Aix-Marseille, Cannes, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Monaco, Nice and Toulon, are as diverse as they are appealing, with each having developed upmarket services to welcome association events. Over the last few months, these French destinations have not come to a standstill. In fact, they have clearly reinvented themselves.
With a solid offer, dedicated and flexible infrastructures, destinations in Provence and Côte d’Azur have been able to adapt quickly to new event formats, placing innovation and technology at their hearts. In fact, they leveraged their key assets, ie qualified, creative, and motivated staff as well as skillful partners at a local level. Case in point: the convention centre in Mandelieu-la-Napoule is equipped with a broadcast studio, and so is Cannes, which just launched its Hi5 studio.
As members of the regional convention bureau, Provence Côte d’Azur Events, they can exchange best practices and explore new avenues together. The motto of the new ‘Let’s MICE up’ campaign is not just words, it means that MICE is up and running in Provence and Côte d’Azur, as the organization on September 3rd of a dedicated Summit by the French Tech Côte d’Azur on the issue of innovation in MICE is testament to.
Micing up means organizing sustainable events, too – in fact, more than ever. With initiatives and commitments to environmental conservation and sustainable innovation, destinations in Provence and Côte d’Azur have taken their offer up to a new level.
In the heart of nature, Toulon is host to the « Pole Mer Méditerranée » cluster which aims to develop the maritime and coastal economy sustainably. Toulon has also made sustainable development the focus of all operations planned for the Toulon Greater Harbor Project.
Nestled between the sea and the hills, Marseille has committed to become one of the most sustainable destinations in France and plans to be certified ISO 20121 by the end of 2021. Conference delegates will be able to offset their carbon footprint by sponsoring conservation initiatives in the Calanques National Park.
Similarly, serving as a pilot for the government’s “Responsible International Destinations” program, Cannes has committed to achieving the ISO 20121 certification by 2021. Recently the Cannes Film Festival was underpinned by a commitment to the environment. A total of around €500,000 – of which €106,000 is being donated by the Festival itself is to be allocated to support six sustainable projects.
As for Monaco, the Principality and its partners are working hard to protect and preserve water resources and biodiversity and lead the way in the fight against global warming. For example, most of Monaco’s hotels boast environmental certifications.
As practices are shifting towards hybridization and sustainable events, destinations in Provence and Côte d’Azur remain faithful to their core values to welcome your events in an incomparable way.
The three international airports in the region (Marseille-Provence airport, Nice-Côte d’Azur airport, and Toulon-Hyères airport) have implemented a unique and harmonized pack to welcome your delegates according to best international standards. The welcome pack services extend to tailor-made counsels and regulatory information on how best to make your event safe, as well as the implementation of COVID-safe charters guaranteeing the maximum security at every stage of your event.
Aware of the consequences of the pandemic on business tourism, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region has initiated a large recovery plan for the tourism industry including financial support to help professionals adapt to new challenges thanks to to the “Attract Congresses and Events” program. This regional program is a unique opportunity to support events that will give a boost to the region’s key industries.
In the South, your delegates will always be able to rely on France’s legendary lifestyle: sun, gastronomy, charming city centres with a myriad of small restaurants and cafés for enhanced networking opportunities. A fine example of this, the city of Nice has just gained UNESCO World heritage status for its mild climate and for being the “Winter resort town of the Riviera”.