It was a commitment made by Éric Ciotti during his campaign to win the mayoralty of Nice: Océanice must disappear from the Quai du Vieux Port. During a recent intervention to review his first 100 days at the head of the city, the mayor announced the dismantling of the convention centre, built for the UN's Oceans Summit in June 2025, at the start of 2027. Éric Ciotti, who described the building as an "Amazon warehouse," nonetheless wishes for a "Nice Salle des Étoiles" to be built in its place, inspired by the one very close by in Monaco. This high-end gala venue would be dedicated to major Nice events and business tourism.
As a reminder, Océanice, managed by the Nice Convention and Tourism Office, is presented as a vast hall of 3,500 m², divisible into three and with a capacity of 3,000 people for a cocktail reception or 2,000 in a theatre-style setup. Lympia, the adjoining congress and seminar space, of 1,200 m² over two levels, was set to undergo work soon to create new breakout rooms. Indeed, the question also arises as to whether this second building will be saved, given that it houses the cruise terminal for the Old Port of Nice.
Oceania had to last until the Olympics
The temporary structure, built by GL Events, Océanice was initially intended to be kept to bridge the gap between the demolition of Acropolis in 2024 and the opening of the Exhibition Centre-Congress Centre, expected in 2030-2031 near the airport on the former MIN (Wholesale Market). More importantly, Océanice was to be requisitioned as a media centre for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled for 2030 in the Alps. However, Eric Ciotti fell out with the organising committee for the Games (Cojop) over the location of the ice events at the Allianz Riviera, ultimately deciding not to host the global sporting event, which would save the local authority €140 million.
From then on, the future of Océanis became most uncertain. Besides the building's perceived ugliness, the mayor also criticised its construction cost (€23 million) and highlighted its temporary building permit and its height which did not comply with local urban planning rules. UNESCO had, moreover, sent a letter to the city requesting the dismantling schedule, asserting that the edifice was detrimental to Nice's inscription on the World Heritage list. Its disappearance could therefore be a reality in a few months' time. Nice will thus once again find itself without a convention centre.
The tourist and convention office is playing it safe following the mayor's announcements, with others suggesting Nicea might close towards the end of 2027. While commitments will be honoured until deconstruction, events booked beyond that date will need to find a new venue. The building itself could be given a second life if sold to another local authority. To gain a clearer picture of this unfolding saga, we will have to wait until September or October for further announcements from Éric Ciotti regarding tourism in general and MICE in particular. There remains the possibility that he may reverse his decision in order to save Océanice until 2030...
