The role of convention centres in the development of business tourism

Busi­ness tour­ism is a key sec­tor of the glob­al eco­nomy, account­ing for a sig­ni­fic­ant pro­por­tion of busi­ness travel. It encom­passes con­gresses, sem­inars, con­ven­tions, trade fairs and incent­ives, attract­ing thou­sands of par­ti­cipants every year. Con­ven­tion centres play a cent­ral role in this dynam­ic sec­tor, offer­ing infra­struc­tures that are well suited to large-scale events. As real eco­nom­ic engines, they play an act­ive role in pro­mot­ing des­tin­a­tions and stim­u­lat­ing related sec­tors such as hotels, cater­ing and trans­port. The Nor­mandy Con­ven­tion Centre team invites you to explore the impact of con­ven­tion centres on the devel­op­ment of busi­ness tour­ism and how they shape the appeal of loc­al areas.

Convention centres: a lever for boosting local economies

The organ­isa­tion of pro­fes­sion­al events in con­ven­tion centres gen­er­ates con­sid­er­able eco­nom­ic spin-offs for host cit­ies. By wel­com­ing thou­sands of par­ti­cipants, these facil­it­ies dir­ectly stim­u­late sev­er­al sectors:

• Hotels and accom­mod­a­tion: a con­gress or trade show attracts vis­it­ors who require accom­mod­a­tion, thus con­trib­ut­ing to the occu­pancy rate of hotels and hol­i­day lets in the host towns.
• Cater­ing and retail: par­ti­cipants con­sume in loc­al res­taur­ants, bars and shops, gen­er­at­ing addi­tion­al income for loc­al busi­nesses. In this way, con­ven­tion centres help to boost loc­al consumption.
• Mobil­ity and trans­port: between taxi jour­neys, car hire and pub­lic trans­port, event logist­ics boost the city’s entire trans­port network.
  Loc­al employ­ment: organ­ising events requires a var­ied work­force, from recep­tion and secur­ity to logist­ics and tech­nic­al services.

Accord­ing to the Inter­na­tion­al Con­gress and Con­ven­tion Asso­ci­ation (ICCA), cit­ies that reg­u­larly host con­gresses and trade fairs bene­fit from a last­ing eco­nom­ic impact and enhanced vis­ib­il­ity on an inter­na­tion­al scale.

A convention centre: an attractive tool for towns and cities that have one

Con­ven­tion centres are not just ven­ues for events; they also play an act­ive role in rais­ing the pro­file of cit­ies. By attract­ing nation­al and inter­na­tion­al events, they help to pos­i­tion a des­tin­a­tion on the busi­ness tour­ism map.

A convention centre enhances the region’s image and gives it an international profile

An event organ­ised in a con­ven­tion centre high­lights a city’s assets: its liv­ing envir­on­ment, its cul­tur­al her­it­age, its eco­nom­ic dynam­ism and the qual­ity of its wel­come. A des­tin­a­tion that stands out for the qual­ity of its infra­struc­ture and ser­vices is more attract­ive to event organ­isers and companies.

Synergies with other local players

Pro­fes­sion­al events also encour­age col­lab­or­a­tion between loc­al players:

• Uni­ver­sit­ies and research centres (sci­entif­ic con­fer­ences or sym­po­sia)
• Loc­al busi­nesses and start-ups (trade shows), net­work­ing)
• Loc­al author­it­ies and tour­ist offices (pro­mo­tion and support).

These syn­er­gies strengthen the loc­al eco­sys­tem and con­trib­ute to the growth of sus­tain­able busi­ness tour­ism, which is vital to the region’s economy.

Trends and innovations in convention centres

The busi­ness tour­ism sec­tor is evolving rap­idly, and con­ven­tion centres are hav­ing to adapt to the new expect­a­tions of organ­isers and par­ti­cipants. Here are some key trends:

Digitalisation and hybrid events

With the rise of digit­al tech­no­lo­gies, hybrid events (face-to-face and vir­tu­al) are becom­ing wide­spread. Con­ven­tion centres are invest­ing in :

• state-of-the-art audi­ovisu­al equip­ment for live broadcasts
• Inter­act­ive plat­forms for remote networking
• Aug­men­ted and immers­ive real­ity solu­tions to enhance par­ti­cipants’ experience.

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Sustainable development and eco-responsibility

Eco-respons­ib­il­ity has become a key cri­terion in the choice of event ven­ues. Con­ven­tion centres are adopt­ing sus­tain­able practices:

• Envir­on­ment­al cer­ti­fic­a­tions (ISO 20121, HQE)
• Redu­cing car­bon foot­print (soft mobil­ity, renew­able energy)
• Waste man­age­ment and the fight against food waste

These innov­a­tions meet the expect­a­tions of com­pan­ies con­cerned about their social and envir­on­ment­al respons­ib­il­ity (SER).

