What are the main goals for Viparis this year?
Viparis works on three main goals. One centred on venues and continuing to improve our exhibition and convention centres to offer the best facilities to organisers, exhibitors, delegates and visitors. We are constantly working on modernising our venues, accessibility and quality of reception, in order to create the best environment to host challenging and successful events. Le Palais des Congrès de Paris completes the beautification of its interior reception areas this year, presenting the spirit of the Champagne theme, and its exterior. Paris Nord Villepinte is continuing its modernisation programme, undertaking a new series of works on catering spaces and services signage. At Paris expo Porte de Versailles, a new events space is being created for VIP events and will be available next autumn.
Modernisation of Porte de Versailles is also underway. On July 2011, the Council of Paris announced its intention to launch an invitation to tender regarding the modernisation of the exhibition park. Viparis has taken note of this decision and shown interest in taking part in the tender. The ambition expressed by Paris authorities is good news for the conference and exhibition world. Paris needs to have the best infrastructure to face competition from other world capitals and attract the biggest events, which bring economic benefits for the whole of the Paris region. Conceiving the best project for Porte de Versailles is one of our main challenges in coming months.
Another goal for us is developing new services and packaged solutions for organisers and exhibitors. Supporting the creation of new exhibitions is a daily challenge in our line of business. We are developing several tools to assist the launching of new shows and see them through their all-important early years.
For an exhibition organiser, what distinguishes Paris from other European cities?
There are so many reasons to choose Paris to establish events – it is such an attractive city. Paris is the most accessible city in Europe with highly developed transport systems and leading air hubs Charles de Gaulle and Orly. Paris has an extensive and diverse offering in hotel accommodation from high-end luxury to small establishments with 150,000 rooms in the Paris region. As a business capital, attractive financial and scientific hub, historic and culturally vibrant city, and world-leading shopping destination, Paris has all the advantages and offers high performance venues, including Viparis’ 10 sites.
The enthusiasm the market has for the city is obvious. A congress or international exhibition in Paris attracts generally 20 per cent more participants, creating ground-breaking records (ESC Congress had 35,000 participants, ICCAD congress 6,000 participants). ICCA has just published its worldwide ranking and placed Paris in second position right after Vienna, passing Barcelona. Knowing this, local partners in the Paris region show a strong commitment and work together to offer organisers a global approach to the destination: public representatives, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Viparis, transport authorities, hotel industry and so on.
Viparis also created its own Welcome Pack, which we have deployed since 2008 at international shows and conferences with more than 5,000 delegates. The Welcome Pack improves the way visitors and exhibitors are guided to the event with hostesses and signs as soon as they arrive at main train stations or airports, or for example, free shuttles from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to venues.
This was first published in Issue 3, 2012 of EW. Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
