Paris Appeal Court rules RX France to continue managing Cannes Yachting Festival

Cannes Yachting Festival © Cannes Yachting Festival

A Paris Court of Appeal today ruled that RX France (previously Reed Expositions France) continue to manage the Cannes Yachting Festival until 2041.

The court decision comes after some five years of legal proceedings initiated by the French Boating Industry Federation (FIN) in 2016, which challenged a contractual agreement between the FIN and RX France granting the latter management rights to the Cannes Yachting Festival until 2041. As a reminder, the Competition Authority dismissed the FIN's claims against RX France on 9 August 2017, and the FIN was also dismissed by the Administrative Court on 30 June 2020 in its case against the Nice-Côte d'Azur CCI (Chamber of Commerce and Industry)

"This is a victory for common sense and good business practices. We entered into the contract in good faith and under our watch the Cannes Yachting Festival has become Europe's largest in-water boating event. We are particularly grateful for the support we have received from our clients, the host city of Cannes and the Chamber of Commerce of Nice-Côte d'Azur," notes Michel Filzi, Chief Executive of RX France.

"Despite the legal proceedings, we have continued to innovate, growing the international reach of the event and expanding our in-water exhibition zones to move sailing yachts to Port Canto and strongly develop this segment. As for motorboats, they now fully occupy the Cannes' Old Port. We will do our utmost to provide the French and international sailing community with fair winds and following seas in the future." adds Michel Filzi.

"I'm incredibly proud of the way that the Cannes Yachting Festival has evolved. We have worked closely with the French and international yachting community and in 2019 we were rewarded with 82% of professional participants saying they were completely or very satisfied with the show. Indeed, among the French industry, those levels rose to 89%," says Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival. "Despite the context, we have been working non-stop to ensure that this year's September edition in Cannes is a success including developing the Port Canto exhibition zone. Our ambition is to maintain the high level of satisfaction from our exhibitors and visitors."

The next physical edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival is scheduled to take place September 7-12, 2021. The show will welcome 470 players from the French and international boating industry, including 120 new customers. Afloat and ashore, 560 new units from 3 to 45 meters, monohulls or multihulls, will be exhibited at the Vieux Port for motorboats and at Port Canto for sailboats, of which nearly 150 will be presented in world premieres.