Palais de la Bourse
© Palais de la Bourse

Numerous major congresses held in Bordeaux in the next years

Prime destination for international congresses, Bordeaux has ensured the postponement of major upcoming congresses.

Since the record-breaking year of 2015, Bordeaux has kept on increasing the number of congresses hosted in the city. 180 congresses were organised in the metropolis in 2019, which represents 303,000 congress days* (+4.5% compared to 2018) and 87M€ of estimated profit to the city**.

The opening of the "Palais 2 l'Atlantique" congress and exhibition hall in May 2019 contributes to this growing dynamism, as it can host up to 6,000 seated people over a total area of 5,500sqm.

Venues and hotels have also been cooperating to ensure a smooth postponement of events. Bordeaux Tourism & Congress Office has created an online collaborative platform in which hotels fill their occupancy rates for 2020 and 2021. Venues and congress centres can then consult this platform in real time and postpone events accordingly.

Bordeaux will soon welcome:

  • World Table Tennis Veterans Championship, 6,000 participants (May 2021)
  • 81th Meeting of the French National Society of Internal Medicine, 1,000 participants (June 2021)
  • ECOC, the European Conference on Optical Communication, 1 200 participants (September 2021)
  • the European Conference on Biomaterials, 1 200 participants (September 2022)
  • the European Company Sports Games, 10 000 participants (June 2023)

* A congress day is calculated by the number of participants to an event multiplicated by the number of days of the event. 
** The estimated economic benefits are calculated according to the study published by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry in December 2012 "Étude sur les retombées économiques de l’activité des congrès en France et en Île-de-France" in partnership with key actors of the sector. The study determines the average expenses per delegate and the related organizational expenses based on 18 in-depth and representative surveys and the interview of 3,200 participants.
Testimony of Professor François-Xavier MAHON
Director of the Bergonié Institute, who was involved in the organisation of the 21st Annual John Goldman Conference on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Biology and Therapy in Bordeaux in September 2019
Pr François-Xavier Mahon

"Cancer treatment in Bordeaux has been accredited for its excellence by the National Cancer Institute (INCA), with the official recognition of an Integrated Cancer Research Site (SIRIC) which was renewed in 2017. There are only 8 in France, half of which are outside of Paris. The Institut Bergonié, the only Cancer Centre or Unicancer Centre in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, plays an important role in oncology recherche, collaborating with public scientific and technological institutions such as INSERM, CNRS and the University of Bordeaux. A number of biotechnology companies have come to realise the importance of the Bordeaux site and have chosen to set up in the city."