What does GL Events Venues represent today?
<Daniel Chapiro - GL Events Venues is responsible for managing and optimising our portfolio of operational venues worldwide and integrating those that join us. It represents 65 event venues in France and abroad, including convention centres, exhibition centres, event venues, multi-purpose halls, auditoriums and stadiums. International operations now account for 50% of the Group's business. In Africa, for example, GL Events has taken over the management and operation of the Abidjan Exhibition Centre, in Côte d'Ivoire. We are also present in China, managing the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing and the Guangzhou Aerotropolis Expo Center. Latin America is another fast-growing market with the acquisition in 2024 of the Riesco Convention Centre in Santiago, Chile. And in Brazil, GL Events operates the two largest exhibition centres in Sao Paulo. At the Anhembi one, the group plans to invest €120m in renovating the halls and building a convention centre and arena. The site is unique in that it has a sambodrome for carnival parades. To make the most of this atypical space, we also organise an electric F1 grand prix and a music festival. Among our other Brazilian specialities, we operate a 5* hotel located in the heart of Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro's exhibition centre.
But France remains one of your priorities?
Daniel Chapiro - Yes, absolutely. GL Events manages the Arena in Reims, the Co'Met in Orléansthe Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille and Paris convention centres. Strasbourg, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year which is, I believe, the only example of a site managed as a Sem. We are also present in Paris with the Maison de la Mutualité and the Palais Brogniart. This year, the Group also designed and built a temporary conference centre on the Old Port of Nice to host the United Nations Conference on the Oceans. And let's not forget the Stade de France, which came within our scope on 5 August. Finally, the Venues division will take over Fimalac Entertainment's 23 event venues, including the iconic Salle Pleyel in Paris and the Zenith in Clermont-Ferrand.
What are your plans for the Parc Chanot in Marseille?
Daniel Chapiro - We took over the reins of the Parc Chanot on 1 January.er The Parc Chanot will be managed from 1 January 2025 through a new structure, Marseille Event, which will also involve CCIAMP Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Aix-Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Parc Chanot currently hosts around a hundred events a year, but we want to increase its activity and revitalise the Foire de Marseille. However, the public service delegation is only for three years before a new call for tenders for a 30-year public service delegation, which should enable us to make this venue a benchmark for hosting local, national and international conferences and events. We have delivered the first stage of the works, but the overall project is much more ambitious, with the aim of modernising this 17-hectare site and opening it up to the city. We'll be leaving as motivated as we were on day one to win the next delegation.
What has become of the Grand Palais Ephémère?
Daniel Chapiro - The Grand Palais Ephémère was a temporary structure designed to compensate for the closure of the Grand Palais during renovation work and to host events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It has now been dismantled and we are looking at a number of options for its future. It's a superb, modular structure designed by the Wilmotte architectural firm, with whom we regularly work on our flagship projects. Wilmotte worked with us on the renovation of the Maison de la Mutualité and, in the future, on the Stade de France.
What are your plans for the Stade de France?
<Daniel Chapiro - I'd like to make it clear that we won the 30-year concession on a project based on content and added value for events. The first priority was to increase the level of activity because the consortium that managed the stadium before us [Vinci-Bouygues, editor's note] had slowed down its marketing following the loss of the tender. The outlook is good for 2026 thanks to the signing of major events and concerts. We need to develop these two areas and open up to new themes, new sporting disciplines so that we don't just host football and rugby matches . We already have the expertise, as GL Events already manages the Matmut Stadium in Lyon, its reception areas and its rugby team. Work worth €120m is planned to enhance this magical building and improve its MICE and hospitality offering. I'm sure it has great potential for corporate events.
Will you be involved in the Los Angeles Olympics after the Paris Games?
Daniel Chapiro - The Paris Olympics, for which we delivered 70% of installations, were an incredible success. What's more, the Games were irreproachable in terms of CSR. We are currently in discussions about the Los Angeles Games. We have always been involved in the Olympic Games, both summer and winter, since the Albertville Games in 1992, with the exception of the Sochi Games in Russia in 2014. Between now and Los Angeles, GL Events has won a contract for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and signed the 20th Asian Games to be held in September-October 2026 in Nagoya, Japan. The Group is responsible for the design and construction of the temporary venues and infrastructure, as well as the development of the reception areas.
What is GL Events' strength today?
Daniel Chapiro - Founded 47 years ago, GL Events is a Lyon-based entrepreneurial group headed by Olivier Ginon, the CEO and founder, who still owns the majority of the capital. This family shareholding is a guarantee of stability that enables the company to commit to long-term projects. GL Events, which is expected to post sales of around €1.7 billion this year, has become one of the world's leading event management companies, operating on five continents and in some twenty countries. The venue management sector will be particularly strong in 2025. The network, which will have 90 sites by the end of the year, is proving to be extremely dynamic, with a genuine exchange of ideas and best practice as it continues to develop its business.
