Spear’s caught up with Informa Prestige CEO, Toby Moore, ahead of this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, taking place from September 23 to September 26 at Port Hercule.
The Monaco Yacht Show has become about more than just yachts – how has it become a hub for other sectors that serve UHNW clients?
UHNWIs don’t wake up and think: ‘today I’m a yacht owner, tomorrow I’m an art collector, next week I’m a car enthusiast.’ Whether it is their yacht, their car collection or their art patronage, their passions are all expressions of the same identity and values. That realisation is what shaped how we have evolved the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS), building bridges between superyachting, fine art through Art Monte-Carlo, and supercars via Top Marques Monaco.
We’ve also concentrated the superyacht value chain – shipbuilders, brokers, naval architects, interior designers, equipment manufacturers, financial advisers – within 2.08 square kilometres of Port Hercule. In just four days, a buyer can take a complex project from first conversation to commercial commitment without ever leaving the show. You can’t replicate that anywhere else in the world.
What opportunities does the complexity of a yacht purchase (financing, flag and registration, crew employment law, etc.) offer to businesses attending MYS?
We’re seeing superyacht buyers now consulting their family office principals, private bankers, and maritime lawyers long before they ever sit down with a yacht broker. The yacht has become a strategic lifestyle asset that sits alongside property portfolios and art collections in the broader wealth management conversation.
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For private banks and law firms, MYS offers something quite rare: direct access to decision-making capital at the exact moment when lifestyle assets and long-term wealth strategies are being decided.
[See also: Superyacht broking: inside multimillion-dollar commission disputes]
What proportion of your 560-plus exhibitors are outside the ‘marine’ category? Where is there most potential for growth?
Beyond traditional marine, the MYS also covers sectors like supercars, interior craftsmanship, and digital technology, but the strongest growth potential lies in three main areas: firstly, refit and maintenance, which is now a $3 to $5 billion global market annually. This is why we’re launching The Future of Refit as a standalone event in March 2027.
Secondly, expedition infrastructure. Our expanded Adventure Area now showcases 60 custom tenders across three locations. Clients have moved from ‘wanting to be seen somewhere’ to ‘wanting to go somewhere’. And lastly, technical sustainability verification – sustainability has to be about the entire 20-to-30-year operational lifecycle of a yacht, not just the launch day press release.
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What can a private bank or law firm get out of MYS? How can they make the most of being there? Any examples of particularly successful activations?
They gain direct access to global UHNWIs and family offices during a high-intent decision-making window. And crucially, these are younger buyers who arrive as digital natives expecting technical and financial transparency. Legal and financial advisers are indeed integral to every stage of the project.
To make the most of it, firms should leverage our Prestige VIP Programme – a curated, two-tier framework that gives pre-qualified buyers exclusive Wednesday opening-day access to the Dockside Area, dedicated concierges, and private meetings in our enlarged VIP Lounge, which is specifically designed for confidential negotiations.
They should also engage with our BOAT Lounge, where we stage live market intelligence panels and podcasts – broadcast live and on demand on BOAT Radio – which cover ownership realities, legal structures, market trends. It’s a platform for thought leadership, not just networking.
[See also: The best yacht advisers in 2026]
How does Informa Prestige work as a business?
Informa Prestige, which I lead as CEO, is the luxury and lifestyle division of Informa Markets – which sits within the FTSE 100 company Informa. We manage a portfolio of over 15 luxury B2B brands across Europe and the US, built around four core pillars: Monaco Yacht Show, BOAT International, Top Marques Monaco, and Art Monte-Carlo, plus international art fairs like Art Miami and Untitled Art.
What excites me most is how these pieces work together as a single, year-round ecosystem, and create one single integrated platform that is built around how our clients actually live. BOAT International supplies continuous editorial authority, UHNW audience insight, and proprietary market data through BOATPro. That intelligence then shapes physical activations on the quays, such as the BOAT Lounge at MYS, while events like Top Marques and Art Monte-Carlo then connect collectors who move fluidly between yachting, supercars and fine art.
How has the acquisition of BOAT helped the business to develop?
It shifted our relationship with UHNWIs from a four-day meeting in September to a year-round dialogue. That continuity is invaluable.
Through BOAT, we provide exhibitors and clients with market intelligence through tracking global order books, global brokerage transaction volumes, and overall fleet valuations. We can also deliver live intelligence content at the BOAT Lounge via broadcasts of the BOAT Radio podcasts.
[See also: Why luxury hotels are betting billions on branded yachts]
Informa is a FTSE 100 company that has to show shareholders growth; luxury is all about scarcity. Where is the ceiling in Port Hercule/Monaco, and what do you plan to do once it has been reached?
Port Hercule is a ‘pocket handkerchief’ venue in an urban setting. We operate within a tight 40-day occupation window for a 16,000 square metres temporary village.
Frankly, we’ve reached the physical boundaries of what the site can accommodate. What we can do is make it sharper, and higher in quality. We’re launching standalone vertical events outside the four-day show window – such as The Future of Refit in March 2027 – and expanding programs like the Prestige VIP Pass and enlarged VIP lounges. We’re also launching the Australian International Boat Show in Sydney in 2027.
What existing events in your portfolio have potential for growth? And what other locations do you find most exciting?
Top Marques Monaco has hosted over 100 supercar model launches since 2004 – it can scale both in Monaco and internationally. Art Monte-Carlo also offers strong expansion opportunities.
In terms of locations, the Asia-Pacific and Australian markets are particularly compelling, with a distinctive owner profile there focused on exploration and off-grid boating. The Middle East is also expanding rapidly with major coastal and marina infrastructure investments.
By the end of this year’s show, what has to have happened for you to call it a success?
First, operational excellence. Executing “millimetre-perfect” logistics across 118 superyachts, nearly 50 world debuts, and 560 exhibitors, while holding a 90 per cent exhibitor retention rate. That’s table stakes.
Then, if we’ve saved clients time, we’ve succeeded. Enabling private buyers to advance from initial conversation to commitment in four days would be a success.
What also really matters to me personally is ensuring the show remains a fundamentally human and emotional experience. Our guiding principle is ‘a lifestyle can be bought, but a life must be lived’ – so if visitors leave feeling that MYS helped them live better, not just buy better, then we’ve truly succeeded.
