Last year you inaugurated Hall 7 at Eurexpo Lyon. What are the advantages of this new venue?
Anne-Marie Baezner - Designed by AIA Architectures, Hall 7 is linked to Hall 6 by two footbridges. This means that the two halls can be connected to facilitate the flow of visitors to major trade shows. This single-storey hall, bathed in natural daylight, can also function independently thanks to its dedicated entrance. The investment of 20 million euros for this new space will enable the exhibition centre to keep pace with the growth of its leading shows. With a total surface area of 140 000 m², Eurexpo Lyon consolidates its position as France's leading exhibition centre after Paris.
How do you exploit the synergies between your different sites?
Anne-Marie Baezner - Lyon is both a major city of congress and loungespositioning us globally in the top 10 european destinations. Thanks to a marketplace organisation with four prestigious and complementary venues - the Lyon Convention Centre, Eurexpo Lyon, La Sucrière and Matmut Stadium Lyon Gerland -Lyon For Events offers organisers a tailored solution for all types of events in an attractive destination. Our aim is to consolidate Lyon's position as one of Europe's leading business destinations, as can be seen from the fact that our sales have risen by almost 17 % compared with 2016, a comparable year. These results confirm Lyon's position as a major player in European business tourism.
Does the events dimension of the Matmut Stadium Lyon Gerland open up new possibilities for you?
Anne-Marie Baezner - That's right, more than 200 events We also hosted a number of events this year, including the Seb Group's New Year's Eve celebrations in January and the Orange Tour roadshow in October. We are also hosting the new Sport Unlimitech event, which brings together the worlds of sport, science and innovation for the first time, taking over nearly 30,000 m² in September.
