Saturday November 9, 2024, the skippers and their teams complete their final preparations. On the eve of the start of the Vendée Globe, the pontoons for admiring the boats are closed to the public, but there are still (very) many visitors coming to enjoy the activities in the village.
More than a million visitors
It will not have been empty in three weeks. This is evidenced by the attendance figures: 1.3 million people welcomed to the village since its opening on October 19, excluding departure Sunday. A record which marks a 13% increase compared to 2016.
This Saturday, “for us, it’s probably the biggest day”, think Thomas Piau, manager of V and B, the official bar of the Vendée Globe village. There wasn't really any downtime: the manager believes he has run out “2,000 barrels of beer” in three weeks.
Visibility for brands
The figures of the exhibitors give an idea of the excitement. “There are between 3,000 and 5,000 people per day,” estimates the marketing director of the Monbana brand, sponsor of Maxime Sorel. Having a stand in the village allows “to have visibility that we didn’t necessarily have” , he admits.
Maintaining your image, increasing your notoriety: this is what many brands and sponsors are looking for by offering events open to all. “It allows us to promote our sporting partnership (with Jérémie Beyou) to the general public. It’s part of our strategy,” indicates Stéphanie Berard-Gest, marketing director of Charal.
Discover associative projects
The Lazare stand arouses the curiosity of visitors with a human jackpot, an animation which allows them to leave with gifts. This association, sponsor of Tanguy Le Turquais, offers shared accommodation between homeless people and young workers. “Being here allows us to attract new partners and introduce the project to young professionals,” says Gratien Regnaud, development director.
It is also roommates who run the stand every day. The interest being, also, “to make the invisible visible” . Not all exhibitors pursue the same objective, but they hope to benefit from the enthusiasm.
A crowd bath for visitors…
Everything was not rosy: during these three weeks, the queues to access the village and the pontoons may have caused disappointment and discontent. On Saturday afternoon, we often had to jostle to make our way. “There are a lot of people, but we expected worse,” assures Alexia, who is patient. Michel and Irène had come “expressly to see the boats. We were not aware that the pontoons were closed,” they regret.
…and the skippers
The sailors, for their part, were able to enjoy a semblance of calm after being surrounded by visitors. “We can’t wait to leave!” There are really a lot of people,” said Alan Roura during the week. Boris Herrmann was notably absent from the pontoons: “No skipper can be in the village for three weeks, we can go crazy,” he had justified.
However, some seem to have appreciated these moments. “The people are very calm, very kind, very respectful,” assures Jean Le Cam, undisputed star of the pontoons. For him, what makes the Vendée Globe a success is that “access to the boats and the village is free” .
Next step to take, this Sunday: going up the channel, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people. “Don’t shout too loudly, because we’re not leading the way!” » simply asks Romain Attanasio. A final crowd bath, before being immersed in a very solitary adventure.
