Naboo is stepping up its development in the organisation of corporate seminars by dipping into the €7.5 million it raised at the end of 2023 to acquire one or more events agencies. The names of the initial redemptions could be unveiled by the autumn. " The aim is to equip these agencies with our technologies so that reservations can be made quickly and automatically, making them more competitive when it comes to managing smaller events. And all the while providing a better service to their key account customers, a segment in which Naboo wants to strengthen its position." explains Maxime Eduardo, one of the co-founders of this start-up created just two years ago.
Artificial intelligence plays a key role in this quest for productivity. " AI enables us to save precious time for example, by publishing the four proposals best suited to the customer's brief" he explains. By developing this key accounts business, Naboo intends to consolidate and sustain its activity. " We have now exceeded three million euros in monthly volumes and are already regularly handling requests from CAC40 groups to 50%." says the young entrepreneur. Buoyed by this growth, Naboo has just revised its visual identity with the aim of improving the conversion rate on its booking site.
Rapid success thanks to an all-inclusive offer
Naboo was originally conceived as a platform offering green teleworking opportunities. It may have seemed a good idea at the time of Covid, but in the end it was not the success we had hoped for. " With my three partners, we decided to switch to turnkey seminar proposals, handling transport, accommodation, workspaces, catering and activities..." explains Maxime Eduardo. A change that has paid off, as Naboo has seen dazzling growthThe company has grown from 20 to 81 employees in the last 12 months - including 25% of R&D engineers - and expects to achieve sales of €50m by 2024. This success is based not only on our all-inclusive seminar offering, but also on our low rates, thanks to our technology and a fixed commission rate of 6%". even for a €1,000 event" he stresses.
25% of seminars take place in the Paris Region
However, the average shopping basket is close to €15,000 for around forty participants. " The budget is around €350 per person per day, explains the co-founder of Naboo. Few bookings are made in traditional hotels, with 80% of our sales based on green residential seminars. Companies are looking for ways to get away from it all and prefer to stay in ecolodges, estates, manor houses or châteaux, often with private facilities." .
Naboo receives countless requests to list places, which are then screened before being added to its inventory, which already includes 4000 venues and a thousand partners. A quarter of the business is generated in the Ile-de-France region, followed by the Centre-Val de Loire, the Hauts-de-France region with the Oise in the lead, and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur with Marseille in particular. Not forgetting Normandy, with the Vexin and the classic Honfleur-Deauville tandem.
Some of the most important events have brought together up to 450 people for a day of study, and around a hundred participants for a residential seminar. " Beyond that, specialist Mice agencies take over" says Maxime Eduardo. Recently, the Naboo teams have also developed an Executive range for corporate executives, offering Premium seminars with a choice of venue, service providers and exclusive services.
A wide range of seminars expected in England in 2025
After developing its offer throughout France, Belgium and Switzerland, Naboo will be launching on the United Kingdom in September this year, with the ambition of covering the country with proposals by 2025. Applications will initially be processed from France, and a local team is not expected to be set up until at least €1m of monthly business has been generated in the UK. Spain and Italy could follow in outgoing, taking advantage of the TGV links to Barcelona and Catalonia on the one hand, and Milan on the other.
For environmental reasons, the train is in effect preferred mode of transportand more specifically the SNCF and its subsidiaries, Lyria for Switzerland, Eurostar (ex-Thalys) for Belgium... " There are no aerial flights offered on our platform in order to respect our customers' CSR criteria, as Naboo is also committed to a CSR approach at company level." says Maxime Eduardo. From September, Naboo will be going even further by offering customers a carbon footprint of their event. This should give even more impetus to partners committed to an eco-responsible approach.
