Interview: Florence Jullian, Sales Director, Avignon congress palais des papes / parc expo

OUR AIM IS TO DEVELOP CONGRESSES. THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE REPUTATION OF THE CITY OF AVIGNON.

What are Avignon's strengths when it comes to conferences?

Florence Jullian - Avignon boasts an exceptional wealth of culture and architecture. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with two emblematic monuments in particular: the Palais des Papes and the Pont d'Avignon. Its international theatre festival and Provencal lifestyle, with the Alpilles and Lubéron mountains as backdrops, are other assets. As are its accommodation capacity, with 4,500 rooms, and its accessibility, just 2h40 from Paris by TGV.

What are its suggestions for hosting a conference?

F.J. - The Palais des Papes conference centre has 16 distinctive rooms that can accommodate up to 550 people for a meeting and 700 people for a reception. Our Parc Expo exhibition centre is ideal for large-scale events. Completely refurbished, it has 12 modular areas and a 920-seat congress hall organised around a 620-seat tiered amphitheatre.

What are your new projects?

F.J. - We are constantly adapting our strategy to bring it as close as possible to market trends. For example, our sales policy is more aggressive. We go out and meet our customers. Our priority strategic objective is to develop congresses, which not only generate significant economic spin-offs, but also help to raise the profile of the city of Avignon. The Palais des Papes convention centre hosts an average of 170 events a year, including 40 conventions. In 2015, it generated nearly e10 million from 48,000 stays!