Mireille Bonardi, Sales Director, Lyon Convention Centre

14/06/2011

"Lyon has everything you could ask for in a MICE destination."

BWMN met with Mireille Bonardi, Sales Director of the Lyon Convention Centre, to investigate the state of the market in France and find out why meeting planners should come to Lyon…

BWMN: Why choose Lyon for your next event?

Mireille Bonardi: Lyon has everything you could ask for in a MICE destination. It is a dynamic destination with a thriving, competitive economy and it offers a wide range of activities. A stunning historical city founded 2,000 years ago, the whole of Lyon has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it boasts to several outstanding monuments and attractions including world-class museums, beautiful cathedrals and opera houses. Home to one of the best universities in France, it also has a youthful, vibrant feel, and extensive leisure facilities.

As one of France’s largest and most important cities, Lyon also has a very impressive infrastructure. With its own international airport, which is served by a great number of airlines arriving from all over the world, and its high-speed regional, national and international rail connections, it is exceptionally accessible. It has hundreds of hotels of all levels, all of which offer a high level of hospitality.

In addition, of course, Lyon has a fantastic convention centre. Designed by a world-famous architect, it is an attractive, modern construction with 25,000 m² of flexible, modular meeting space, and is capable of accommodating up to 19,000 delegates. The entire building is lit naturally, and is fitted throughout with fibre-optic cables to transport video information, sound and light, and to provide a Wi-Fi connection.

It also boasts a unique location close to the centre of town. Bordered on one side by the river Rhône and on the other by the Parc de la Tête d’Or, its setting is particularly picturesque and far removed from the kind of industrial complexes where you find a great many convention centres. That is not to say, however, that it does not offer a high level of amenities; in fact, the convention centre is surrounded by hotels, shops, cinemas, restaurants and other leisure facilities. We also offer a high level of service: each client is assigned a single project leader and point of contact, who assists at all stages of the planning process.

BWMN: You describe the Lyon Convention Centre as ‘geared towards sustainable development’. How is it environmentally friendly?

Mireille Bonardi: The whole project was given a green focus right from the start. The convention centre itself has a wide range of eco-friendly features, including solar panels and bioclimatic monitoring, while all our employees are instilled with a strong ‘eco-attitude’. They ensure that environmental practices, such as recycling, are carried out to the full. We are also working very hard towards achieving ISO14001 Green Certification, which is a high-level international standard.

BWMN: What have you done in Lyon to combat the threat of so-called ‘trendy’, ‘up-and-coming’ destinations?

Mireille Bonardi: Lyon is often disregarded in favor of more fashionable locations, especially abroad. This is a great shame, as it is a truly exceptional MICE destination. In any case, in order to combat this problem, we aim simply to provide very competitive rates, operational transparency, and a higher level of service. For example, we vary our prices by up to 50% depending on the season in which you would like to organize your event, so if you choose to hold your meeting at an off-peak time, you pay only half the amount. We also ensure that all of our charges are included in our proposal right from the start: we are always very upfront with our clients, and never give them the unpleasant surprise of hidden charges.

In addition, our team is highly adaptable and focused on finding the best event solution for our clients. We tailor our services very closely to their requirements so that they get the most out of our facilities.

BWMN: What is your opinion of the MICE industry in France in the wake of the global economic crisis? Is it well on the road to recovery?

Mireille Bonardi: The two types of clients that we deal with, associative and corporate, were affected by the financial crisis in different ways. The associations were not so badly hit, and although the number of delegates at their events fell, very few of their meetings were actually cancelled. The corporate event market, on the other hand, was very badly affected. We lost a lot business in 2009 and 2010 when their events were called off, and we have worked very hard to try and bring corporations back to the Lyon Convention Centre. Fortunately, 2011 has so far been a much better year in this regard, and we have a significant number of good bookings and prospects for next year. This strongly suggests that the corporate event market is on the road to recovery.

However, we are seeing a trend towards a different kind of event, especially with the corporations, and meeting planners are now looking to minimize consumption. The days of large conventions for up to 3,000 delegates are over for the moment; today, events tend to be much smaller.

The market has evolved, but we are working hard to ensure that we adapt and evolve with it, and are able to offer our clients exactly what they need at any given time.

www.ccc-lyon.com