"Paris is alive and breathing at last! Sophie Amsellem, Le Public Système

How is the Paris incentive market faring?

Sophie Amsellem - You get the impression that Paris is finally buzzing and breathing! There are more and more openings, both in terms of venues and legislation. What wasn't possible yesterday is possible today. Even small places like bistronomic restaurants, those great addresses run by famous chefs, are letting us in, and that's great! As an agency, we set the scene to reinforce the exceptional nature of an event. There are also all these ephemeral venues created on existing sites. For example, a temporary structure set up at the Palais de Tokyo, opposite the Eiffel Tower, for the duration of an event or, at the Hôtel du Collectionneur, a gigantic transparent bubble installed in the middle of a garden that can be reserved for groups of around 150 people. There are also car parks and industrial complexes that host events from time to time... All this dynamism is a good thing for Paris and the surrounding region!

Are activities also following this trend?

S. A. - Classic incentives such as makeovers, karaoke, culinary workshops or secret tours of Paris work well. So do photocalls, where guests are photographed in a particular setting at a given time. But more than the activities themselves, our role as an agency is to write a story and stage it around themes. 

Can you give us some examples of events?

S. A. - For a pharmaceutical laboratory, we organised a rally for around fifty people at the Louvre Museum on the occasion of the Telethon. The aim was to encourage participants to do something for the French Muscular Dystrophy Association through the Vroum association. Each participant was equipped with a pedometer to convert their steps into euros and digital tablets to guide them along the route. At the end of the event, everyone met up on a barge for a cocktail and a transfer to the Cabaret Sauvage, where they attended the preview of the acrobatic show by the Mandingue company. Another example: this summer, we designed a team-building event for 130 sales representatives from all over the world. The programme included an overnight stay at the Château Saint Just in the Oise region, a race with soap boxes made by their own hands, a Zodiac treasure hunt on the Seine and a fancy dress gala evening at the France Amériques salons in Paris.