A Nantes, the MICE sector is undergoing a transformation. The Cité des Congrès has launched a renovation plan, with two watchwords: performance and sustainability. Among the main innovations for event organisers to look forward to are a fully renovated Grand Auditorium, as well as a new opening onto a garden, allowing events to extend outdoors. The energy performance of the infrastructure will also receive particular attention. The scale of this renovation is forcing the managers of the Nantes Cité des Congrès to close several spaces successively. This includes a total closure of the site between February and December 2027, before an anticipated reopening in January 2028. However, the upcoming opening of new infrastructure already allows for anticipation, by offering a prime alternative…
The Nantes events scene will thus expand with the inauguration of the LAPS, scheduled for next September. « The renovation of Nantes' Cité des Congrès and the opening of LAPS are part of a broader dynamic to structure Nantes' event offering, in conjunction with the merger of La Cité and Le Parc des Expositions from 1 January 2026. » say those involved. And to specify: « The objective is to offer organisers a clear, complementary and suitable package for all types of professional events, both during refurbishment work and in the long term. ".
Located on the banks of the Erdre, within a 20-hectare natural setting, the LAPS is emerging as a flexible, connected, and functional venue, with a seating capacity that can range from 1,600 to 2,500. The project also includes dressing rooms, break areas, an integrated bar, and personalised reception services. It is all accessible by tram from the city centre and the TGV station. Around sixty dates are already booked for the LAPS, according to its managers. The latter also believe that the new venue will help fill the gap they have identified between the auditoriums at La Cité and the large arenas. According to Denis Caille, CEO of La Cité des Congrès de Nantes and Parc des Expositions, " Le LAPS embodies the future of events in Nantes: a venue born out of a temporary need but designed to last. Culture, business, conferences… it meets all ambitions. ".
