Barcelona to Host MYBA Charter Yacht Show

After careful and methodical deliberation, MYBA The Worldwide Yachting Association has reached a decision regarding the venue that will host the MYBA Charter Show for the next three consecutive years. Barcelona has been awarded the Show ahead of its shortlisted competitor cities, Nice and Genoa, in what was a tight race. Congratulations to OneOcean Port Vell and a warm thank you to all the contenders.

It was a difficult decision and, in order to reach it, a large number of parameters needed to be taken into consideration. To begin with, the opinions of MYBA Members and influencers within the superyacht industry were collected through a series of surveys and were studied in depth. The insights that were gained from these surveys were actually the basis for the shortlist that was drawn up by the MYBA Charter Shows Panel and submitted to the Board. 

President of MYBA, Fiona Maureso, said, “we would like to take this opportunity to thank Pesto Sea Group and the city of Genoa for having hosted the MYBA Charter Show so successfully over the past 16 years.  We are naturally very excited about this opportunity to discover OOPV and the city of Barcelona but we will, of course, miss our friends in Italy."

In the words of the Chair of the MYBA Charter Shows Panel, James Graham-Cloete, “The decision to award the MYBA Charter Show to Barcelona was the result of a comprehensive survey across our members & the previous attendees of the Show, followed by an in depth review of the myriad of factors which contribute to the overall success of the Show, both financially and from the perspective of all attendees. From the short-list of venues, OneOcean Port Vell came out on top. Furthermore, MYBA hope that bringing the Show to Barcelona, will further speed up and enhance any progress in opening up the charter market & regulations in these attractive cruising grounds.”

One of the deciding factors was the fact that OneOcean Port Vell is capable of berthing 68 yachts ranging from 22m – 190m. Accessibility and availability of suitable accommodations were also of great significance. Barcelona’s international airport operates daily direct flights from 182 destinations and is only a 25 minute drive away from the marina. Over 600 hotel rooms are within a 3km radius of the marina and the famous Las Ramblas is only a ten minute walk away.

The 2017 MYBA Charter Show will be held across OneOcean Port Vell’s four Quays, Spanish Quay and Barceloneta Quay, Deposit Quay and Sota Muralla Quay. The entire marina’s 930 linear metres of quay will be used to house exhibitor tents, with the majority located directly in front of where the yachts will be berthed.

General Manager of OneOcean Port Vell, Paul Cook, said: “It is a great honour for OneOcean Port Vell to be appointed as host of the prestigious MYBA Charter Show from 2017 and we would like to thank MYBA for their confidence in us. Barcelona is one of the world’s leading cities and with OOPV, it is now a prominent superyacht destination with unrivalled marina facilities and infrastructure. This, combined with the easing of legislation on Spanish charters, which has had a positive impact on the demand for chartering and cruising in the region, ensures that OOPV and MYBA are optimally positioned to deliver the next evolution of this event in 2017 and beyond.”

Martin Bellamy, Chairman of OneOcean Ventures added: “OneOcean Port Vell has been widely supported by local authorities, including the APB and Barcelona Nautical Cluster and their contribution has been instrumental in enabling the MYBA Charter Show to come to Barcelona. We are committed partners to MYBA and look forward to working together to support the growth and future development of this key industry event.”

*Image credits: Shawn Lipowski via Wickimedia Commons; MYBA: OneOcean