Croatia has established itself as a bareboat sailing destination, shoulder to shoulder with Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain. But these destinations have another thing in common – they are also superyacht destinations, while Croatia is not one, yet.
With over 4000 bareboat charter yachts, the Croatian coast and archipelago have adapted to the bareboat customer, paying for a yacht on average 1.000 EUR per person, per week. The additional expenditures are usually about the same.
The infrastructure, the restaurants, the bars, the shopping areas, all catering to a certain type of client. The pizza and bakery businesses are booming, marinas are set up to accept mostly yachts of up to 60ft, the restaurants are mostly large and crowded.
Discretional spending is mostly on drinking and dining, there is not much else offered. A stroll through the historic cities will offer souvenirs, fast food and occasionally fine dining, but rarely there will be an opportunity for a shopping spree. And especially rare will be the opportunity to spend some serious cash on clothing, shoes, or accessories.
It regularly happens that clients disembark their charter yacht in Croatia, but then fly or drive directly to Venice, for the shopping and fine dining. Croatia is developing fast, but all transitions take time. This is why a superyacht show is maybe the best catalyst we can use.
It’s not enough to “park” some yachts on a dock and invite brokers to view them. There’s a reason why we call it a “show”. The show is supposed to present everything the brokers need to know to personally recommend to their clients to book in Croatia.
The arrival of brokers presents the “first impression”: Croatia Yacht Show made sure that the show is accessible from all over the world. The event is held next to Zadar airport, well connected to international travel hubs. And for those visiting the Monaco show, a direct charter flight is organized, from Nice to Zadar. Upon arrival, complementary transfers will take the brokers to the Falkensteiner hotels, three of which are booked for visitors to CYS.
Being coastal hotels, during the show, speedboat transfers will bring everybody to the show and back. The goal is to show the brokers that Croatia can be a well-organized and accessible destination that will take good care of their clients.
Even though the public will have limited access to the show, it’s still a B2B event. Access to boats will be regulated by a small army of well-dressed and extremely professional security personnel. An app will additionally aid viewings and meetings, so brokers can make the best use of their time.
Other than meetings and viewings on the yachts, several business lounges will be ready. There, snacks and refreshments will be served to brokers, while they open their laptops and manage their emails. The goal is that brokers manage their tasks efficiently, but do so in a relaxed and caring environment, just like their clients will later experience.
Other than catering in the professional area, there will be a food-truck village for those who like some adventure in their nutritional requirements. During the whole duration of the show, participants will have a choice of freshly prepared, local food available.
At one point, there will be a big cook-off organized, between five of the best nautical restaurants in the Croatian Adriatic: they will serve three-course meals to brokers, to present the local cuisine.
Three famous Croatian designers will present a line of superyacht designer uniforms, made from recycled materials – used fishing nets that would otherwise be polluting the seas. Owners and proprietors of superyachts will be able to secure unique and stylish uniforms for their crew.
Creativity is a big part of the yachting experience, and bringing a new and unique feature to a yacht show proves that we do not take anything for granted.
All clients that arrive in Croatia must find their way from an airport to their yacht. Regardless, if by car, bus or helicopter, this will be their first impression. An exhibit of all the major transfer providers will show helicopters, luxury cars and people carriers to choose from for future bookings.
A photo opportunity is needed to show the world of social networks, that one was on a yacht show. The CYS Sunset Party is held on top of the cruise terminal, with a perfect view of the port, the yachts, and the sun setting on the horizon. Every show needs a party, and both should be equally spectacular.
All this business around organizing a superyacht show is a lot of hard work, requires dedication to excellence and use of significant resources. Nevertheless, it will result in a brokers’ exceptional experience, that will put their mind at ease, and even excite them about recommending to their clients to venture to Croatia and experience the new Mediterranean superyacht destination.
