congress

According to Coach Omnium, there were no fewer than 118 convention centres in operation in France in 2018, with a further fifteen or so scheduled to open between now and 2025. This highly varied offering is scattered across the country, with centres of concentration varying in strength from region to region. Unsurprisingly, the Île-de-France region is...

52 million euros: this is the record amount of investment planned by the Puy du Fou for 2020. This financial windfall is aimed in particular at attracting corporate customers, by equipping itself with new ad hoc infrastructures. For example, a convention centre will be built on the Vendée site. Called the Théâtre Molière,...

Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, which embarked on a ten-year project in 2013 to present itself in all its splendour on the eve of its centenary in 2023, has just completed a project to open up to the city as well as to the latest trends, be they roof terraces, an urban farm or architectural gestures...

Saint-Malo is determined to make a name for itself on the French MICE scene, with the aim of attracting no fewer than 100,000 participants by the end of next year. With this in mind, the Palais des Congrès is undergoing an ambitious renovation programme. Completely revamped and enlarged, 'Le Grand Large' now boasts a new Rotonde...

With its endless beaches, verdant mountains and deep deserts, but above all its great culture, Oman is attracting more and more French tourists. After a +21 % growth in the number of tourists from France in 2018, the sultanate recorded a further increase of +19 % over the first nine months of 2019. While the country is making...

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 linked up to make it easier for visitors to get around the large exhibition areas...

The Circle, the new zone dedicated to business tourism at Zurich airport, is due to open its doors in September 2020: a sort of small town covering an area of 180,000 m², with restaurants, brand-name shops, art galleries and even an outpatient centre at Zurich University Hospital....

Saint-Etienne is demonstrating its ambitions in the exhibition and congress segment with a vast modernisation project costing almost €30 million. Managed by GL Events, the Parc Expo will see the reconstruction of Hall A (8,000 m²), the renovation of Hall B (6,600 m²), the fitting out of five new meeting rooms, the...

With two countries in the world's top 3, and thirteen in the top 20, Europe has established itself as a key continent in the congress sector. While the United States is still solidly in first place in the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) rankings published last year, the benchmark for the hosting of major events, Germany and the United States are...

78 % of meeting organisers in Europe continue to prefer large cities What are the main trends highlighted by your survey? Ian Cummings - Although safety and security remain a priority when planning any meetings and events activity, it seems that the terrorist attacks in the UK, the USA and Canada have all contributed to...

The big day is approaching: next September, Wales will be making its debut on the MICE market with the inauguration of the International Conference Centre (ICC) Wales. Located in Newport, just twenty minutes from Cardiff. Presented in Frankfurt at IMEX, the new infrastructure should - at last - position Wales as a major player in the MICE...

This is now the norm, or at least a good habit for the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and Viparis. The capital has just been voted the number one destination for hosting international congresses by one of the leading authorities in the field: the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association). Paris has thus regained its first place in the...

The new Palma Convention Centre hosted 226 events, bringing together more than 76,000 participants over the course of 2018 - 76,678, to be quite precise. This is the first full year's results for the new infrastructure, which was inaugurated in April 2017 and generated 15.3 million euros...

What's the latest on the metamorphosis of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre? The programme is proceeding according to schedule. Begun in 2015, the renovation work is scheduled for completion in 2023. After the opening last year of the Paris Convention Centre - the largest in Europe - which marked the end of the...

With a presence on every continent and almost 550 hotels and resorts in 53 countries, the Thai group Minor Hotels has changed scale by taking over almost all the shares - 94.1 % - in NH Hotels. While the recent acquisition of the Spanish group does not change anything in practice for the moment, this investment of...

Last April saw the opening of the Paris-Saclay Convention Centre. Why did you choose this location? Erwan Jouët - It's the first in Essonne! It's ideally located, at the heart of the Paris Saclay Massy economic hub. It's a fast-growing new district designed by Elizabeth de Portzamparc and Christian de Portzamparc, and the...

What are the major trends in the market? Béatrice Cuif-Mathieu - With changes in consumer behaviour, the market has had to adapt. Formats are becoming shorter and shorter, and participants expect a maximum amount of information as well as an experiential dimension. Quality is taking over from quantity. After ROI, return on investment,...

Coach Omnium, a research and consultancy company specialising in business tourism, lists nearly 200 establishments in France that can host major professional events, including 120 convention centres, 60 exhibition centres and around 20 multimodal establishments. This density of supply makes France one of the world's leading players in the MICE market....

How did the idea for a new convention centre in Metz come about? Michel Coqué - As soon as the Centre Pompidou was created, Metz wanted a convention centre next door, rather like the one in Bilbao. As a result, the Robert Schuman Centre is strategically located, just opposite the...

With 30 events expected in 2018, 80 in the pipeline for 2019 and two signed for 2020, Metz's new convention centre is already a busy place as it opens its doors on 7 September. Designed by the Wilmotte & Associés agency, Metz Congrès Robert Schuman offers, within its...