Vendée in general, and Les Sables d’Olonne in particular, are recognised today as a prime destination for hosting corporate events. There are numerous reasons for this, ranging from TGV accessibility, its hotel offering and facilities dedicated to supporting local tourism operators, to its gastronomy, its varied and dynamic economic fabric, and not forgetting a diverse natural landscape that is ideal for getaways and team building, from the Marais Poitevin to the Atlantic coast, right through to the beautiful islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier. All this at a significantly more reasonable cost compared to other French destinations. This is an important point for companies at a time when budgets are tight.
" The structuring of the business tourism sector stems from the desire of Vendée-based companies to have a dedicated offering for meetings. », says Jean-Pierre Liébot, chairman of the group of the same name, which is behind the Parc du Landreau hotel, a 4-star hotel with 73 rooms and meeting and conference facilities located in Les Herbiers, not far from Puy du Fou. The sector now comprises nearly 80 businesses across the Vendée. The aim is also to extend the tourist season, which is currently heavily focused on the summer, and to spread this activity across the region, with the coast currently accounting for 80% of visitor numbers.
To encourage this, the En Vendée agency, which is part of Vendée Expansion, can support companies and specialist agencies from A to Z with the organisation of their events.« We have a detailed knowledge of the local area, its stakeholders and its latest developments », justifies Peggy Villatte, Head of Business Tourism at Vendée Expansion, which handles around fifty MICE operations a year. « A single point of contact manages the event to meet the client's expectations and ensure it runs smoothly "she adds.
Three convention centres cover the region
In Les Sables d'Olonne, the Les Atlantes convention centre is the cornerstone of business tourism, ideally situated opposite the vast sandy beach. « The facility, which dates from the 1990s, hosts around a hundred events a year », reckons sales manager Nadège Sorel. Plenty to make use of its multiple spaces: an 800-seat auditorium, 8 meeting rooms (from 25 to 140 m²), a reception hall (500 people), a stalls area (300 seats) and a versatile 1,230 m² exhibition space (for 75 9 m² stands, or 800 people for a seated meal or 1,800 for a cocktail reception). Located in a sphere overlooking the Remblai, the Vendée Globe room is the most original (100 m² for 85 people).
At the entrance to the city, the Arena is set to expand the events offering from the start of the autumn 2026 term. Inaugurated a few days ago with a concert by Calogero, the complex now comprises four structures, including the Theatre, the Stadium and the Forum. This is a major asset for attracting large-scale congresses and conferences, as it allows capacity to be increased to up to 2,000 seated places.
However, Vendée has two other convention centres. The first, Odyssea in Saint-Jean-de-Monts, is more intimate with its 392-seat auditorium and 10 meeting rooms. The second, the Théâtre Molière, is the largest as it is backed by the Grand Parc Puy du Fou. The figures are impressive with 15 rooms ranging from 10 to 2,000 seats, a 500-seat auditorium, and 6 hotels offering around 700 rooms by 2027. There is also the possibility of organising themed dinners – Grand Siècle or Roaring Twenties – and of hiring certain shows exclusively.
For national and/or international congresses and conferences, Vendée benefits from good accessibility by TGV high-speed train (3 hours to La Roche-sur-Yon and 3 hours 20 minutes to Les Sables d'Olonne) and by plane via Nantes, with the airport connected to major French cities (Paris, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Toulouse, Basel-Mulhouse, etc.) and European cities (Brussels, London, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Geneva, Amsterdam, etc.).
Small coastal seminars in Les Sables d’Olonne
A popular seaside resort that has recently been awarded the national Town of Art and History label, Les Sables-d'Olonne boasts a high-quality hotel offering with four 4-star establishments. « And projects still in the pipeline », according to the tourist office. Everything can be done on foot there, with the SNCF railway station located 15 minutes from the beach and its hotels. However, the majority are of small capacity, which may make it necessary to split groups between several establishments.
This is notably the case between L’Atlantic and Les Roches Noires, situated 500 metres apart and belonging to the same owner. Overlooking the sea from the Remblai, these hotels have 42 keys (rooms) in the 3* and 34 rooms in the 4* (with swimming pool and spa) respectively. While L’Atlantic has two meeting rooms for 15 and 30 participants, groups of up to 60 people will need to use the one at Les Roches Noires.
Located opposite the Les Atlantes congress centre, the 4-star hotel Sea Heart It houses 42 rooms with a bright, summery decor. Holder of the Green Key label since 2024, the establishment features two meeting rooms: Les Gréements, measuring 40 m² for 16 people, and L’Océan, measuring 20 m², ideal for an executive committee of 8 people. The most recent opening is Les Océanes, a 3-star residence comprising small cottages accessible to all four disability categories. Accommodating up to nearly 50 people, its reception and seminar room has been converted from a 19th-century stagecoach inn.
Only two hotels have more than 100 rooms
The newest addition to the seaside resort in 2024, Le Vertime is one of a kind with its 105 rooms. Facing the yachts of Port Olona, the 4-star establishment with its contemporary decor features two seminar rooms (for 30 and 60 people), a terrace (for up to 40 people), a large ground-floor restaurant (seating 150), and a second one opening during the season on the rooftop, where guests can also enjoy a bar and a small swimming pool. Le Vertime hopes to obtain the Green Key label in 2027.
