73,000 visitors at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle 2022

Grand Pavois La Rochelle 2022 © JM. Rieupeyrout

Important points:

• 73,000 visitors in six days
• The weather was not all that good, but there was a very high-quality audience
• An autumn meeting which confirms its position as a key event for water sports enthusiasts and professionals
• The dates of the 51st anniversary edition of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle 2023: from Wednesday 20 to Monday 25 September 2023 (read the explanations from the president of GPO regarding the change to the days).

Although this 2022 event came to a close with a beautiful sunny afternoon, it has to be said that the weather was not all that great for this 2022 edition. Visitor numbers followed the weather patterns and 73,000 visitors were present on the pontoons and visited the alleys of the international in-water boat show, namely a 10% decrease in relation to the previous edition in 2021.

A slight decrease in the number of visitors, but high-quality visitors who were interested in the 800 international brands present, 750 boats on show, and approximately 110 new boats and products. Following this much-awaited edition, the Grand Pavois La Rochelle confirms that it is a show for business, a show for new products, an event that reflects future trends in water sports, and a reference show for French and European water sports fans.

Grand Pavois La Rochelle 2022 - photo © Olivier Blanchet

Alain Pochon (President of Grand Pavois Organisation):

Satisfaction...
"This 2022 edition has been very satisfying for the Grand Pavois Organisation's Board of Directors. We could be critical of the weather, which clearly explains the 10% decline in our visitor numbers, with a windy and rainy first day and Saturday. However, this did not prevent high-quality visitors from attending the show, with prospective customers, foreign visitors and, above all, first-time buyers, underlining the real ambition of our event. We ended this year's edition with 73,000 visitors, which is a good result in view of the changeable weather.

Assets...
"There were many sea trials, which continues to be a great strength of our event. More than 100 boats were available to test from 10 am to 7 pm and after 5.30 pm the pontoons were opened to allow other brands to take to the sea. The Sustainable Innovations space with EDF is enjoying strong growth and we are convinced that this space will become even more important in the coming years. This is a major theme for the Grand Pavois La Rochelle and we aim to be leaders in this field. The Grand Pavois Fishing event did take place and 30 brand boats took part in this unique competition in France. A great success! Finally, I wish to thank all our public and private partners who attended: the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the department of Charente-Maritime and the CDA La Rochelle, not to mention the Municipality of La Rochelle and the Port of La Rochelle which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year".

Voiles de Nuit postponed...
"The only cloud on the horizon was the postponement of Voiles de Nuit, which had to be cancelled on Saturday 1 October. Sadly, the weather forecast was as promised and gusts of up to 54 kilometres/hour were recorded in the evening. We were clearly right to cancel the event, bearing in mind that it was by mutual agreement with all the event's partners - the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Charente-Maritime Department, the CDA La Rochelle and the Port of La Rochelle - and to postpone Voiles de Nuit until 2023. However, remember that although it was the 50th anniversary of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle in 2022, 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Grand Pavois Organisation association since it was created in 1973".

Focus on the 51st edition of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle
"We were delighted to welcome Tahiti and the Pacific Islands as our guest of honour 2022. South Africa will be our guest country of honour in 2023. It was a great honour to announce this on the first day of the show and we are sure that it will be one of the highlights of next year's edition since it will be the second time that we will be welcoming this amazing country.

It is important for me to announce the 2023 dates already. We have decided with the GPO's Board of Directors to move the 2023 dates and to exceptionally go back to an event running from Wednesday to Monday. Wishing to respond to the needs of water sports professionals, we have moved our 2023 dates by one day so that there are two days between the end of the Cannes Yachting Festival 2023 and the start of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle. Leaving just one day between these two major events was too difficult to manage for professional exhibitors. Therefore, the Board of Directors agreed unanimously to postpone the 2023 edition of the Grand Pavois by one day. It will be held from Wednesday 20 to Monday 25 September".