Conferences program

Strategies for visibility, reputation, business development and building team buy-in for a shared project… A look at the objectives underpinning a company’s or brand’s events strategy.

In a world where we can stay informed, learn, shop, exchange ideas, network, work and be entertained without necessarily having to travel, physical presence becomes a choice. Attending an event requires time, attention, sometimes a journey, and always involves making a trade-off. What will people be looking for in an event in the future that online content, digital communities, platforms, AI or other experiences cannot offer with the same impact? Will events need to better demonstrate their value, reinvent their formats, enhance their usefulness or embrace their human potential more fully? What will continue to make events sufficiently desirable, useful and unique to make us want to be there?

In the events industry, creativity involves turning a brief into an experience, giving shape to a message, engaging audiences, working within very practical constraints, and evoking emotion and creating lasting memories… But the way ideas are developed is changing. Advertisers’ expectations are rising, formats are multiplying, deadlines are getting shorter, and generative AI is opening up new possibilities. Against this backdrop, what is the role of creatives and art directors? How can the right idea be brought to the fore? What role should intuition, culture, collaboration, methodology and, now, AI play in the event creative process?

Roadshows, club meetings, conferences, brand experiences…: these events enable you to establish direct contact with customers or prospects, bring an offering to life and create an opportunity for dialogue, or even build a relationship. But what is their real commercial impact? Do they speed up decision-making? Do they create brand preference? Do they strengthen customer loyalty? Do they help sales teams manage their accounts more effectively? At a time when budgets must be justified, what role can events really play in customer acquisition, conversion and retention?

From the initial brief right through to the day of the event itself – including the design, production and the human, technical and material resources deployed – you’ll find out everything that goes on behind the scenes of some of the year’s most outstanding events.

The events sector has always relied on freelance expertise at every stage of projects: design, production, content, technical aspects, logistics, coordination, CSR, data, facilitation… Today, perhaps even more so than in the past, this trend goes beyond the simple need for occasional support. It calls for a rethink of how we work together: how can we integrate freelancers into project teams without creating dependency? How can we recognise their value, ensure secure collaborations and build balanced relationships? Dependency, complementarity and a new working arrangement: this open session launches a debate on the role of freelancers in the future organisation of the events sector.

When Anthropic advertises an events manager role paying $400,000 a year, and when Apple offers salaries only slightly lower, a question arises: what is the events industry really worth? In France, salaries have risen. But is this increase enough to recognise the reality of the job: pressure, working hours, responsibility, operational intensity, dealing with the unexpected, mental workload, interpersonal skills, budgetary control and the ability to keep complex projects on track? Between a passion for the profession, recruitment difficulties, pressure on margins, disparities between the French and international markets, and the distinction between salaried and freelance status, does the events industry pay commensurate with what it demands?

GP Explorer, Crunch Creator, Eleven All Stars… In just a few years, content creators have proven that they can draw tens of thousands of people into stadiums, mobilise huge communities and create events capable of rivalling more traditional sporting, cultural or entertainment formats. What can the events industry learn from these new formats? How are creators transforming the way events are conceived, promoted, produced and brought to life? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new model, where the audience precedes the event just as much as it extends it?

Events play a major role in public communication. Numerous events (ceremonies, forums, conferences, public meetings, etc.) form a significant part of the sector’s activity. However, this market is entering a period of greater uncertainty. Budgets are tightening, demands for austerity are increasing, and the expectations of politicians and the public are changing. At the same time, public events remain essential for raising the profile of public action. What will the future hold? How can we maintain the ambition of public events within a constrained budgetary context? What new formats, new methods and what new relationships will emerge between the events sector, the State, government departments and national agencies?

Six leading figures from the events industry take the floor in three one-on-one discussions to share their vision of the sector, its transformations and its possible futures. Drawing on their career paths, experiences and convictions, they will offer a personal perspective on what makes events so powerful today. This series of three discussions, each featuring two speakers, aims to open up new perspectives on what the events industry might yet become.

AI is making its mark on the events industry: design, content production, project management, personalised experiences… It promises to save time, open up new creative avenues and enhance the experience before, during and after the event. Are these promises being backed up by action? Which applications are genuinely transforming industry practices? Where does AI deliver a measurable benefit? What are the risks of standardisation, lack of transparency, dependence on tools or a dilution of creativity? How can we preserve what makes live events unique: intuition, attention, connection, emotion and the unexpected?

Exhibitor stands – and, more broadly, brand spaces – remain a key tool for raising visibility and fostering connections. But expectations have changed: visitors want to grasp things quickly, have a meaningful experience, meet the right people, or leave with a clear idea. Companies, for their part, must justify their investments. What new objectives should brand spaces serve? Can design be merely a matter of image or scale? How can their effectiveness be measured? How can they be refreshed without falling into the trap of one-upmanship? How can scenography, hospitality, content, technology and effectiveness be brought together? What should the design of tomorrow’s exhibition stands and brand spaces look like?

The events industry loves to talk about innovation: new formats, new technologies, immersive experiences, AI, data… But behind the hype, what is actually changing in the way events are conceived, produced or delivered? Is innovation bringing about a fundamental transformation in how events are used, in the relationship with participants, and in the value generated for brands, businesses or regions? At a time when constraints are increasing and audience expectations are changing, is the events industry truly innovating, or is it mainly recycling its own conventions?

Heatwaves, adverse weather, emergency services, prefectural restrictions… Ensuring public safety at an event now requires increasingly detailed preparation, shared between organisers, authorities, service providers and partners. The challenge lies in anticipating scenarios, clarifying responsibilities, planning flexible arrangements and establishing effective dialogue with all stakeholders. How can events be better prepared to deal with risks? What tools, methods and trade-offs enable an event’s format, route or reception arrangements to be adapted? How can risk management be turned not into an obstacle, but into a prerequisite for the event to take place under the best possible conditions?