DMC Mega-Event with 1500 guests in Paris

Venue was East Paris's Pavillon Baltard...	...an impressive place for a grand event.	Participants loved the entertainment	and the way everything was handled

Alcep is an expert French DMC handling large groups of 1000 participants and more. That's why we were asked by an international association of Cardiologists to organize their Annual Convention in Paris. Why Paris? Because the City of Lights has an unmatched appeal. Over 1500 doctors coming from all the five continents attended this special French summer event, whose high spot was a stunning Gala Evening.

Coordinating 12 hotels and 30 coaches to bring 1500 guests to a Gala Evening in Paris

The Gala Evening was sponsored by an internationally-renowned laboratory working with these Cardiologists. It was intended to give a platform to the President of the Convention and to thank the participants for their attendance. French DMC Alcep Travel & Events made all arrangements for this special evening, as we did for the whole Convention.

Selecting exactly the right location

After considering a number of possible venues we chose the 'Pavillon Baltard' in East Paris. This is an impressive and prestigious 19th Century Parisian monument that today serves as the pre-eminent location for large corporate events in the City. Pavillon Baltard comprises a space of 2,700 m2 and is able to host up to 2,500 guests. It exudes the 'French Grandeur' that we wanted to convey to our guests.

Individual attention

On the way to the Gala Evening Alcep placed a gift pouch in every seat on every coach containing a ½ bottle of fresh champagne and a special champagne glass. Upon arriving at the Pavillon, guests were greeted with musical performances on violin and accordion.

Throughout the course of the evening the guests enjoyed a varied entertainment program that included pantomime artists, pianists, Lido-style and Crazy-Horse style dancers.  

Overcoming obstacles 

In arranging this large event, Alcep was faced with the following challenges:

1) How to keep the champagne fresh and cool when the ambient temperatures in the French summer reached 35 °C? Solution: The champagne was kept in icepacks and transferred to the guests' individual gift pouches on the coach just before they departed for the Gala Evening venue.

2) How to ensure that the guests arrived at the venue at the same time? Solution: Alcep calculated the average travel time from each hotel and followed different departure times. Most guests arrived at Pavillon Baltard within 30 minutes of each other.

3) How to give the guests a unique French Experience? Solution: Alcep selected artists noted for delivering a special French performance, such as exuberant can-can dancing.

4) How to handle the Arabic guests who refused to watch the show because the performing artists were too undressed?! Solution: Alcep quickly arranged to entertain these guests in a separate part of the hall.

5) How to manage the orderly return of guests to their hotels?Solution: Alcep gave each guest a Coach Ticket that stated coach number and preferred exit gate from the Pavillon. In this way, all guests knew exactly where to go, despite the large numbers milling around at the event.

In summary

The Cardiologists' Convention was a great success and we were frequently complimented on the professional way in which we had organized this huge event. Our Managing Director Philip Gombert commented: "An event of over 1000 people cannot succeed unless it is planned with military precision. That means you also have to respond fast to last-minute surprises – as we found with our Arabic guests."

French DMC specialist Alcep Travel & Events handles large corporate events all over France and in Monaco.