It's certainly a meeting place in tune with the times, at a time when companies and organisers are looking to strengthen the sustainable dimension of their events. A huge rooftop combining spaces for conferences and cocktails, as well as a trendy restaurant and bar - Le Perchoir - all extended by a terrace of over 500 m2 overlooking one of the largest urban farms in Europe. That's all there is to it.
La Serre, the new space proposed by Viparis on the roof of Hall 6 at Porte de Versailles, is part of the metamorphosis of the exhibition centre begun a few years ago. This "green" environment is home to La Serre itself, operated by the exhibition centre's management. This bright, 420 m2 greenhouse can accommodate 600 people for an indoor cocktail party, and many more in fine weather when the terrace is accessible. Seated dinners can accommodate up to 230 people. Catering for events can be provided by three caterers: Le Perchoir voisin, Grand Chemin and Fleur de Mets.
For conferences, La Serre can host up to 350 people in theatre format. UNIMEV's SYT event was held there at the beginning of July, in a hybrid format with a number of duplex sessions with speakers from the regions, showcasing high-tech equipment including a 4.5-metre LED wall and eight speakers and HF microphones.
Another smaller space adjoins La Serre de Viparis and can accommodate conferences of 70 participants and 110 guests for cocktails. Its baptismal name : the NU greenhouse, for Nature Urbaine. This is an events venue with an original business model, since its operator, Agripolis, is also the operator of the urban farm. So, as well as educating pupils from neighbouring schools about respect for the environment, the NU greenhouse earns part of its income from hosting events and the other part from the sale of fruit and vegetables grown on the roofIn addition, 150 small shared gardens are rented out to private individuals on a year-round basis.
Grown hydroponically or aeroponically, without the use of pesticides, it produces around 300 tonnes. These tomatoes, lettuces, aubergines, herbs, strawberries and raspberries, all extremely tasty and picked when ripe, supply its neighbours, the Le Perchoir restaurant and the Novotel hotel. A circuit that couldn't be shorter. Today, this urban farm, whose activity is to some extent dependent on the number of visitors to event sites, covers a third of the roof - 5,000 m2 of the 15,000 m2 available - but Agripolis intends to raise funds to expand in the near future.
This new venue, which has its own private entrance, is helping to boost the number of festive venues in the south of Paris. With La Serre, Viparis is targeting the hosting of events alongside trade fairs and exhibitions, as well as corporate seminars. Although its opening last spring was marred by the pandemic, it is now time to start marketing it. Justine Orain, commercial and event production project manager at Viparis, explains that she has received numerous requests from advertisers ". drawn by curiosity about this place" . A number of corporate events are expected to take place in the coming weeks, even though some companies are still wary of bringing their staff together, and have decided to postpone what was initially planned for early next year. All good things come to those who wait.
