Rendez-vous en France: 2 days, 23,000 connections

The 10th edition of Rendez-vous en France, the international exhibition of French tourism, recently took place in Paris and PAX was onhand to cover the event.

In total, 750 exhibitors and 900 international buyers visited the exhibition center at Porte de Versailles in Paris. According to organizers, this year’s show saw 10 per cent more attendees over last year.

Organized by Atout France and its partners with a goal in mind of promoting French tourism, the exhibition welcomed professionals from 70 different countries.

23,000 appointments in two days

Through a smartphone application, more than 23,000 business appointments between tour operators and exhibitors were arranged during the course of the event.

Attending the show were representatives from various regions of the country, tour operators like the RATP Paris transport network which offers bus tours, concert halls like the Cesar Palace, and wine brands such as Moët & Chandon offering winery tours.

Related activities

In addition to the event’s business networking opportunities, it's also an opportunity for tour operators to soak up the French culture, with educational tours set up in the days before the show in various French regions.

"It is essential that tour operators live and experience the product themselves in Normandy or in the south of France, for example; they will talk of the destination in the best way possible and they will sell it with more conviction,” said Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director – Canada for Atout France.

In addition to educational tours, guests also experienced a performance at the famous Lido cabaret at the Champs-Élysées, which featured the world premiere of a new show by Franco Dragone, the former director of Cirque du Soleil.

The second night featured an evening at the Pompidou Centre in the heart of Paris. Several regions of France were represented through different booths where local specialties and wines were offered. On the third night, the guests went for a walk in the Galeries Lafayette, the city’s mecca of chic shopping.

The living room: business enabler

Just walking through the aisles, one would have found that most exhibitors’ appointments are with tour operators.

"Each participant has a minimum of 15 appointments per day, but it’s usually closer to 30,” Tardy-Joubert explained. “When you bring together 750 exhibitors with 900 buyers, it's a challenge."

Among the delegation of potential buyers were a few Canadians, like Laurent Plourde, executive vice-president of Groupe Voyages Québec.

"This is the second time I participated in this showm" he told PAX. "This is a great way to consolidate professional relationships and meet suppliers with whom we do business, but also to discover new products.” 

A similar thought was expressed by Francis Côté, CEO of Objectif Terre, an agency specializing in student group travel since 1998.

"It is very important to come to the show to meet with our partners to strengthen ties,” the entrepreneur said. “It’s privileged networking - in the same space in a very short time, we meet all the people who are important to us, but sometimes the meetings are also by chance. That's why I always leave periods of free time in my schedule, to explore the living room. Sometimes I have very good surprises."

Drawing Canadian travellers

Since her appointment as Atout France's Canadian director in 2011, Tardy-Joubert has worked to strengthen ties between France and Canada. The figures show that Canadians have a love for France; according to Tardy-Joubert, 940,000 visited the country in 2012 and more than a million made the trip in 2013. In terms of geographical distribution, 45 per cent of those travellers were from Quebec, 35 per cent from Ontario, 10 per cent from British Columbia and five per cent from Alberta.

"The Canadian market is composed of very different segments,” she explained. “Quebec, for example, is unique in the sense that there is the common language and history and many cultural references. In addition, many Quebecers who go to France have been there once, they know the product and their interest lies in the heritage and culture. Visitors from British Columbia, on the other hand, are often going there for the first time. What motivates them are the images usually associated with France: the glamour, the romance etc. The Ontario market is a mix of these two profiles."

Tardy-Joubert explained that her team leverages a sense of urgency as part of their strategy to draw more visitors.

"We realized that by highlighting specific events, it creates a kind of urgency that motivates people to come to that moment,” she explained. “For example, there is currently the Jeff Koons exhibition; if you want to see it, you must come now, not in one year. Mont Saint Michel will still be here in 20 years, but to see it at high tide as was the case a few days ago, it's a great show that you cannot see all the time. Last year, on the anniversary celebrations of the start of WWI, we focused on memorial tourism that has attracted interest because it also reflected a centenary. All these initiatives plus good air service help us sell France as a destination."

This trip was made possible by Atout France and Air France.