France: Regional resume.(Ben McKee)(Interview)

France's country-wide refining of its infrastructure keeps it front of mind.

PARIS

The constant investment and innovation in France's C&I offering is nowhere more evident than in the capital, which continues to be a firm favourite with UK planners. 'Investment has never been so high as in the past 12 months,' says Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau UK and US C&I manager Corine Bernadou.

One of the most significant developments is the emergence of Viparis, the brand that represents the nine Parisian conference, event and exhibition venues that are owned by Paris Expo and the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris. The two venue collections formally merged at the beginning of this year. 'This is a big deal in France because we now have one point of contact for all the venues, instead of many different ones,' explains French Convention Bureau manager Celine Maginel.

A raft of new and upgraded venues and hotels have also come on stream. Among them is the Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine museum, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower and opened last September. It allows delegates to network among its artefacts, and the unique event spaces include a 250m2 suite, decorated by Christian Lacroix, which will be available for private hire until the end of this year.

Agency Davey & Young senior partner Tina Young was impressed with the new venue, …