Major projects

• Events at the heart of Nantes Metropolis' strategy

The City of Nantes and Nantes Metropolis have been investing in the events sector for many years.

This support is firstly implemented through the financing of facilities for public gatherings,
particularly the Nantes Congress Centre and the Beaujoire Exhibition Centre. The conviction that
event facilities are development tools in their own right forms the basis of recent projects
(a new 6,000 m² hall as just been built at Nantes Exhibition Centre) and those that are
scheduled : the Zenith will see the light of day in 2005 and the Congress Centre
will be extended in 2008 (with an exhibition area of 10,000 m²).

The support for event-linked creations and productions forms the second axis of its events
policy, providing these come within the development strategy and the image of the Metropolis
of Nantes.

Thus, the cultural reputation of Nantes, which rests on the diversity of expression and talent,
owes a great deal to the creation of events (“Les Allumés”, “la Folle
journée”…) and the city is, indeed, closely linked to their origins. The same applies to
economic development, with efforts being made to enhance areas of excellence (biotechnologies,
health, watersports, etc).

• An EIG on the scale of the Metropolis

As regards the events sector, we have decided to work on the scale of the Nantes-St Nazaire
metropolis and to link the companies which are working there.

This is why, with St Nazaire, the chambers of trade and industry and the support of numerous
professionals, the decision was taken to encourage the creation of an economic interest group.

This which is called “Atlantic Events” has four missions; to promote the
Nantes metropolis in France and overseas - to conceive and sell new products for welcoming
people - to coordinate the commercial policies of its members - and to contribute towards
defining an events policy. Atlantic Events initially brings together Nantes Congress Centre,
Nantes Expo Atlantique, which manages the Beaujoire exhibition centre, and the St Nazaire
Tourist Information Office (d'Initiatives de la Région Nazairienne - SIREN), which is responsible
for the Escal Atlantic site.

As a flexible organisation, Atlantic Events has, of course, the vocation to welcome new members
in order to develop the quality of its solutions for organisers and to thus strengthen the
attractiveness of our area for the benefit of one and all.