Determined to extend the tourist season as far as possible, theMarseille Tourist Office is betting more than ever on business tourism to achieve this objective. A challenge in which the Tourist Office is supported by the Convention Bureau which comes under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan authority and includes Aix-en-Provence. The city of Marseille has become a key player on the MICE in France, benefiting from an enthusiasm that has only grown stronger since 2013 and its title of "European Capital of Culture", from its urban renewal, from its air services and, above all, by rail, putting the city just 3 hours from Paris in TGV. " Business tourism already generates €430m in direct spin-offs out of a total of over €1.2bn, with leisure tourism accounting for two-thirds of this figure. congress and the final third for corporate eventssays Maxime Tissot, Director of the Marseille Tourist Office. Some 1,300 events are now organised there every year, a quarter of which are conferences." .
With 38 congresses scheduled for 2022, the city (in tandem with Aix) will continue to grow in the rankings. classification CICAIn 2023, it will rank 43rd in the world and 34th in Europe. " Let's not forget that Marseille-Aix was in 146th place 5 years ago," he says with satisfaction. The city recently recovered 4 or 5 congresses following the closure of the Acropolis congress centre in Nice" . Major events are expected in 2024, including the Ordre des Experts Comptables conference, which will bring together 7,000 participants from 9 to 11 October. There will also be the 29th Pneumology Congress in 2025 (5,000 people) and the AFEID Congress in 2026.
A wide choice of venues for all types of events
In terms of facilities, the city is showcasing sites of various sizes, including the Parc Chanot (up to 7,000 delegates), the Palais du Pharo (1,100 people), the Aix-en-Provence Convention Centre (509 seats) and the Mucem auditorium (330 seats). There is also the World Trade Center, which manages three venues in Marseille: the City Center and its 13 rooms (2,000 m², including 400 m² for plenary sessions and a rooftop for 250 people), the Sky Center at the top of the Marseillaise tower (150 people for plenary sessions) and the Palais de la Bourse (an amphitheatre for 90 people, 150 people in the VIP room and 500 for gala evenings in its superb hall).
L'hotel InterContinental also boasts a major MICE centre with 15 rooms spread over 1,230 m², as well as 194 accommodation rooms. " The Chanel fashion show in Marseille on 2 May should keep us busy for several days." says Maxime Astorgis, the 5* hotel's sales manager. This fashion event, with its international coverage, will once again raise the city's profile in foreign markets. " InterContinental attracts more and more international MICE clients, particularly from the USA" he adds.
Developing a business tourism activity since 2019, Villages Clubs du Soleil offers a turnkey solution, combining accommodation (124 rooms for 288 beds), the use of its rooms (200 m² plenary room, 6 rooms of up to 100 m² and a new creative space) and its outdoor park for activities. " With an average of around 100 participants, we host 150 corporate events a year, including 6 full privatisations in 2023." says Nathalie Bouvier Issaverdens, its MICE and Corporate Manager. Chateauform Marseille Longchamp also operates as a stand-alone business with its residential house comprising 51 bedrooms and 10 rooms (from 14 to 80 people) for seminars, events and training courses.
The right niche for the Olympic Games
The big question for tourism professionals at the moment is what impact the major events scheduled for this year, including the arrival of the Olympic flame on 8 May, and the sailing and football competitions taking place between 24 July and 8 August, will have on MICE. " The sporting events should have no impact on business tourism, which is traditionally absent during the summer and only picks up again in the last week of August." Maxime Tissot predicts. This should avoid the mistakes of Rugby World Cup where Marseille had seen corporate events move to other cities because of the rise in hotel rates during match periods. " During the Olympic Games, we're sticking to traditional summer prices. In Marseille, hotel rates are not soaring as they are in the capital and Ile-de-France." says Violaine Manzon, Sales Director at Sofitel Marseille. A sentiment shared by Maxime Astorgis for the InterContinental.
Slowdown in hotel openings
In terms of accommodation, Marseille now has 9760 rooms, compared with 4500 in 1996. Over the past two decades, the number of hotel chains has multiplied (InterContinental, Radisson Blu, Mama Shelter, Villages Club du Soleil, etc.), Maisons du Monde...), the latest openings being the Meininger Hotel Centre La Joliette (194 rooms), the Crowne Plaza le Dôme 4* last May (138 rooms) and the Hilton Garden Inn Marseille Provence Airport (178 rooms and 11 meeting rooms for up to 300 people). A Ruby Hotels at the end of 2025 (237 rooms) at La Joliette, near Euroméditerranée, an area that will also see the construction of a hotel Eklo (97 rooms) in a former industrial wasteland. It should be noted that the duo formed by the 4-star Novotel (110 rooms and 6 seminar rooms over 300 sq. metres) and the 5-star Sofitel (134 rooms and 7 seminar rooms over 400 sq. metres) has been put up for sale by AccorInvest.
" While Marseille may lack a jumbo according to some conference organisers, the city is rather favourable to the installation of a palace in order to offer the best possible welcome to a new range of very high-end visitors" says Laurent Lhardit, Deputy Chairman of the Tourist Office. This is currently the preserve of Aix-en-Provence, which already has a luxury hotel, as well as 8 5* hotels and 16 4* addresses. " Marseille's accommodation capacity is almost inexhaustible if you include short-term rentals such as Airbnb" adds Maxime Tissot. However, these seasonal rentals between private individuals have met with opposition from residents in several districts of Marseille, including Le Panier, forcing the local council to introduce more restrictive regulations.
Sailing as an environmentally-friendly activity for businesses
" In addition to conferences and seminars, Marseilles has become a key venue for incentive and reward travel city thanks to Provence, its calanques, the sea and its islands. Specialised professionals have settled in our region, developing original activities and experiences." adds Maxime Tissot. Team Winds, for example, based on the Frioul islands, with its fleet of 20 yachts, is taking full advantage of the spotlight on sailing in Marseille as part of the Olympic Games. " We can take a maximum of 140 participants on board, divided into groups of 7 and supervised by a professional skipper, for some sporting regattas on the Olympic waters. It's a real experience that's also 100% CSRwhich appeals to companies" says Baptiste Du Chaffaud, the director of Team Winds. A new wind is blowing through the city of Marseilles.
