Châteauform': new solutions for maintaining long-distance links

This was to be a recovery event for Châteauform' after the relaxation of health constraints scheduled for 20 January. Unfortunately, there has been no let-up in the spread of the pandemic, and seminar centres are still at a standstill. Despite its leading position in France for hosting seminars and training coursesChâteauform' is in the same position as all companies in the MICE sector: it is fighting for its survival. " We have entered the new millennium head-on. world of uncertainty" Daniel Abittan, the company's chairman, noted that the group expects to post sales of €80 million in 2020, compared with €255 million in 2019, a loss that has so far been offset by an operating profit of €45 million. Châteauform' also hosted 7,000 seminars last year, compared with 20,000 a year earlier.

Although he does not expect a real upturn before next September, the Chairman of Châteauform' nevertheless sees a continuing strong need for face-to-face meetings: " This is more necessary than ever, and when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Eventually, I don't think hybrid meetings will exceed 20%. "Meanwhile, Daniel Abittan hears " avoid discouragement and resignation" finding a virtue in crises, that of develop new models. Naturally, the hybrid meetings are at the heart of this evolution with three digital solutions, presented last November and implemented in three Parisian establishments, the only ones of the group to be open at the moment.

28 George V is home to "Studio 28", a fully-equipped film studio for live presentations. live streaming or recorded. This offer was designed in partnership with Stardust Group, in the same way as the "Seine du Métropolitan", whose auditorium lends itself to 100 % digital events, while still welcoming part of the audience in person. For something more spectacular, the Plateau Haussmann, at the Docks de Paris, offers its vast 200m2 stage, a main LED screen and two side screens, and four robotised cameras, all supported by Magnum's technical expertise. Finally, Châteauform' has also developed mobile studios that can be set up in any of the group's facilities.

So much for form and technical resources. As for the substance, Châteauform' adds advice to help companies stay in touch with their employees and keep participants engaged by creating scenarios for meetings. " The digital course must be as interesting as the face-to-face one" Benjamin Abittan, the Group's Managing Director, points out. a speech by an executive on stage, followed by a few minutes' interview reserved for remote participants." . At the same time, Châteauform' and its partners are offering a full range of a catalogue of digital animations - escape games, pop-up yoga, quizzes, remote mentalism - to boost the dynamic of remote teams.

Similarly, training is adapting to the age of social distance and digital technology. With this in mind, the Group has rethought its pedagogical engineering through its partnership with My SkillFactory, in order to support its training teams in the transformation of their modules and programmes. On the technical side, at Châteauform' Learning Lab recently opened at La Défense, rooms have been equipped to facilitate distance learning. The venue also features a studio equipped with the RapidMooc plug&play recording solution and a green screen for the creation of educational videos. The RapidMooc solution also incorporates fun scenarios, such as mock TV news reports, to get teams going.

Another area of development for Châteauform', in response to the boom in teleworking, is the offer of Work from anywhere. Either because their offices lack the space to guarantee social distancing, or because they have decided to reduce their property expenses, companies may have occasional needs to bring together their dispersed teams. Châteauform' offers to bring them together on a regular basis in its houses through a subscription formulaFrom 80 euros per employee based on 10 days per year.

Lastly, and this is nothing new since the group has been positioned in this niche for five years, Châteauform' intends to develop its Châteauform'@Home solution more widely in the face of the expected changes in office property. " Tomorrow's office will be a destination where employees go to create, socialise and celebrate." says Daniel Abittan. The Châteauform'@Home solution is an extension of the company's expertise in providing reception facilities on its own premises, and has already been deployed with Société Générale at Les Dunes in Val-de-Fontenay - for a 200-seat amphitheatre, 14 meeting rooms and a commercial brasserie - as well as Pernod Ricard for its corporate universityThe new Deloitte University in Marne-La-Vallée, a vast campus with 265 rooms, is just around the corner.

The current crisis does not, however, affect the humanist values which Châteauform' has been promoting for 25 years. After developing a CSR action plan in 2019, this policy was recognised by the 20121 certification of its activities in France. As part of its plan to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, the group has put in place a number of initiatives, including planting a tree for every seminar held in its facilities. In partnership with Business4Earth, 7,000 trees were planted in the Indonesian mangrove swamp in January 2021. More generally, Châteauform' aims to demonstrate its exemplary In 2021, it will become a "company with a mission", as defined in the PACTE law (action plan for the growth and transformation of businesses). Daniel Abittan believes that, " More than maximising profits, a company must above all be socially useful. "