Disneyland Resort Paris bills itself as "Europe's leading business tourism destination". On what criteria?
Carlo Olejniczak: We are the only venue to offer such a wide range of accommodation and event facilities, with 7,500 rooms - 8,000 including partner hotels - two conference centres, over 2,350 m2 of meeting space and two theme parks that can be used for parties for up to 30,000 people. This is a huge advantage for our customers, who can stay on site for two or three days without wasting time on transfers between accommodation, work and leisure venues. Last year, we counted 131,000 overnight stays linked to the thousand or so corporate events organised here.
Has the launch of the TGV Est enabled you to expand your catchment area?
C. O. : It has opened up new markets for us in Eastern France, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. It's a bit like the phenomenon that followed the development of high-speed lines with the UK.
What are your main markets?
C. O.: Taking the nationality of the client as the criterion, France remains our leading market, with 42 % of overnight stays. Next come the UK with 30 %, Benelux with 14 % and Germany with 4 % in the 2007 financial year. This clearly shows our development potential on the German market. We're also looking at Italy and Spain, which have huge potential, as well as the United States, which is a key prescription market.
And what about emerging markets?
C. O. : As far as organising corporate events is concerned, it's still a bit more difficult, even though last year we hosted an incentive event for 1,700 people organised by a Chinese company. So there are opportunities.
What channels are you using to prospect in these foreign markets?
C. O. : As a member of the Maison de la France and the Paris Convention Bureau, we are committed to a collective approach. When organising a corporate event, I think you first choose a country, then a city, then a destination. Similarly, we don't present ourselves as a closed destination. You can complement a seminar at Disneyland Resort Paris with an evening in Paris or Champagne: the more varied our offer, the stronger we are.
Numerous competing parks have appeared on the business tourism market. How do you explain this craze?
C. O. : It's a sound economic model, because it plays on the reverse consumption cycles between leisure and business: you fill the hotels at weekends and during the holidays with leisure customers, and the rest of the year with business customers. I'm not surprised by this development, but I think it can only happen harmoniously if the park creates a department dedicated solely to business tourism.
Bio express
Carlo Olejniczak is 38 years old
1994-1995 Promosalons (UK) Ltd, London, Communications and Promotion Officer.
1995-1998 Palais des Congrès de Paris, Sales and Marketing Manager.
1998-2008 Disneyland Resort Paris Business Solutions, Marketing Manager, then Sales Director, then Department Director.
2008 Disneyland Resort Paris, Sales and Marketing Director
