PARIS Ile-de-France, the business tourism capital

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Paris Ile-de-France can rightly claim to be a global centre of decision-making. It is among the top-ranking European cities in terms of GDP, registered offices of the 500 largest international companies, education and training (17 universities, 350 higher education establishments, 600,000 students), research and development (3.1% of the GDP of the Ile-de-France region, 14.5 billion euros, 136,000 researchers and technicians), and number of patents filed (6% of European patents filed), and is also the second financial market after London. With a high level of specialization in a range of sectors, Paris is one of the most competitive destinations in Europe.

The competitiveness clusters, which receive support from the public authorities, give its sectors of excellence high international visibility and legitimacy. As a global tourism destination, Paris Ile-de-France welcomed more than 32.6 million visitors in 2007, including nearly 15 million visitors from abroad. In terms of accessibility, it is hard to beat Paris Ile-de-France, uniquely situated at the very heart of Europe. Its air transport hub is the largest in mainland Europe, with 14,000 flights a week serving more than 625 cities in 132 countries.

Thanks to the highspeed train (TGV) network, Paris is less than four hours from the major European capital cities. In addition to these transport services, a key factor in the destination’s attractiveness is its extensive range of hotel accommodation – nearly 8,000 rooms (all categories included) within easy reach of the 18 congress and exhibition centres located in Paris Ile-de-France. Paris caters for all tastes and all budgets. With more than 10,000 beds in youth accommodation, 12,000 in apartment hotels and 76,000 hotel rooms in inner Paris, there are accommodation solutions to suit the needs of organizers of any event.

Despite the fiercely competitive economic climate, the meetings industry in Paris is growing. The business tourism sector covers fairs, trade shows, congresses and corporate events. In 2008, the fairs, trade shows, congresses and corporate events sector generated revenue of 4.8 billion euros and accounted for 58,000 jobs in Ile-de-France. With 11.3 million visitors a year, business tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy of the city and its region. This economic impact has not escaped the attention of the public authorities, which work in close collaboration with the sector’s principal players to enhance the destination’s attractiveness and ensure that Paris remains the global capital of the meetings industry.

The sector as a whole is committed to improving the welcome offered by Paris and boosting its international attractiveness. Examples include the “Air France-KLM Global Meetings” service introduced by Air France; the RATP (Paris Transport Authority) Convention Card which combines à la carte services with an individual transport card; and the Aéroports de Paris’s events welcome desk facility, soon to be rolled out in the main railway stations.

The creation of VIPARIS is another perfect illustration: 10 exhibition and congress centres are now united under the same banner, together offering a wide range of locations and facilities. Like many other Parisian site managers, VIPARIS, the new leading player in Europe (nearly 600,000 m² of exhibition space) is increasing its capacity and renovating its sites. It has also introduced a “Reception Pack” (information desks at the main railway stations and airports, signage for participants on arrival, shuttle service, and bellboy and concierge services on site).

The Paris Bercy hub, managed by the economic interest grouping Paris B. Events, is also equipping itself to boost its international image. There are plenty of plans too for new meeting and event venues (Airapolis, Coeur d’Orly) and an additional 7,000 hotel rooms in Paris Ile-de-France by 2020, including a two- or three-star large-capacity hotel, which will help to meet increasing demand. With the aim of attracting as many events, association congresses and corporate meetings as possible to Paris, the Bureau acts as an unbiased interface between Parisbased service providers (its 460 “business tourism” members) and organizers of events. It offers a wide range of tools (guides, a newsletter, photo library, etc.) and services, which can be accessed, free of charge, from its website at www.convention.parisinfo.com

> Contact: Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hélène Hubert +33 (0) 1 49 52 53 19, hhubert@parisinfo.com