MYS 2012: Gaëlle Tallarida Discusses This Year's Show

At the nerve centre of the organising is Gaëlle Tallarida, managing director of the Monaco Yacht Show, whose role throughout the year is to piece together the mind-boggling logistics of hosting one of the biggest trade fairs on the global calendar.

Superyachts.com sat down with Ms Tallarida at the show to discuss how she thinks this year’s event is likely to pan out for exhibitors, and the substantial challenges involved in putting it all together.

“The docks are very busy,” she said on the morning of the show’s second day. “A lot of people already came for the first day, and exhibitors are quite optimistic about how the show will go in the next few days.”

She continued: “We already had a lot of people talking about the show worldwide in the international media, so it’s very good to hear that all of the world is looking at the show this week.

“During the year we work a lot, on very small details,” she said, “but at the end it makes the Monaco yacht show which is a very good thing for us because we see the results of our hard work during the year.”

So what new initiatives can visitors expect to see at this year’s show?

“We have adapted the show,” she said. “We have improved the positioning of the yachts so we can fit longer yachts, and also we have created the upper deck lounge, which is located in a private piscine.

“It’s a neutral place where everybody can come with their clients and have a drink, or go in a small private meeting room. And of course we find there the stands of our main sponsors Ulysse Nardin and BMW.”

Finally, we asked Ms Tallarida what she is expecting from the Monaco yacht show this year, and her response was short and succinct.

“Oh, what every exhibitor is expecting – signing contracts!”