Between sea and pine forest, the Côte Ouest Thalasso & Spa has become the largest employer in Les Sables-d'Olonne, following its capacity recently increasing to 108 rooms. A member of the Accor group's MGallery brand, the 4-star hotel owned by the Vendée-based Dubreuil group – which also operates the airlines Air Caraïbes and French Bee – is characterised by its marine décor, which pays tribute to transatlantic liners. This is particularly evident in its 11 new suites, measuring 45 to 65 m² and styled like first-class cabins, as well as in its restaurant, Le Sundeck. Its dining room and lookout – ideal for small private cocktail parties – offer a sweeping panoramic view of this natural landscape facing the Atlantic, which borders Lake Tanchet where a fleet of small Optimist dinghies sails.
The West Coast welcomes MICE groups averaging 50 people thanks to its tailored facilities: three 60 m² spaces, a new room shaped like a ship's prow (12 people), a small cinema, its «Officers» Square" for receptions (60 people) and its restaurant dedicated to groups (55 people). Connected to the new Arena hall, the hotel is popular with high-level sports groups who privatise part of the venue and make the most of the facilities in its spa and thalassotherapy centre, which boasts no fewer than 40 treatment cabins.
A MICE trip to the Côte Ouest can also incorporate the use of other Dubreuil group properties. Located 15 minutes away, the Domaine de l'Etablière conceals 19 rooms distributed between an 18th-century Tuscan-style villa – a former private residence of the family – and the 5 cottages of its hamlet renovated in 2025. Clad entirely in iron and glass, L'Orangerie, created in 2018, can accommodate 120 people for a convention, 250 for a seated dinner and 350 for a cocktail reception. The surrounding 30-hectare park and forest provide an ideal setting for team building events, as does the 18-hole Bourgenay golf course. In addition to golf initiation or course privatisation, this discreet and leafy venue features a bar-restaurant and 3 function rooms (105 m²).
La Vendée, home of sailing
Following the start of the Vendée Arctique on 7 June and then the Golden Globe Race on 6 September, the excitement never subsides in Les Sables d'Olonne, where the large IMOCAs are the star yachts of Port Olona. To admire them and chat with the skippers and their teams, the public always turns out in force during the preparations, departures and arrivals of these qualifying races for the Vendée Globe, which is scheduled to start on 12 November 2028. Businesses, whether national or local to the Vendée, are also heavily involved, with several of them sponsoring a yacht, such as the Liebot group. Hospitality packages are therefore reserved for them.
It is also possible to hire exclusively for a group of up to 8 people the T One One, formerly the Écureuil d’Aquitaine II, the boat with which Titouan Lamazou won the first Vendée Globe in 1989. A feat accomplished in 109 days. While a skipper and a volunteer from the association that manages this legendary yacht accompany these morning or day sea trips (expect between €1,500 and €2,000 for exclusive hire depending on the season), these crew members have the opportunity to take part in the manoeuvres in a spirit of team-building and motivating colleagues for businesses.
At the heart of the War in the Vendée at the Logis de la Chabotterie
In the countryside of Montréverd, the Logis de la Chabotterie, an 18th-century manor house in Bas-Poitou, was a major site of the War in the Vendée. General Charette was wounded and captured there before being executed in Nantes in 1796. Owned by the department since the 1990s and converted into a museum, the fine-looking residence welcomes 50,000 visitors a year. Its outbuilding function room opens wide for events (for up to 80 people). Furthermore, its 48-hectare park is the ideal venue for team building, with the site even offering a custom-made 1-hour escape game where teams must escape... from the Republican troops!
For catering, businesses can choose between approved local caterers and the fine dining of the La Chabotterie restaurant, set in the outbuildings of the Logis. Chef Benjamin Patissier, awarded Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2015, creates a inventive menu there, featuring flame-cooked mackerel from Les Sables-d'Olonne with confit fennel among his signature dishes.
For a fully green residential stay around this historic site, the 14 new villas at the Parc de la Chabotterie provide 4-star aparthotel accommodation and offer 4 rooms for all types of events (up to 90 guests) as well as a range of activities: team building games, murder mystery evenings, floral workshops, wine tasting, yoga, etc.
But the department has much more to offer in terms of exploration between meetings: a boat trip, a sand yachting lesson, meeting a salt worker, a bike ride along its 240 km of sandy beaches, sailing on the canals of the Green Venice, discovering craftspeople, visiting a wine cellar, tasting oysters... Between the coast, the bocage and the marshland, there is something for everyone in Vendée.
On the gastronomic front, the restaurant Le Cayola has reopened its doors following a major refurbishment. Located facing the sea near the Bourgenay Golf Club, the establishment now aims to win back its Michelin star thanks to the talents of young Indian-born chef Vikran Sing, who prepares local produce in an original and spiced-up way. Its four distinct areas can accommodate from 10 to 30 guests for a private meal, 80 guests for a cocktail reception and 40 people for a meeting. One of the lounges is dedicated to Titouan Lamazou, whose paintings adorn the walls, the navigator having swapped the helm of his monohulls for canvas and paintbrushes.
