Can you summarise the status and role of Provence Côte d'Azur Events?
Héliéna Brégand - Provence Côte d'Azur Events (PCE) is the regional Convention Bureau, an association that brings together more than 200 professionals throughout the region, from Avignon to Menton. All the different professions are represented: event venues such as convention centres and exhibition centres, but also museums and castles, as well as accommodation, agencies, DMCs, providers of activities such as team building, caterers, photographers and audiovisual professionals. Our members also include all those responsible for promoting tourism at regional level, including the Comité Régional du Tourisme, tourist offices, convention centres, etc.
What about 4EVENT?
Héliéna Brégand - This is an initiative taken by Provence Côte d'Azur Events to working on innovation and the transformation of the events sector. All our members have noted that the sector is facing a number of challenges. profound changesWe have to focus on recovery, digital and environmental transformation. So we need to focus on recovery, digital and environmental transformation, because everything has accelerated in recent months. So we've been looking at how we can best support our members in coping with these changes at regional level, and help them enter a new phase of development. innovation ecosystem. 4Event is a major change management platformlaunched in September 2020The first activities will be developed from January 2021. But we had already been thinking about this for some time: we already wanted to be part of innovation platforms for events. Provence Travel Innovation (PTI) was the initiator of the Challenge TravelCamp Sud, and we joined this effective and innovative scheme, because it's smarter to work together at a regional level.
How is this collaboration working, particularly with start-ups?
Héliéna Brégand - In terms of start-up recruitment, we're working with PTI, and we're thinking about offering joint support for companies that have very specific requirements in the events sector and that would be supported by PTI, because sometimes start-ups are launched with a business model based on leisure activities, and gradually realise that they could move into the events sector. In such cases, it can be useful for PCE to be involved as a testing ground. So we are already working together. That's also how, at regional level, we came up with the idea of working with PTI on the recruitment of TravelCamp SouthPTI set up this challenge last year for the first time. We've decided to work together on recruitment, and we'll have a promotion from March 2022 with the PACA Est incubator. It was more interesting to source together than to undertake initiatives on our own. It's more constructive and more interesting to do something together at regional level.
What is the TravelCamp Sud Challenge?
Héliéna Brégand - TravelCamp South is aimed at anyone with an innovative project in the tourism and events sector, whether it involves technological innovations, products or services. An initial selection process will run until 12 December to identify the nuggets. These nuggets will be invited to workshops challenge throughout January. This is what's innovative in terms of the process: for the first time, start-ups joining incubators, whether PTI or 4Event, will have the opportunity to test their solution with socio-professionals prior to incubation. There will be three workshops spread across the region, plus a final, which will enable us to visit the four main departments: Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Alpes-Maritimes. During these workshops, we invite all the tourism, leisure and events professionals to challenge the projects and give them any advice they may need. At the end of these workshops, we will determine which start-ups have made the most progress, which will also enable us to identify the most promising projects.identify entrepreneurial profiles, not just solutions. When we work with a company, it's not just the degree of innovation that counts, although that's important of course. It's also about seeing what the the project owner's ability to adapt to his environment. This is also what is tested during these workshops, to ensure the quality of the start-ups. And the start-ups will be able to immediately test the appetite of professionals for their solutions, as in a super beta-test to already identify a market, potential obstacles and therefore priorities.
What was the outcome of the first edition?
Héliéna Brégand - According to PTI's feedback, it was a very good sourcing method. There were some surprises: start-ups that had been shortlisted turned out to be real nuggets during the challenge, which showed the project leaders' ability to adapt and their real motivation. This is also a crucial point in the support we provide, because it's not easy to launch a business: you need a lot of energy and motivation.
What will happen to these start-ups in the future?
Héliéna Brégand - Start-ups will be able to join one of the two incubators. They will be allocated according to theme. 4Event aims to support start-ups in the events sector, while PTI focuses on travel. The other big advantage for the selected start-ups is that they will have access to a scheme that will enable them to finance their incubation, which is virtually paid for by the FIRST fund (Regional Innovation Fund for Tourism Services). I don't think there's any other scheme of this type in the region.
Has the crisis had an impact on the positioning of the start-ups you study?
Héliéna Brégand - There are solutions that have clearly emerged from the crisis, in particular for all the start-ups offering budget optimisation, systems to boost sales or working on hybrids.
How are you positioning yourself in the hybrid market?
Héliéna Brégand - Hybrids are a trend, but there isn't really any extraordinary enthusiasm in the sector. From the organisers' point of view, hybrids are expensive and require completely rethink the economic model of an event to make it profitable. The shift needs to be well thought through. There are other obstacles too: at destination level, events have a direct economic impact on the region. If hybrid events attract fewer local participants, the destinations are not the winners. Today, hybrid is still a temporary solution for many companies, enabling them to organise events in a safe environment given the current health conditions. There is a market to be found, and we need to think about the economic model. But I'm convinced thatwe need to turn this cornerIt's a major advantage in terms of competitiveness, visibility and market share.
Would you say that the fact that 4EVENT was launched at the height of the crisis has given it a more open approach to the new challenges facing the sector?
Héliéna Brégand - The fact that we were born during the crisis meant that we were very agile. Throughout the period of confinement, we had direct and privileged access to our members, who had less activity, and therefore more time to think together about the services that would best meet their expectations and needs. That's what has enabled us to take a genuine co-construction.
areas of innovation and creativity
What are your region's intrinsic strengths in terms of innovation and events?
Héliéna Brégand - The advantage of our region is our ecosystem. People don't realise enough that the Côte d'Azur and Provence are not just a land of sea, flavours and colours, they're also a land of territories of innovation and creativity. You only have to look at the dynamics around French Tech, the region's nuggets, our major universities, the very dynamic areas of excellence that are driving innovation. For example, there's an interdisciplinary artificial intelligence institute at Sophia Antipolis which is weaving synergies with researchers, for example to bring AI into events. There are dynamic people in the region with the academic and technical backgrounds that will enable us to develop innovations, and we don't know that enough. The region's other advantage is its strong events and tourism industry, which means we're in close contact with professionals. This is another advantage of Provence Côte d'Azur Events: the reason we chose to work on incubation is not only to support our members through change and innovation, but also to be a testing ground. A number of start-ups have understood this: they have contacted us to be put in direct contact with the market represented by our 200 members.
What is your roadmap for 2022?
Héliéna Brégand - 4EVENT is based on four service bricks These include training, support - including incubation - resources, and an international research chair in risk management. For 2022, the priority is a support for recovery and changeThis is reflected in the digital and environmental transformation, as well as in the transformation of working models. We need to think about new business modelsWe're also looking at new ways of working together as a team, offering greater flexibility to the event industry to manage the uncertainties that persist, and the complications associated with recruitment. Visit stop and go is complex to manage, it doesn't allow us to ensure working capital and long-term viability. A lot of employees have had to retrain. The difficulty is also that not all event industry professions can be "digitised". Of course, event organisers can work with communications agencies and go hybrid. But activity providers, caterers, transporters and hoteliers depend on face-to-face. This is where support for change is crucial, because we need to find new sources of growth. The difficulty is that not everything depends on technological innovation. We need to think pragmatically about local operators.
