Through its dynamic economy and attractiveness for companies, Nantes Métropole has established itself as the leading economic centre in France’s Great West. The health sector is one of the priority areas for Nantes’ economic growth and, in this context, La Cité Nantes Congress Centre (pictured) has been instrumental in getting the destination on the map, hosting numerous major medical congresses, like the FIAPAC Conference in September 2018.
Over the last decades, Nantes and its surrounding region have witnessed anexponential growth in both the number of companies created and in laboratories and researchers. Thanks to an ambitious scheme designed to make the destination a leading one in terms of R&D, many research organisations, such as INSERM, CNRS, INRA or IFREMER, and innovative businesses have made Nantes their home, and transformed it into an undisputable player in the health field.
As a tool for economic development, La Cité Nantes Congress Centre contributes to the national and international outreach of the sectors of excellence in the region. It has developed close ties with regional competitive clusters and unveiled a strategy to host events related to what it is good at, namely life sciences, to mention only but one. This excellence has led La Cité win the bid for the next congress of the International Federation of Professional Abortion and Contraception Associates (FIAPAC).
Professor Philippe David, Conference Chair and Gynecology and Obstetrics surgeon at the Clinique Jules Verne, explains : “In September, over two days, the care provision of abortion and contraceptionwill be re-explored and discussed, a little more than 40 years after the adoption of the Veil law. The aim of the conference is to facilitate and trigger professional reflections, with an ethic view of woman health, and the control of reproductive life and sexuality. Nantes is the ideal place to do that, as it boasts a very dynamic and engaged community in the field, as well deeply involved citizens and local authorities.”
When asked about La Cité itself, Professor David says the venue has shown its ability to host majorconferences in the past, and the know-how of its teams is no secret. “La Cité Congress Centre is located in the heart of Nantes, opposite the high-speed train station, only two hours from Paris, and at walking distance from most hotels. So accessibility is good, even for the participants who will come from far. But what matters to me the most is the people working there. There has been a close relationship that has developed between myself and La Cité over the years; we initiatied and won the bid for the FIAPAC Conference together. I know we can trust them, and they surely can deliver.” he says. “Altogether, Nantes is a very attractive place.”
It comes hardly as a surprise, then, that La Cité recently won the hosting of another major health-related event. The Congress of the International Society For The Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids will take place in 2022, with an expected attendance of 700 participants.
More information: sandrine.chauve@lacite-nantes.fr lacite-nantes.com