Our CSR commitment

Focus on the CID Deauville: a key player in business tourism in Normandy

The Centre Inter­na­tion­al de Deau­ville (CID) is a per­fect illus­tra­tion of the pos­it­ive impact of con­ven­tion centres on busi­ness tour­ism. Loc­ated at the heart of a pop­u­lar des­tin­a­tion in Nor­mandy, it offers mod­ern, flex­ible facil­it­ies for all types of busi­ness events.

Deauville: an exceptional and accessible setting for business tourism in Normandy

Organ­ising your busi­ness event at the Deau­ville Con­ven­tion Centre means tak­ing advant­age of a unique envir­on­ment, con­du­cive to the inspir­a­tion and suc­cess of your events.

A strategic seaside location

• A pres­ti­gi­ous nat­ur­al set­ting, facing the fam­ous Deau­ville beach.
• Com­fort­able, flex­ible spaces on the seafront, encour­aging cre­ativ­ity and com­mit­ment from participants.
• A peace­ful, stim­u­lat­ing envir­on­ment, ideal for calm, con­struct­ive discussions.

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Optimum accessibility from France and abroad

• Only 2 hours from Par­is by car or train, mak­ing it easy for nation­al guests to attend your events.
• Imme­di­ate prox­im­ity to Deau­ville-Trouville SNCF sta­tion, just 5 minutes’ walk from the con­fer­ence centre.
• Easy access to Deau­ville-Nor­man­die inter­na­tion­al air­port, less than 10 minutes away by car.
• Caen-Car­pi­quet air­port, around 45 minutes away, offer­ing numer­ous con­nec­tions to major French and European cities.

A wide range of quality hotels in the immediate vicinity

• Over 2,500 hotel rooms avail­able just a few minutes from the CID Deau­ville , to suit all budgets and requirements.
• Renowned estab­lish­ments such as Hôtel Bar­rière Le Nor­mandy and Hôtel Roy­al Deau­ville, as well as charm­ing inde­pend­ent hotels. You can also count on qual­ity altern­at­ive accom­mod­a­tion: gîtes, bed and break­fasts, etc.
• Com­ple­ment­ary ser­vices such as spas, gour­met res­taur­ants, casi­nos and upmar­ket boutiques with­in walk­ing dis­tance, ideal for extend­ing your par­ti­cipants’ experience.

A lively and dynamic environment all year round

• Numer­ous cul­tur­al and sport­ing activ­it­ies in the imme­di­ate vicin­ity: golf, thalas­so­ther­apy, horse racing, sail­ing, cul­tur­al events.
• The per­fect set­ting for organ­ising team-build­ing or incent­ive activ­it­ies that will leave a last­ing impres­sion on your participants.

Modern, modular facilities

• Fully flex­ible spaces for events from 50 to 7,000 people.
• Tech­no­lo­gic­al equip­ment for suc­cess­ful hybrid or vir­tu­al events.
• A strong com­mit­ment to sus­tain­ab­il­ity, with envir­on­ment­ally-friendly infra­struc­tures and tail­or-made sup­port for organ­ising respons­ible events.

By choos­ing the CID Deau­ville, you offer your par­ti­cipants not only a meet­ing place, but also a truly enrich­ing exper­i­ence in an attract­ive destination.

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International events in Deauville

Every year, the CID hosts major events such as :

• The Deau­ville Amer­ic­an Film Fest­iv­al: a not-to-be-missed ren­dez­vous for the 7ᵉ art, every year this fest­iv­al cel­eb­rates the best of Amer­ic­an cinema, attract­ing stars, pro­du­cers and film buffs from all over the world.
• Renowned med­ic­al and sci­entif­ic conferences
• Trade fairs and cor­por­ate seminars
• Inter­na­tion­al polit­ic­al conventions
• and more.

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Con­ven­tion centres are essen­tial pil­lars of busi­ness tour­ism for any city. By host­ing pro­fes­sion­al events, they gen­er­ate sig­ni­fic­ant eco­nom­ic spin-offs, boost the appeal of des­tin­a­tions and stim­u­late innov­a­tion in the events sector.
Thanks to their mod­ern infra­struc­ture and abil­ity to adapt to new trends, ven­ues like the Centre Inter­na­tion­al de Deau­ville con­tin­ue to attract organ­isers from all over the world. In the future, the chal­lenge will be to integ­rate even more digit­al and eco-respons­ible solu­tions to meet the demands of sus­tain­able, high-per­form­ance busi­ness tourism.

Organ­ise your next event at the CID Deau­ville and offer your par­ti­cipants a unique exper­i­ence in an excep­tion­al set­ting in France!