"See you at the start of the new academic year": that, in a nutshell, is the watchword for businesses just a few days before the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The specialist events booking platform Kactus and the Rejolt market place are well placed to observe side effects on corporate events linked to the hosting of the world's biggest event right in the heart of the capital. The consequences of this are already being felt this June, when, according to Kactus, the traditional pre-holiday summer evenings are down by 12% between June 2023 and June 2024.
The pendulum is swinging, and many of these convivial get-togethers have become postponed until September/October. While many companies in the Paris region will see their employees teleworking for part of the summer, without seeing each other for a long time, afterwork-style team-building evenings are set to increase by +33% in September 2024 compared with 2023, according to Kactus.
This same phenomenon of postponement is naturally felt in seminars, which are down by 17% this June compared to last year, due in particular to the expected rise in hotel prices. This postponement was largely anticipated by companies, which have prepared their back-to-school seminars well in advanceThis is in April/May, rather than the month before the event as usual. As a result, the last quarter is very popular for their seminars, with an increase of +26% compared to 2023. As early as the end of May, Mickael Hadjadj, founder of Rejolt, noted " strong demand from mid-September to October" He also urged companies "not to delay too long, so that they can choose the accommodation and events that are right for them over the coming autumn, which promises to be a very busy one".
Another common finding of the Olympic Games effect is the tendency for companies to moving outside the Paris regioneven after the event. According to Kactus figures, the share of business events booked for the September/October 2024 period is down by 37.5% in the Paris region compared with 2023, with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions in particular benefiting. All of this is in line with the ever-renewed appeal of seminars in the great outdoors. " There has been a sharp increase in demand for places in the countryside on a human scalenotes Mickaël Hadjadj. This trend has been in place since the health crisis, but it is gathering pace again this year, enabling more out-of-the-way venues to make a name for themselves with business customers." .
However, while companies are doing everything they can to avoid the inconveniences expected in the capital at the height of summer, they are also including their events in this high point of the year, with Kactus offering them team-building activities such as the company Olympics, biathlon or the Olympic Games. collaborative olympiads. " One of the top 10 most popular team-building activities" notes the specialist booking platform. As for those staying in Paris, Rejolt has noted a marked interest in visits to venues emblematic of the Olympic Games, such as the recently opened Adidas Arena in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.e arrondissement and can host corporate events. For Mickaël Hadjadj " this atypical year will undoubtedly give more and more diverse players access to this business clientele, and in this sense will prove beneficial for the entire sector" .
