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YACHT CLASS N°31 (DECEMBER 2022 / JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023)
Created last year by Monaco Marina Management (M3), the Monegasque event has become an internationally-recognized platform for exchanges on the design and management of more environmentally friendly nautical infrastructures.
Written by Aurore Teodoro – Photos : Mesi et Simone Spada / Yacht Club de Monaco.
This is another “success story” launched in the Principality. After a fruitful premiere in 2021, late septembre, on the eve of the yacht show, the Yacht Club de Monaco hosted the 2nd edition of the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous. And this event organized by Monaco Marina Management (M3), under the aegis of the collective “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting” brand, has, once again this year, attracted more than 250 people – industrialists, investors, innovators, marina developers, architects and yachting players… all gathered with the ambition to make marinas more sustainable and environmentally friendly. A vast and ambitious program.
A two-day program
After a promising first edition, it was only logical that Monaco Marina Management, accompanied by Blumorpho, experts in innovation for sustainable business, should repeat the event. This time, this platform for industry players was organized over two days. “After creating the ecosystem last edition, we focused on interactions this year,” said Géraldine Andrieux Gustin, CEO of BluMorpho. A comprehensive program awaited participants, with first a day of exhibitions, interactions and networking; followed the next day by round tables on “the Blue Economy” and “Business value brought by positive impact and sustainability” plus seven workshops on key themes such as biodiversity protection, coastal design, energy and water optimization, marina management, new building materials… The event ended with the International Smart & Sustainable Awards, rewarding the most innovative solutions. “This concept of jury is very important for us because it facilitates networking before the day. During the summer, we had more than 175 meetings between start-ups, corporate, marinas architects… which allowed us to set the background for discussions, potential collaboration points”, Géraldine Andrieux Gustin said. In total, more than 200 projects were reviewed by M3 and Blumorpho. Fifty of them, from 25 countries, were then selected to be listed in a public e-catalogue. These start-ups were then interviewed by a jury composed of marina managers, large companies and investors, who had to select seven finalists for the Award. A token of quality for the contestants. “For them, it’s a form of communication,” says José Marco Casellini, the event’s creator and CEO of M3. “Some present themselves by highlighting their Award or their good ranking… Others mention their collaboration on their website. It’s rewarding.” It must be said that, since its first edition, the Monegasque event has been a springboard for its participants. Terroïko, the third winner of 2021, had doubled its staff since last year. H2x Ecosystem “has had many opportunities and now works with multiple partners in different geographical areas,” Géraldine Andrieux Gustin said. This has generated a lot of interest for this event, including from former participants. “Many candidates were back to present an evolution of their project. This is also the life of a start-up. They evolve, get stronger and better understand the evolution of the market. It is important for us to allow these companies to meet again these crucial players”, the CEO of Blumorpho said.
A constantly evolving event
For this second edition, awards have been extended to marinas and architects. A logical step that aims to integrate all aspects of the marina. “It’s not just a building but also land developments… We sought to insert the various elements”, confirmed José Marco Casellini. “A marina must be a life centre, not just a parking spot for boats, a yacht club or a sailing school. For us, it is practically a smart city because there are many connections between its different actors.” For this grand premiere, nine marinas and eight architects had their work reviewed by an international jury, chaired by British sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte (see results). An interesting first for the CEO of M3, who is already announcing a third edition, with a lot of novelties. “We want to make our event evolve every year to continue to create interest. We have many ideas, we will move towards “smart yacht”. We may invite shipyards, architects and engineers of nautical innovations because we are now thinking and building the marinas that will welcome this new generation of yachts in the next ten years”. A vast program that will fuel the debates during the first edition of the Monaco Smart and Sustainable Yacht Rendezvous, to be held on March 24th 2023 during the Monaco Ocean Week, then during the next event dedicated to marinas, next September.
Results
2022 International Smart & Sustainable Architecture Awards : Nbax Architecture & Design (Autriche).
2022 International Smart & Sustainable Architecture ‘Coup de Cœur’ Awards : Snøhetta (Norvège).
2022 International Smart & Sustainable Marina Awards : FLISVOS (Grèce).
2022 International Smart & Sustainable Marina ‘Coup de Cœur’ Awards : HABACOA (Bahamas).
2022 International Smart & Sustainable Startup Awards : ECOncrete (Israël).
