The See You There (SYT) event, which brought together the key players in the events industry on 1 July, had a special flavour this year after months and months of the sector coming to a standstill. Illustrating a trend that began with the health crisis, this annual meeting of the Union Française des Métiers de l'Événement (UNIMEV) took a hybrid format, with a multiplex linking the main venue of the day - La Serrea Viparis site on the roof of pavilion 6 at Porte de Versailles - to various regional participants in Bordeaux, Lille-Tourcoing, Marseille, Montpellier, Orléans, Rennes, Toulouse and Troyes.
" After 16-month breakWe're delighted to be able to get together to exchange ideas, draw inspiration and share innovative initiatives." said Pierre-Louis Roucariès, who succeeded Olivier Roux as President of Unimev, in his opening remarks. As well as bringing together UNIMEV members and other key players in the events industry, the SYT also provided an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas on the following topics the state of play in one of the industries hardest hit by the health crisis. A sector which has struggled to meet the "whatever it takes" criteria, but which is now being supported by the government in its recovery. Pierre-Louis Roucariès thanked the French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, for his commitment: " If we have had trouble getting into the state support process, we have been receiving real help since December 2020."
The fact remains that, with 73 % of business lost in 2020 and losses expected to exceed ten billion euros in 2021, as was the case last year, the sector is not yet fully out of the woods. Especially as a "wall of debt is upon us, with one and a half billion euros in state-guaranteed loans (PGE) still to be repaid. And yet the players in the sector will have to get back to work without being able to rely on sales from previous months. Hence the request from the events industry to be able to benefit from the solidarity fund to get through the summer months with peace of mind, in addition to deferring repayment of the PGEs.
Opening the SYT event with a taped address, Bruno Le Maire acknowledged the still precarious state of the sector, but assured it of his support: " My door is open. If any new difficulties arise, we'll always be there. Count on me in the coming months. " In this context, a stimulus plan should be announced in the autumn to help bring foreign clients and companies back to France to hold their conventions and seminars. The French Minister for the Economy is fully aware of the importance of the sector in terms of employment and attractiveness for France, as well as the country's international profile: " Conferences, trade fairs and exhibitions all contribute to the strength of our economy. "
However, the future of the sector is not entirely bleak, as Bruno Le Maire has said that he is "confident that we will be able to achieve our objectives". convinced that the outlook for the sector is bright. " According to the Minister for the Economy, this optimism is based on the following observation: " France should have growth of 5 % next yearone of the best in Europe. Event professionals will be able to benefit from this dynamic. "In this respect, Pierre-Louis Roucaries is encouraged to see the emergence of " a re-engagement process after a redundancy phase" .
But over and above the industry's economic difficulties, the day organised by UNIMEV also highlighted its ability to adapt to the new trends that emerged during the crisis. " We're in a period of recovery, but don't be tempted to fall back into our old habits. New forms of events have emerged" said Pierre-Louis Roucaries. The developments underway and the opportunities they represent were described in the context of the initiatives presented by UNIMEV members in the regions. These included the Cité Mondiale in Bordeaux, the Alive Groupe headquarters in Tourcoing, the Orange Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, the Parc Expo in Montpellier, the Orléans conference centre, the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes, MEETT in Toulouse and the Aube conference centre in Troyes.
Most of the speakers emphasised the potential of the regions as the sector recovers. " The revival of the sector will be played out in the regions" says David Puget, Director of Quimper Événements and Chairman of Breizh Events. This observation is based in particular on the emergence of teleworking. " Young and old alike aspire to a high-quality living environment. Teleworking is a sustainable phenomenon, the traditional meeting is dead.he notes. Hence an opportunity to develop regional event formatsThese are more modest in format, with a hybrid element, and which also offer a real experience. Many regions are capable of doing this."
All the more so as these human-scale events are also part of another trend: the return to green and eco-responsibility. Not that it's the only one involved in this increasingly topical issue, The Grand Est region has made sustainable development one of the pillars of its recovery.. To attract visitors, the region can draw on a number of certified sites, including the Troyes convention centre, which has been ISO 20121 certified since 2014, as well as its natural heritage. In this context, Béatrice Cuif-Mathieu, Managing Director of Destination Nancy, demonstrated the involvement of the players in her destination in the creation of a sustainable and profitable model, based on carbon neutrality, waste management and short circuits.
But, on a broader level, Béatrice Cuif-Mathieu also noted " the complementary nature of events venues and leisure tourism to create sustainable pathways around events. "He goes on to give examples from his region: a walk through a vineyard in Champagne with a truffle dog, a wildlife photographer working closely with nature in Alsace, or a workshop combining yoga and forest therapy in Lorraine.
Alongside responsible and sustainable initiatives, digital is also one of the key aspects of the future of the event industry. And this has required the industry to adapt to integrate this new dimension. For example, in Bordeaux, the Galis group, faced with a wave of postponements and cancellations, has developed the Virtual 388 by Galis platform to create e-events for conferences and webinars, or trade fairs with virtual stands and showrooms and the creation of meetings between exhibitors and visitors. In the same vein, Oenanim, an agency specialising in wine-related escape games that were impossible to organise because of the pandemic, has recreated the experience digitally.
In Orléans and the surrounding area, this adaptation to the new standard of events has taken the form of the installation of several fixed stages to avoid the need for set-up and dismantling. The installation of these virtual solutions has gone hand in hand with educating customers about how to work with these new tools, so that they are not confined to large companies. The aim is to democratise and massively expand their use, and to demonstrate their potential at product presentations, multi-site seminars, awards ceremonies and trophies.
Finally, the See You There event was also an opportunity to demonstrate one of the positive consequences of the past period: that of having seen the emergence of federating energiesat both national and local level. " Everything that has been achieved, often after a great deal of struggle, has enabled us to gain five or six years of maturity in our discussions with the public authorities." underlined Pablo Nakhle CerrutiCEO of Viparis. For François Navarro, Managing Director of Hello Lille, " The crisis has highlighted the need for us to work together to convince decision-makers of the importance of the sector to the local economy."
RePERE in Montpellier, 4Event in the Provence-Côte d'Azur region, UMENA in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region: in every region, the events industry has come together to support professionals and encourage innovation. As another example of these initiatives to kick-start the recovery, the events industry in Toulouse has decided to take control of your destiny by building a festival for the general public in a month and a half. In partnership with NRJ, with local artists supporting well-known names such as Bob Sinclar and Clara Lucciani, the Essentiel Festival will be held over three days at the beginning of July and will mobilise the industry by getting 63 local businesses to work. It's a way of showing that there's always strength in numbers.
