A yacht as your MIPCOM base
MIPCOM runs from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October 2026 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, bringing the television and streaming industry together from more than 100 countries.Hotel rooms go early and meeting space inside the Palais is limited, which is why a growing number of companies charter a yacht instead. Berthed in the Vieux Port, a few minutes on foot from the show floor, it works as a meeting room through the day and a client dinner in the evening.
October also sits outside the Riviera's peak season. The same yacht that is fully booked and expensive in August is available in October, and the rate reflects that.
Why charter a yacht at MIPCOM?
- Meetings without booking a room. A private deck and saloon you control for four days, rather than competing for space inside the Palais.
- Dinners without the restaurant scramble. Cannes restaurants are fully committed during MIPCOM. Your chef is already on board.
- Accommodation when the hotels are gone. Cabins for your senior team, walking distance from the show, at a fixed price agreed months earlier.
- Visibility on the quay. A yacht on Yacht Row is passed by every delegate walking to and from the Palais, and can carry your branding.
- One place for everything. Screenings, negotiations, hospitality and downtime happen in the same location instead of across three venues.
Where the yacht sits, and why it decides everything
Berth position matters more at MIPCOM than the yacht itself. There are two realistic options and they suit different budgets.
Vieux Port, Yacht Row
Jetee Albert Edouard sits directly beside the Palais des Festivals. Delegates walk past on the way in and out of the show, which makes your yacht a visible part of your presence rather than somewhere guests have to be taken. It is the most limited and most expensive position in Cannes, and the first to be committed.
Port Canto
About 20 minutes on foot along the Croisette, or a short taxi. Noticeably better value, and a sensible choice when the yacht is a working base for meetings and dinners rather than a branded shop window.
If your reason for chartering is visibility, Yacht Row is the only answer and you need to book early. If it is space and privacy, Port Canto does the same job for less.
How many guests you can actually host
This is the detail first-time corporate charterers get wrong, and it changes which yacht you need. There are two formats with very different limits.
Cruising charter: 12 guests
A crewed yacht operating under a commercial charter license caps cruising guests at 12, however large the yacht is. A 50 meter yacht with room for 40 at a dockside reception still cannot take more than 12 people out to sea. Best for a small executive group, a working lunch on the water, or private accommodation during the show.
Static charter: far more
Alongside the quay, the yacht is an event venue rather than a vessel under way, and the numbers change completely. Depending on the yacht and the port permit, that runs from roughly 15 to 20 guests up to several hundred. Best for a reception, a launch, or an evening built around your slate.
Decide your guest count and format before you start shortlisting yachts. The two lead to different boats.
What a MIPCOM charter costs
The honest answer is that it depends on format and size more than on the week itself. A useful anchor: static hospitality yachts of around 40 meters commonly run about EUR 150,000 for a week.
The real range is wider. A smaller yacht used mainly for meetings can start near EUR 20,000 for the week. The largest static superyachts on Yacht Row run into the millions. What moves the number most is size, static versus cruising, the berth, and how much of the budget goes to full hospitality and catering rather than a simple meeting setup.
On top of the charter fee, budget for VAT and an Advance Provisioning Allowance covering catering, drinks and event specific costs. Our French Riviera charter cost guide sets out how those work.
The October advantage
MIPCOM falls outside the summer season, when Riviera yachts are quiet and owners are open to shoulder season business. You are not bidding against holiday charters the way you would for an event in June or July, and that shows up in the rate.
When to start
For an October show, we would start the conversation in spring. That gives you a real choice of yacht and a genuine shot at a Vieux Port berth.
Yacht Row positions are the constraint, not the yachts. By late summer the best berths beside the Palais are largely committed, and you are choosing from what is left rather than what suits your event. If you are reading this close to the show, it is still worth asking, because plans change and boats come free, but expect a shorter list.
More events on the French Riviera.
The same yacht, a different week. Each page carries that show’s dates, berths and costs.
MIPIM
16 to 19 March 2027. Property and real estate, the biggest of the Cannes shows.
Read the guideILTM Cannes
30 November to 3 December 2026. Luxury travel, and the cheapest of the four.
Read the guideCannes Lions
21 to 25 June 2027. Advertising and creative, peak season, books earliest.
Read the guideMIPCOM charter questions.
When is MIPCOM 2026?
Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October 2026, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.
Can we charter a yacht for just one day of MIPCOM?
Yes. Single day and evening charters are common for a launch or a client reception, and cost far less than taking the yacht for the full week. Availability is tighter, because owners prefer to place the whole week, so ask early.
How many guests can we host on a yacht during MIPCOM?
Twelve if the yacht is cruising, however large it is. Alongside the quay as a static event, the same yacht can host anywhere from roughly 15 to 20 guests up to several hundred, depending on the yacht and its port permit.
Where do yachts moor during MIPCOM?
Vieux Port, and specifically Yacht Row beside the Palais des Festivals, is the prime position and the first to sell out. Port Canto is around 20 minutes on foot and noticeably better value.
Can the yacht be used for both meetings and evening entertaining?
Yes, and that is the usual reason companies charter one. The same yacht runs as a meeting space during show hours and as a dinner or reception venue afterwards, with the crew turning it around between the two.
Is October a good time to charter on the French Riviera?
For an event charter, yes. It sits outside the peak summer season, so availability is far better and rates are softer than the same yacht in July or August. The weather in Cannes in October is mild rather than hot.