals present in the best possible way. I must remind you that the Grand Pavois La Rochelle has been an association since its inception, and it is our duty to keep in step with the expectations of the market and its professionals. We would also like to thank all the private partners of our event.