A yacht as your MIPIM base
MIPIM runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March 2027 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, bringing the international property industry together for four days. MIPIM is a deal-making show, and most of the real business happens away from the stands. A chartered yacht in the Vieux Port gives you somewhere private to take an investor, a few minutes on foot from the Palais, and a dinner venue that does not depend on a restaurant booking. March is well outside the Riviera season. Yachts that are impossible to get in July are open in March, and the rate reflects that.Why charter a yacht at MIPIM?
- A private room for investor meetings. Four days of a deck and saloon you control, instead of competing for space inside the Palais.
- Dinners that do not depend on a booking. Cannes restaurants are fully committed during MIPIM. Your chef is already on board.
- Accommodation when the hotels are gone. Cabins for your senior team, walking distance from the show, at a 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.
- Shoulder season pricing. March sits outside the Riviera season, so the same yacht costs far less than it would in June.
Where the yacht sits, and why it decides everything
Berth position matters more at MIPIM 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 client reception, a launch, or an evening around a development.
Decide your guest count and format before you start shortlisting yachts. The two lead to different boats.
What a MIPIM 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 March advantage
MIPIM falls in early spring, when the Riviera fleet is quiet and owners are actively looking for shoulder season work. You are not competing against holiday charters, which is why the same yacht costs materially less in March than the same four days in June.
When to start
For a March show, we would start the conversation the previous July or August. That is a normal timeline for MIPIM, not an early one.
Yacht Row positions are the constraint rather than the yachts. By the new year the best berths beside the Palais are largely committed, and you are choosing from what is left. If you are closer in than that, it is still worth asking, because plans change, 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.
MIPCOM
12 to 15 October 2026. Television and streaming, and off season so rates are soft.
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 guideMIPIM charter questions.
When is MIPIM 2027?
Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March 2027, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.
Can we charter a yacht for just one day of MIPIM?
Yes. Single day and evening charters are common for a launch or an investor reception, and cost far less than 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 MIPIM?
Twelve if the yacht is cruising, however large it is. Alongside the quay as a static event, the same yacht can host roughly 15 to 20 guests up to several hundred, depending on the yacht and its port permit.
Where do yachts moor during MIPIM?
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.
Is March a good time to charter on the French Riviera?
For an event charter, yes. March is outside the peak season, so availability is far better and rates are softer than the same yacht in summer. You are chartering for the show rather than the weather.