MPI Summer Drink at the Château de Champs sur Marne

 MPI Summer Drink at the Château de Champs sur Marne (77): Destination Paris Grand Est tests out co-creation workshops as part of its business tourism issue 

Developing business tourism is a challenge for several regions. Seine-et-Marne has confirmed it as one of its priority areas for development within its tourist programme. In 2007, the Seine-et-Marne Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined forces with Seine-et-Marne Tourisme, the Regional Tourism Committee, to create Destination Paris Grand Est (DPGE) with a view to creating a network of key players within the region's business tourism industry.

Since then, the network has gone from strength to strength with a wide range of initiatives: fairs, fam trips, a website etc. Following a meeting with MPI France Switzerland, a project emerged in 2012. It entails offering 38 members of the network the chance to work together on positioning Seine-et-Marne as a 'business' destination. Involving companies at an MPI Summer Drink gave these co-creation workshops an innovative twist.

After two preparatory workshops, members of DPGE, companies from the MPI network and local businesses met at the Château de Champs-sur-Marne at the beginning of July.

This enabled members of the network to test the relevance of the new positioning by measuring the reactions of agencies and businesses who attended. Discussions continued in the gardens of the château, providing opportunities to interact on how the offer has been redefined as well as to develop new contacts.

The initiative was very much welcomed. There is room for improvement in terms of methodology, but the dynamics of the network have been strengthened and there is promising food for thought for the future. Work continues for Destination Paris Grand Est, with new initiatives resulting from this innovative campaign due to be finalised over the coming months. 

Destination Paris Grand Est :  info@parisgrandest.fr