C. Bossanne (Huttopia): "The brakes come off as soon as they arrive here".

Is it easy for companies to take their staff camping?

Céline Bossanne - Let's be honest, there's always some apprehension. For the organisers, even though more and more people have heard of Huttopia, without always taking the plunge, coming to us is a real challenge. a little risk-taking. Take an assistant in charge of organising a seminar who has to tell her boss that she's taking her executive committee camping. Or to those employees who are used to going to hotels and who might wonder if they are being punished, if the company's results have been so bad. But as soon as they arrive, the brakes come off.

What is it about Huttopia that appeals to participants?

Céline Bossanne - They discover friendly places, not at all stuffy, where you can go for a walk and enjoy lots of activities outside meetings, eat outdoors, have a barbecue. This simplicity is very appealing to the participants. At the end, the comments are always complimentary: "one of the best seminars we've ever done", "it was really great", "we'll be coming back as a family". Companies need to be able to take this step aside and come and experience a real adventure, in an environment that breaks the mould and helps you to be more creative, that makes a change from everyday life without having to go very far.

Does this real adventure start with sleeping in a tent?

Céline Bossanne - We strongly encourage groups to use tents, the best experience in our opinion. But we have a wide choice of accommodation. There are single and double tents, some with en-suite facilities and some without. Chalets can also be single, double or even triple. These chalets also offer a degree of security for seminars organised at the height of the season, when the nights can be chilly. All this accommodation is designed and built by Group subsidiaries. You won't find them anywhere else, whether in tents or chalets built from untreated Douglas fir.

Of the fifty or so sites you offer in France, are they all suitable for hosting corporate events?

Céline Bossanne - We have seven seminar villages, all with the same philosophy and many similarities, since we've been working with the same architect for 20 years on our buildings, but never the same atmosphere. What sets these sites apart is that they offer mainly rental accommodation, with few or no camping pitches, superior services and, above all, daylight seminar roomsWith large windows and uninterrupted views of the countryside. In some villages, we even have tents for seminars. At the same time, the chalets can be used as sub-committee rooms. And while Huttopia is unique in that it does not offer WiFi to its customers, our seminar customers can rest assured that we have hidden networks for them.

What types of companies do you welcome to these facilities?

Céline Bossanne - Banks in particular. As we are from Lyon, banks in the region think of us when they have events to organise, seminars or management committees, particularly at the Huttopia Dieuliefit village in the Drôme and the Huttopia Sud-Ardèche village. But we also welcome a wide variety of companies, big and small, for team meetings of 10 or 15 people or private functions for up to 100-120 people. Our range of accommodation caters for companies from all walks of life, depending on their budget. They can choose the least expensive accommodation, such as tents without bathrooms, or single chalets. In the same way, when it comes to catering, we can offer something simple or more upmarket, in partnership with local caterers, but always at a reasonable cost. Nothing is packaged or fixed. We adapt to our customers' needs and expectations. 

What do seminar customers represent for your Group?

Céline Bossanne - A small percentage of our sales, especially as it is concentrated in these seven villages alone. But it's growing every year. We have a full-time sales team, even when the villages are closed. We have good demand, but there's still room to develop this seminar market. It's a clientele that we'd like to see grow, because outside of holidays and weekends, we're available. These events often take place during the week, so we're delighted to welcome them.

How do the seminars work with your regular customers?

Céline Bossanne - Outside the summer, our sites are rarely full. And there's plenty of space at Huttopia, with villages stretching over 15 or 20 hectares, even if other customers are present, there is no interference with seminars. Especially as we can dedicate a special area to the event. In the same vein, we recently decided to open one of our sites to the general public only during the summer, the Huttopia Lanmary in the Dordogne. The rest of the time, the site is open to the public. Previously, we often received requests to organise events, but we were stuck.

Do you have any new projects?

Céline Bossanne - We've just opened a new village in Tupin-et-Semmons, the Huttopia Pays de Condrieu, near the Côtes Rôties vineyards, in the Pilat nature park. As a Lyon-based company, we were keen to create a village closer to Lyon than Dieulefit, which is more than two hours away by car. Hence this new establishment, the result of the takeover of a former naturist campsite in an isolated natural area, where we have installed a large number of chalets and a large lifestyle centre, all with a splendid view of the Alps and Pilat. L'Huttopia Pays de Condrieu will focus in particular on seminars, with two rooms already available, one large and one small. But we plan to create others, because we believe it has everything it takes to become a major meeting venue for Lyon's clientele.

Do you have any other developments in the pipeline?

Céline Bossanne - There are always developments, with campsites being taken over in France and now internationally. We have heading abroad with a presence in Europe in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and soon Sweden, among other current projects. We also have villages in the United States and Canada. This is the only format in which we are expanding in North America, with sites often designed and adapted for groups and seminars, particularly in California.

So these villages on the other side of the Atlantic are also positioning themselves for seminars?

Céline Bossanne - I'm thinking in particular of an extraordinary place an hour and a quarter from Los Angeles, Paradise Springs, an oasis in the desert with the capacity to host weddings and events. It's a former campsite created in the 1920s by Hollywood actorsIt was once frequented by Charlie Chaplin, who was a shareholder. The chalet he used has just been renovated in keeping with its original spirit. Last year we also opened another village north of San Francisco, in Napa Valley. Here too, there is enormous potential with all the local businesses. We didn't initially focus on this seminar market, but our teams are starting to work on it. 

As well as seminars, do you also attract visiting business clients?

Céline Bossanne - Yes, we receive quite a few business customers in Divonne, not far from Geneva, with affordable accommodation also close to Switzerland, or at our City Kamps city campsites. They all offer an alternative to traditional hotels with individual or shared accommodation, where you can cook for yourself and park your car. Professionals appreciate this, especially if they have a trunk full of samples. All this in an environment that may be urban, but is also natural, often with a swimming pool, a restaurant and plenty to do. It's enough to make you feel like you're on holiday.