The Future of Refit will bring shipyards, owners, designers, equipment suppliers and technical specialists to Monaco for a new three-day conference, exhibition and on-water showcase in spring 2027.
Informa Prestige has announced the launch of The Future of Refit, a new professional event dedicated exclusively to the global superyacht refit, refurbishment and maintenance market.
The event will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from 31 March to 2 April 2027. An accompanying display of refitted yachts will be hosted in the marina of Yacht Club de Monaco, which is participating as a key partner.
The Future of Refit will combine an industry conference, specialist exhibition and practical on-water showcase over three days. It is intended to provide a dedicated professional setting for the businesses and specialists responsible for maintaining, modernising and transforming yachts already in service.
The announcement reflects the growing importance of refit within the wider superyacht economy. As the global fleet ages, environmental requirements tighten and new-build delivery periods remain extended, owners are increasingly investing in upgrades that improve efficiency, extend operational life or substantially alter a yacht's design and purpose.
Refit has traditionally formed part of wider yacht shows, technical conferences and shipyard events, but is often addressed alongside new construction, brokerage and equipment rather than through a programme focused on the specific requirements of existing yachts.
Informa Prestige intends The Future of Refit to bring together the range of businesses and professionals involved in major yacht refit projects. These can include shipyards, naval architects, designers, project managers, captains, yacht managers, classification societies, equipment manufacturers, interior contractors and specialist engineering companies.
The organiser estimates that the global superyacht refit industry is worth between $3 billion and $5 billion annually and is growing at approximately six to nine per cent each year. Industry estimates cited in the announcement suggest refit may account for around 36 per cent of earnings generated across the superyacht sector.
Those figures are estimates supplied by the organiser rather than independently audited market totals, but they illustrate the scale of the commercial activity surrounding yacht maintenance, rebuilding and modernisation.
Informa Prestige also points to a worldwide fleet of more than 6,000 active superyachts exceeding 30 metres. Many yachts built during the construction booms of the 2000s and 2010s are now approaching their first or second major refit cycles.
Although routine maintenance is continuous, larger refits are commonly undertaken at intervals of approximately five to ten years. They can range from engineering overhauls and statutory surveys to complete interior replacement, hull extensions, propulsion upgrades and changes in a yacht's intended use.
A central element of the event will be Refit Live, an interactive forum structured around keynote presentations, round-table discussions, practical case studies, workshops and specialist sessions.
BOAT International, which forms part of the Informa Prestige portfolio, will contribute editorial and content expertise to the conference programme. Daily sessions led by its editorial team are expected to examine projects from both the technical and creative sides of the market.
The programme is intended to treat refit as more than a maintenance function. Modern projects increasingly involve complex questions surrounding engineering feasibility, environmental performance, interior design, regulatory compliance, project planning and the management of owner expectations.
A large refit can approach the complexity of a new-build project. Existing structures and systems must be documented, assessed and integrated with new equipment, while much of the work takes place within fixed dimensional, structural and weight limitations.
The organiser says Refit Live will also include an interactive designer masterclass intended to place the creative and technical disciplines of refit within the same discussion.
Toby Moore, chief executive officer of Informa Prestige, said refit had become one of the superyacht industry's defining economic realities rather than a secondary part of the market.
He argued that the professionals responsible for major refit projects have historically conducted important conversations within events designed primarily for other purposes. The Future of Refit is intended to provide those discussions with a dedicated setting.
Moore described the event as “the right conversation, in the right place, at the right time”, referring to its Monaco location and position in the spring industry calendar.
Holding the event between 31 March and 2 April places it shortly before the main Mediterranean yachting season.
By this stage, many winter refit programmes are approaching completion, yachts are preparing to return to service and owners, captains and managers are assessing future works. Shipyards are also planning capacity for the following winter and discussing projects that may require extensive preparation.
The timing gives exhibitors and delegates an opportunity to examine completed work, review emerging technologies and begin commercial and technical discussions before the summer season becomes fully operational.
