After two years of the pandemic, including eleven months of total inactivity, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes has finally returned to normal activity since his reopening in March 2022. " We are back to pre-Covid levels with 63 operations signed at the end of March and a return to profitability. 2023 will be a very good year with the aim ofat least 140 events. In addition to our loyal customers who are back, we have managed to attract new ones while incubating new events and by multiplying innovations such as HI5, our digital studioto emerge stronger from these two years of crisis "says Jean-Michel Arnaud, Chairman of the Palais. This year, he hopes to achieve sales close to the 2019 figure of €45 million (and €43.5 million by 2022). A success that he also attributes to the strengths of this 33,000 m² buildingThe modular layout can accommodate up to 10 events per week. A major first: the facility can boast of being the first convention centre to have passed the test of time. "mission-driven company which should appeal in a sector where concerns about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have become more than important. " Become Mission Palace will be based on three priorities: Connecting, Revealing talents and Caring, with a global project aimed at welcoming the world in a sustainable way." he explains. The Palais will operate for almost 320 days in 2023, with a return to the 300,000 delegates intends to achieve the highest level of eco-responsibility, as the equipment is already certified ISO 20121. Investments are being made to reduce waste, water and electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions... The interior street and the Ambassadors' Lounge will also be renovated by the end of the year. 2026. However, the plan to build a large hall on the roof of the Palais was shelved after Covid. " The Palais now has the ideal gauge12,000 to 15,000 people per day for an event such as a trade fair. "says Jean-Michel Arnaud.
Cannes can count on its strengths to ensure the success of this upturn in business events, "all-in-one destinationThe advantage of being able to move around only on foot, a volume of 8,000 hotel and residence roomsthe mobilisation of all players in the industry, not forgetting of course the Croisette-beach-weather combo. " Business tourism means 850 million euros in economic spin-offs over a full year and represents 12,000 direct and indirect jobshe explains.. Above all, if we take into account the people accompanying them, more people come to Cannes during events than enter the Palais." . So €1 in sales generated by the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès would generate €20 in spin-offs for the city.
A hotel industry on the move
In addition to its Palais with its famous steps, Cannes' strength lies in its hotel capacities - with six 5-star establishments - located just a few minutes' walk from the Palais des Festival, an offer that has been deeply rejuvenated and developed in recent years. Spearheaded by the reopening in march at the Mipim from legendary Carlton. L'the emblematic Croisette palace unveils its new configuration 369 rooms, 57 suites and a new wing of 37 flats with hotel services for long stays. After five years of work, including a 30-month closure, thehotel celebrating its 110th anniversary has been restored to its former glory, with the lobby and the 380 m² grand salon (for 300 people) proudly displaying its crystal chandeliers, marble columns and gold-leaf capitals. But the Carlton's nugget is now hidden at its heart, the unsightly car park having given way to a outdoor swimming pool and landscaped garden (for up to 1000 guests at a cocktail party) covering the new Convention centreThis ultra-modern complex with a dedicated entrance features a modular hall measuring 765 m² without pillars and six metres under the ceiling, a vast foyer (300 people) and five meeting rooms (up to 158 m²). The five-star hotel that has adopted the Regent will be taking advantage of the forthcoming Film Festival to make full use of its new capabilities.
Not far from there, the former Grand Hôtel, now the first Mondrian of FranceAccor's five-star lifestyle brand, the hotel's 11 renovated floors feature warm communal areas and 75 rooms and suites with delicate Art Deco-inspired decor. While its capacity for meetings remains limited, with five rooms (including two connecting rooms for up to 60 people), its vast 4,000 m² grounds and the terrace of its gourmet restaurant are the ideal place to host a cocktail party for 1,000 guests. The same goes for Hyde Beach Cannes, its private beach facing the Mediterranean, with a capacity of 800. At the end of the Old Port of Cannes, the new Canopy by Hilton will be the next establishment to unveil its new 143 four-star roomsIt will replace the Radisson Blu, which closed its doors in September 2022. " All the hotels will be back this summer" says a delighted Jean-Michel Arnaud.
But Cannes has not finished its transformation with the reopening of the famous Palm Beach for the 2024 edition of the Film Festival - a site that will undoubtedly become a new centrepiece of Cannes' event calendar - the forthcoming launch of the renovation of the Vieux Port, venue for the Yachting Festival, and a a complete overhaul of the Croisette over three years, at a cost of €160 million.
