He was one of the elements of the success of the Ocean Summit held in Nice in June 2025. Located at the end of the Old Port, the OcéaNice congress centre was specifically built by the Lyon-based group GL Events for this United Nations conference. Taken over by the Nice Tourist and Convention Bureau in September 2025, this modular and eco-responsible space consists of two adjoining buildings, an exhibition hall alongside a congress and seminar space.
The first, of 3,500m2 divisible into three, can accommodate 3,000 people for a cocktail reception or 2,000 in theatre-style seating. The second, of 1,200 m²2 Spread over two levels, it comprises four large rooms which upcoming work will allow to be partitioned into 11 spaces, capable of hosting 50 to 240 people for seminars. The furnishings are all from Furniture for Good, a French company specializing in recycled furniture. Above, a vast roof terrace awaits up to 800 guests for breaks, cocktails and evening events with breathtaking views of the Baie des Anges, Castle Hill and the Port Lympia. If needed, additional spaces are available on the quay in front of and close to the conference centre.
from OceaNice (c) S. Jaladis
Among its other advantages, the OcéaNice convention centre benefits from its proximity to the city's main hotels, all within roughly fifteen minutes of each other, as well as a tram link to the international airport in 25 minutes. Terminal 2 of Nice Côte d’Azur has also been expanded to improve traffic flow and increase capacity to 18 million passengers per year.
" OcéaNice is gaining momentum. It's an incredible, multimodal, and hyper-connected tool, with its diary fully booked for March, April, and May. About fifty events are already planned for this year, and we've secured bookings for 2027 and 2028. ", celebrates Philippe Blond, the new director of OcéaNice. And the former director of Sem Lille Grand Palais, who succumbed to the sun of the French Riviera, added that " The complex is versatile and very well-calibrated for MICE events of 500 to 2,000 participants. Thus, in addition to the Ocean Summit, the site has been hired out 35 times in 2025, notably for the emergency physicians' congress (1,200 people) and a car launch, but also to host the Nice Marathon village, as well as trade fairs, exhibitions and corporate events…
A much-needed reset by the new mayor, Éric Ciotti
Océanis has the unique characteristic of being a temporary structure that needs to be operational for a few years, with Philippe Blond suggesting the date of 2032. By then, it will notably house the press centre during the 2030 Alpine Winter Olympic Games. But will it last that long? Éric Ciotti, the new UDR mayor, has never hidden his opposition to this project: " A 22 million euro mess " Comparing it to " An Amazon warehouse » throughout the election campaign, he assured a few days ago on BFM Nice Côte d’Azur that the current building permit expires in 2027 and that Unesco is demanding its demolition « as its construction was done in contradiction with the Nice Charter for World Heritage status ".
But will it have the excavators playing quickly, given that the city is in charge of the building and no longer had a convention centre since the destruction of Acropolis in 2024? The new mayor asserted that he had no choice and " will only apply the law The Unesco letter arrives at the perfect time to justify its closure. However, this should only take place after the 2030 Winter Olympics, which leaves a few good years of operation for business tourism. What's more, Éric Ciotti is considering building a stadium in the same location afterwards. prestige », inspired by the Salle des Étoiles in Monaco, and which would be permanent this time, without extending beyond the harbour jetty.
Above all, the new mayor of Nice wants to establish a multi-centre offering, comprising several venues spread across the city. This can rely on the current Palais des Expositions, whose immense concrete vault houses 17,000 m²2 of modular spaces through its large 11,000 m² hall2an auditorium with 250 seats and 10 meeting rooms seating 18 to 440 people. La Gare du Sud, which has just been transformed into a cultural and exhibition space, should also be part of this network of rooms that can be mobilised for MICE. It was thus used on the evening of 30 March as a reception venue for 1,850 tourism professionals, including 814 specifiers from around the world, in parallel with the Rendez-vous en France trade show held during the day at the Palais des Expositions.
The Exhibition Park to the West of Nice is still in the running
The Nice Métropole's project for an Exhibition and Congress Centre on the former MIN Fleurs site is also continuing its obstacle course. Located to the west of the city, within the Nice Ecovallée business district, this large hall of 13,000 m²2 will be accessible by tram and will benefit from its proximity to several hotels (Radisson, Crowne Plaza, Sheraton, Novotel, Okko…) as well as Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and the future Nice Airport SNCF station. The timetable is tight, also dictated by the Paris 2030 Olympic Games, as this building will be requisitioned for the event. The choice of developer and concessionaire is due to be announced this year following a call for tenders, with works scheduled for completion at the end of 2029.
During the Rendez-Vous en France press conference, Pierre Ippolito, the new deputy in charge of trade and economic development, confirmed the creation of this exhibition centre but also a conference centre in the heart of Nice. Would the multi-venue event offering announced by the mayor then only be temporary, until this new building is constructed? To be continued…
A daily spend of €250 for a business tourist
As under Christian Estrosi, business tourism remains a priority for the new term, as it generates significant tourist – and therefore economic – activity outside of the peak season. The daily expenditure of a business tourist amounts to €250 per day, twice as much as for leisure tourist. We have clients as far as North America thanks to direct flights and a representative agency based in New York. », Jean-Sébastien Martinez, the Director General of the Nice Côte d’Azur Tourist and Convention Bureau, tells us. And he estimates that « Business tourism still has room for improvement. We particularly want to relaunch medical congresses, which were a strong marker for the region. ".
In recent years, Nice has expanded its offerings beyond leisure and MICE, adding sport to its repertoire, including a marathon (and half-marathon), Ironman races, the Paris-Nice cycling event, Evo e-sports (an international video game tournament), and more. Major events taking place in Cannes or Monaco, such as the Film Festival or the F1 Grand Prix, can also benefit Nice's hotels.
Reopening of the Palais de la Méditerranée early June
The second most popular destination after Paris, with 15 million visitors annually, Nice currently has 10,800 hotel rooms, with the wider Métropole area boasting 13,700. Nice has already achieved 700,000 hotel nights in winter. The city has managed to reach an annual occupancy rate of 75% whereas this rate barely exceeded 50% with 8,000 rooms in 2008. And the park continues to grow and move upmarket. , points out Jean-Sébastien Martinez.
The year 2026 will therefore be marked by the renovation of the 124 rooms at the Mercure Promenade des Anglais and, more importantly, by the reopening on 4 June of the Palais de la Méditerranée, by the Hyatt group. Following its upgrade, the 5-star establishment will switch from the Hyatt Regency brand to the luxury brand The Unbound Collection. Its reopening will allow its large 1,000 m2 room for 800 people to return to the MICE market.
For its part, the Negresco, which is still aiming for its "Palace" classification in 2027, has renovated around thirty additional rooms. And other projects are in the pipeline, such as the Mercure Centre Notre-Dame, which will join the Marriott brand in 2027 after a renovation of its 198 rooms. Recently bought by the Extendam group, this 4-star establishment had already undergone a refresh in 2023. The construction of a 70-room 4-star boutique hotel is also planned a stone's throw from Place Garibaldi, in place of a former barracks that has already been demolished.