It also places the event outside the busier autumn period, when the industry calendar is dominated by yacht shows, equipment exhibitions and end-of-season planning.
Stewart Campbell, managing director of BOAT International, described a dedicated refit event as overdue. He said the sector was becoming increasingly important while leading new-build order books remained busy and demand for access to yachts continued.
For owners unwilling to wait several years for a newly commissioned yacht, acquiring and refitting an existing vessel can provide an alternative. This has contributed to increasingly ambitious rebuild projects in which older yachts are extensively redesigned, re-engineered or converted for a different purpose.
Several long-term forces are expected to support continued activity in the refit market.
Environmental requirements are creating demand for propulsion improvements, energy-management systems, battery capacity, more efficient hotel loads and equipment capable of reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Charter yachts also face pressure to remain competitive. Interior presentation, guest facilities, entertainment systems and exterior spaces can influence charter demand, while reliability and regulatory compliance remain fundamental to commercial operation.
At the same time, the technical complexity of modern yachts has increased. Integrated bridge systems, automation, communications, cybersecurity, propulsion controls and hotel services all require maintenance and periodic replacement.
Older yachts may need to be modernised to remain compatible with changing communications networks, environmental rules and the expectations of owners accustomed to newer technology.
Informa Prestige also identifies constrained availability at leading new-build shipyards as a factor supporting the market. A well-planned refit can allow an owner to acquire an existing yacht and customise it within a shorter timeframe than a large new build, although the practicality and cost depend heavily on the yacht's condition and the proposed scope.
The on-water element will be hosted at Yacht Club de Monaco, allowing visitors to view yachts that have undergone notable refits or modernisation programmes.
This should provide a practical counterpart to the conference and exhibition. Finished yachts can demonstrate how design concepts, engineering proposals and equipment changes translate into operational vessels.
Yacht Club de Monaco has previously supported initiatives addressing technology and environmental performance within yachting. These include the SEA Index, which provides a framework for assessing yacht carbon intensity, and the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, whose 14th edition is scheduled for 29 June to 3 July 2027.
The Future of Refit will form part of the club's wider Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting initiative. The programme is intended to bring together stakeholders working on innovation, performance, sustainability and modernisation within the yachting sector.
The event's location also reinforces Monaco's position as a meeting point for owners, designers, brokers, shipyards, managers and technical companies.
The Future of Refit will be operated by Informa Prestige, the luxury and lifestyle portfolio within Informa Markets.
Its portfolio includes the Monaco Yacht Show, BOAT International, Top Marques and Art Monte-Carlo. The new event gives the group a dedicated presence in the refit market alongside its established annual superyacht show in Port Hercule.
The Monaco Yacht Show remains centred on the wider new-build, brokerage, design, equipment and luxury-yachting market. The Future of Refit will have a narrower professional focus, concentrating on yachts already in service and the businesses responsible for maintaining or transforming them.
This distinction may help the new event avoid simply repeating the format of an established yacht show. Its success is likely to depend on the quality of its technical programme, the relevance of participating companies and its ability to attract decision-makers involved directly in planning and approving refit projects.
Informa Prestige says the event will be developed in consultation with the refit community.
As planning progresses, the organiser intends to engage with shipyards, equipment suppliers, industry associations and specialist contractors to ensure the programme reflects the practical needs of the market.
Further information on speakers, exhibitors, participating yachts and commercial opportunities will be announced in the coming months.
The creation of a dedicated event will not resolve the challenges facing the refit sector, which include labour availability, planning accuracy, yard capacity, supply-chain constraints and the difficulty of defining the condition of an existing yacht before work begins.
It may, however, provide a focused forum in which those challenges can be examined by the people responsible for managing them.
With the first edition scheduled for spring 2027, The Future of Refit represents an attempt to give one of the superyacht industry's largest recurring revenue sectors a professional platform of its own.