Interview with Véronique Bertrand, Director of Meetings & Events France at Club Med

One new resort a year

What are Club Med's plans for the mountains?

Véronique Bertrand - The mountains account for 40 % of our sales and our ambition is to open one resort a year over the next decade. This may involve new openings such as Les Arcs Panorama this year, or renovations leading to a move upmarket, such as the forthcoming 4-Trident upgrade of our village at l'Alpe d'Huez. Our plans also include developing chalets at Grand Massif Samoëns, a very upmarket offering that already exists at Valmorel. Ranging from two to four bedrooms, this product is perfectly suited to executive committees.

What are the advantages of the villages for business groups?

Véronique Bertrand - Firstly, accommodation capacity of up to 1,200 people at Valmorel. Conventions, product launches, results announcements, reward trips: our villages can accommodate all kinds of events. When you privatise a resort, we can also make the theatre in our villages available to you. For MICE customers, we also offer original team-building activities, such as snowshoe orienteering races, as well as golf on snow and evenings in teepees or an icebar. We also offer a wide range of à la carte activities.

Is your all-inclusive offer also a key selling point?

Véronique Bertrand - Our strength lies in the fact that we offer a truly all-inclusive package, which goes far beyond restaurants and bars. Ski lessons, ski lifts, various activities: all of this adds to the budget. By being all-inclusive, we can offer MICE customers a controlled budget. And that's very important. In the same way, we have a dedicated logistics department, which is always a source of anxiety. Booking train or plane tickets, solutions in the event of delays or bad weather: we take care of everything.