Paris reports strong ‘regular’ meetings result

MICE News
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
In 2009, Paris welcomed on average 78 congresses per month and on average 757 participants per event at some 200 sites, according to a new survey by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other facts to emerge included: 37 per cent of congresses were held at congress centres, which hosted approximately 75 per cent of congress attendees;  25  per cent took place at establishments of a scientific nature (hospitals, universities, institutes); 38 per cent were held in hotels, meeting rooms or even at events venues (museums, etc.) and the percentage of congresses taking place in meeting rooms (15 per cent in 2009) has increased regularly since 2007 (up five points) to the detriment of those held at scientific establishments (down six points). Congress centres have gained two points in three years.

In 2009, there were more nationally rotating congresses (82 per cent) than internationally rotating congresses, said Marie-Christine Rabot of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Also of note," said Rabot, "is the important number of events with more than 5,000 participants: 19 in 2009 accounted for 30 per cent of congress attendees. Interestingly, 77 per cent of congresses in 2009 were “regular”. This represented an important base of economic activity for the capital and all the more so as 2009 turned out to be difficult for tourism in general and business tourism in particular."

Congress attendee overnights in Parisian hotels, totalled 1.2 million and accounted for eight per cent of the country’s business overnights.

There also were more congresses - 930 against 900 in 2008.

Medical congresses continue to be  a strong point for Paris with  48 per cent of congresses in 2009 up five  points in three years.

"Congress activity in 2009 in Paris and the Paris region held up very well in a period when business overnights saw a general drop of four per cent," said Rabot. "The number of participants increased: 680,000 in 2007, 670,000 in 2008, and more than 700,000 in 2009. That is 30,000 extra participants between 2008 and 2009.”

However, Parisian congress attendees were more French than international: 43 per cent of congresses in 2009 were classed as international compared to 57 per cent in 2008 and 50 per cent in 2007.

Another concern was the actual length of the congress activity in Paris. In 2009 events shortened in length. One day congresses accounted for 39  per cent of congresses in 2009 compared to 26  per cent in 2008 and 35 per cent in 2007. The average length of congresses in Paris went from 2.5 days in 2008 to 2.2 days in 2009, the same level as in 2007.

In terms of international rankings, Paris remained in the top three but lost its leading position. Rabot said this could be explained by the structure of congresses organised in the capital in 2009. The rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) – (which identifies and analyses data from meetings of international associations with a minimum of 50 participants, organized on a rotational basis at regular intervals, in at least 3 different countries), ranked Paris third. Joint first with Vienna in 2008, the capital lost its place to the latter and to Barcelona. For its part, the UIA (Union of International Associations – which identifies and analyses data from meetings of international and national associations with a minimum of at least 300 participants, over a period of at least three days, and which include at least five different nationalities and 40 per cent of foreigners) ranked Paris third. Second in 2008, Paris was overtaken by Singapore and Brussels.

"Nevertheless, the criteria of these rankings reveal little about the global activity of a destination in terms of congresses," said Rabot. "They are more a reflection of the capacity of cities to concentrate on the transmission of information in order to feature in rankings with rigid criteria than on the global scope of the activity of the sector in the city. As can be seen in the 39 associations that chose Paris as the place to organise their first event and which do not feature in the ICCA rankings because they are first-timers."

Looking ahead, the Bureau said the future looks bright. Future conferences already locked in include: the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2011 – 30,000 participants, the largest congress ever to be held in Paris; the International Congress of Applied Psychology in 2014 – 8,000 participants, and the European Congress on Hypertension in 2016 – 8,000 participants.

Paris reports strong ‘regular’ meetings result

MICE News
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
In 2009, Paris welcomed on average 78 congresses per month and on average 757 participants per event at some 200 sites, according to a new survey by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other facts to emerge included: 37 per cent of congresses were held at congress centres, which hosted approximately 75 per cent of congress attendees;  25  per cent took place at establishments of a scientific nature (hospitals, universities, institutes); 38 per cent were held in hotels, meeting rooms or even at events venues (museums, etc.) and the percentage of congresses taking place in meeting rooms (15 per cent in 2009) has increased regularly since 2007 (up five points) to the detriment of those held at scientific establishments (down six points). Congress centres have gained two points in three years.

In 2009, there were more nationally rotating congresses (82 per cent) than internationally rotating congresses, said Marie-Christine Rabot of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Also of note," said Rabot, "is the important number of events with more than 5,000 participants: 19 in 2009 accounted for 30 per cent of congress attendees. Interestingly, 77 per cent of congresses in 2009 were “regular”. This represented an important base of economic activity for the capital and all the more so as 2009 turned out to be difficult for tourism in general and business tourism in particular."

Congress attendee overnights in Parisian hotels, totalled 1.2 million and accounted for eight per cent of the country’s business overnights.

There also were more congresses - 930 against 900 in 2008.

Medical congresses continue to be  a strong point for Paris with  48 per cent of congresses in 2009 up five  points in three years.

"Congress activity in 2009 in Paris and the Paris region held up very well in a period when business overnights saw a general drop of four per cent," said Rabot. "The number of participants increased: 680,000 in 2007, 670,000 in 2008, and more than 700,000 in 2009. That is 30,000 extra participants between 2008 and 2009.”

However, Parisian congress attendees were more French than international: 43 per cent of congresses in 2009 were classed as international compared to 57 per cent in 2008 and 50 per cent in 2007.

Another concern was the actual length of the congress activity in Paris. In 2009 events shortened in length. One day congresses accounted for 39  per cent of congresses in 2009 compared to 26  per cent in 2008 and 35 per cent in 2007. The average length of congresses in Paris went from 2.5 days in 2008 to 2.2 days in 2009, the same level as in 2007.

In terms of international rankings, Paris remained in the top three but lost its leading position. Rabot said this could be explained by the structure of congresses organised in the capital in 2009. The rankings of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) – (which identifies and analyses data from meetings of international associations with a minimum of 50 participants, organized on a rotational basis at regular intervals, in at least 3 different countries), ranked Paris third. Joint first with Vienna in 2008, the capital lost its place to the latter and to Barcelona. For its part, the UIA (Union of International Associations – which identifies and analyses data from meetings of international and national associations with a minimum of at least 300 participants, over a period of at least three days, and which include at least five different nationalities and 40 per cent of foreigners) ranked Paris third. Second in 2008, Paris was overtaken by Singapore and Brussels.

"Nevertheless, the criteria of these rankings reveal little about the global activity of a destination in terms of congresses," said Rabot. "They are more a reflection of the capacity of cities to concentrate on the transmission of information in order to feature in rankings with rigid criteria than on the global scope of the activity of the sector in the city. As can be seen in the 39 associations that chose Paris as the place to organise their first event and which do not feature in the ICCA rankings because they are first-timers."

Looking ahead, the Bureau said the future looks bright. Future conferences already locked in include: the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2011 – 30,000 participants, the largest congress ever to be held in Paris; the International Congress of Applied Psychology in 2014 – 8,000 participants, and the European Congress on Hypertension in 2016 – 8,000 participants.