3rd Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous: spotlight on yachting innovation

The Monaco Smart & Sustainable Maria Rendezvous returns for its third edition and confirms the Principality of Monaco – if there is still a need – as the world capital of yachting innovation. The event, under the aegis of the collective Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting, approach will be held on 24-25 September, organized by M3 (Monaco Marina Management), experts in development, management and promotion of marinas, yacht clubs and sailing schools, and supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the government’s Extended Monaco digital transition programme for the Principality.

The focus of the 3^rd Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous will be to introduce the latest innovations to encourage development of virtuous marinas in terms of eco-sustainability and technological innovation. The initiative, in fact, is developed as a networking event which will involve an ecosystem of 250+ people representing key players in the sector, such as entrepreneurs, startups, industrialists, investors, promotors, marina developers and all those involved in yachting.

Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous is a unique and prestigious opportunity for those selected to present their low-eco-impact projects and therefore enter the yachting market.

The Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous in detail

The event on Sept. 24 and 25 is only the climax of a serious, multi-stage initiative: after the production and publication of the electronic catalog of the 600 candidate startups from May 1 to July 31, one-on-one interviews between the jury and the developers of the 50 selected projects are now underway, which began on Aug. 1 and will end on Sept. 8. In order to create targeted and effective discussions, the jury – composed of industrialists, marine professionals and investors – will in fact meet the participants individually before presenting them to potential strategic and financial partners. Finally, the third and final phase will kick off from Sept. 14-19 with the “Consensus Meetings,” during which the jury will select the winners of the International Smart & Sustainable Marina Awards in the following categories: Startups & Scaleups, Marinas and Architects. For the Marina & Architect categories the public vote will also be taken into account. The winning projects of the final round will be officially announced and presented on September 24 and 25 during the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous.

In detail, the jury will focus on innovations in a few specific areas, which have distinguished the initiative since its first edition: water management, energy optimisation, renewable energy, respect for biodiversity, construction solutions for the coast, waste management and marina management. New this year is the Architects category award, an ideas competition that aims to inspire architects and students to create waterfront projects that are not only attractive and functional but also sustainable. The objective is not only to foster networking between architects and startups but also to design a space which boat users, tourists and local communities can enjoy while protecting the natural environment. The award encourages use of innovative materials, architectural techniques and super-energy-efficient technologies to promote sustainability in marinas. It also rewards outstanding architecture that shows the right balance between functionality, aesthetics and environmental conservation.

“Yacht Club de Monaco has a mission to be a platform of communication and a place where innovations with potential can be expressed and applicable solutions developed to build sustainability into yachting from now on,” explains Bernard d’Alessandri, Yacht Club de Monaco General Secretary and President of the Cluster Yachting Monaco.

“Faced with today’s environmental challenges, we believe a global response from an international perspective is essential. We are convinced that there are many technological solutions out there today that could be deployed in marinas to reduce our impact. This is about boosting innovation levels to support local economies where marinas are significant stakeholders,” adds José Marco Casellini, CEO of M3.