Be careful, when we talk about a Christmas seminar in Paris, we are not talking about the Paris Seminar at Christmas! The seminarians have their mission… the participants in a corporate seminar organized during the Christmas period are, for their part, entitled to a completely different evangelization!
Organizing your seminar in the capital requires careful consideration of the location, content, and services desired. A seminar in a hotel in Paris will certainly have festive features, but also the comfort and luxury required for an annual corporate event in the capital.
Places without religious connotation…
Agreeing to invite your colleagues to a convention in a convent is possible! The Recollets Convent, the Open Cloister and the Bernardins College are all three former places of prayer transformed into completely secular meeting places.
But at Christmas time, there will certainly be some ambiguity in the purpose of the meeting! In addition, it may be necessary to accommodate the participants: if it is a residential seminar, the working day is not the only concern. In this case, why not simply organize the seminar in a hotel in Paris with meeting rooms?
The attractiveness of the city
It is one of the most attractive metropolises in Europe. It is not only the most visited city in the world (nearly 30 million people per year) for its tourism, but also for its reception capacity, and its status as a business capital. The capital is not only a holiday destination. It offers a very large range of meeting or conference rooms for rent. It is also a very important transport hub with its three airports, its TGV stations, and its public transport network (16 metro lines, 5 RER lines, and more than 100 bus lines) not to mention taxis and VTCs…
For how many people?
The first question before booking a room or a hotel is obviously to know the approximate number of participants. Bringing together 20 people, 200 or 1000 does not present the same organizational and logistical constraints.
The seminar program
Once the number of people present and the exact date of the seminar are known, it is necessary to ensure that the rooms sought will meet the needs of the speakers: have we chosen a plenary assembly or workshops in small groups? What will be the work meetings, activities, and free time? What will be their duration or their schedule?
Why is the seminar taking place in Paris? Just because the main offices are in the capital or for the practical aspect of bringing teams from all regions of France? Or for the prestige of the capital and to allow participants to enjoy its attractions (monuments, museums, parks, concert halls, unusual activities, etc.)? Is it a question of mixing work and vacation?
Christmas in Paris
A Christmas market has existed there for a few years. It is organized on the Champs-Elysées. Without being a traditional market like those in Lyon or Strasbourg, it is a huge festive market, that transforms the most beautiful avenue in the world into a Christmas Village, made up of nearly 200 chalets decorated and illuminated for the event.
In addition to this market, there are of course the prestigious rue St Honoré and Place Vendôme with their jewelers and luxury boutiques, or the grand boulevards with their department stores and their bright and animated decorations. The “City of Lights” does not steal its name and its reputation during the Christmas holidays.
In summary
The assets of the capital:
- Transport (train, plane)
- Accommodation (1 to 5 star hotels in Paris, residences)
- Choice of rooms (conference, seminar, meeting, etc.)
- Service providers (entertainment, caterer, etc.)
- Activities outside the seminar (shops, museums, shows, etc.)