Mediterranean Yacht Show

A decade of content and media relations for the world's largest crewed yacht charter show

A fleet in search of a stage

Greece had one of the world's great charter fleets and needed a platform to show it.

Greece had long been one of the jewels of the Mediterranean, yet in the years before 2014 its yachting industry lacked a unified platform to present itself as a leader in the international charter market. The Greek Yachting Association (GYA), founded by charter managers and central agents for most of the country's professional fleet, created that platform: the Mediterranean Yacht Show, first held in Nafplion in 2014. The show was built as a B2B event for the charter sector, presenting licensed, professionally crewed yachts to the international brokers who sell them.

Greece as the headline

Every message about the show is also a message about Greek yachting.

We positioned MEDYS around what only it can offer: the Greek fleet, its crews and the country they sail. The show's story carries three ideas at once. It is the world's largest crewed yacht charter show; it is the only event in Greece dedicated exclusively to luxury yachting; and it is the place where Greek hospitality, on board and ashore, can be experienced first-hand.
That positioning shapes the show's voice, from "The capital yacht show" to the call to action used across its materials: see the fleet, meet the crews, make the connections. The brokers who attend repeat it in their own words. One described Greece as the reason MEDYS stands apart from other shows; another praised Greek crews for exceeding the expectations of brokers from Europe and the United States.

Many audiences, one story

Brokers, media, policymakers and sponsors each hear the show in their own language.

MEDYS speaks to several audiences at once. International brokers need a reason to put Nafplion in their calendar. Greek and international media need news. Government and local authorities need to see the value of yachting tourism. Sponsors and exhibitors, from marinas and shipyards to luxury hotels and real estate, need a qualified audience.

Our role is to keep one narrative running through all of them, in English and Greek, before, during and after each edition.
Travelworks runs the show's press office and media relations, curates its content, manages its social media and delivers its email marketing. The campaign builds through the months before the show with announcements, email broadcasts and web content, peaks with live coverage from Nafplion, and continues afterwards with results, images and stories that set up the next edition.

Media partnerships extend the reach further, with Boat International as global official media sponsor and Skipper ONDECK as Greek official media sponsor in 2026.

Beyond the berths

Chefs, receptions and policy debate give every edition stories for every kind of media.

A yacht show is easy to photograph and harder to make newsworthy year after year. The programme around the yachts gives the communications its range. The Chefs' Competition puts yacht chefs in front of Michelin-starred judges; in 2026 the panel included Giorgos Papazacharias of Delta, the only restaurant in Greece with two Michelin stars, and Luca Piscazzi of Pelagos at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens.

Crew awards recognise excellence in service. The welcome reception moves to landmarks such as the Bourtzi fortress, which in 2026 was lit by a drone show by Sky Symphony.

The show also gives the industry a voice in policy. The 2026 opening brought together the Minister of Tourism, the Governor of the Peloponnese and the Mayor of Nafplion, and the GYA hosted a high-level discussion on Marine Protected Areas and Anchoring at the historic Vouleftiko hall, under the auspices of three ministries. Each of these moments opens a different door: gastronomy and lifestyle media, business and trade titles, and national news.

A decade of partnership, and a show whose story keeps growing

Travelworks has represented the Greek Yachting Association for ten consecutive years, supporting MEDYS through in-person and virtual editions alike.

The decade's results speak for the show and for Greek yachting. Brokers return year after year: one broker has attended eight times, and another says his company comes every year because so many of its clients travel to Greece.

For a prospective client, the lesson is continuity. A long partnership allows the story to deepen with every edition, and every edition gives the story new proof.

Project specs

  • Project timeline: Q1 2016 - today
  • Project scope: Content strategy & curation, PR & Media Relations, Social Media management, Mail Marketing
  • Travelworks team: K. Fotopoulou, D. Moraiti, D. Paraschaki, M. Dimou, A. Roussou

Case study date: Q4 2026