The vast majority of my assignments take place on location, either in Paris itself, or in its nearby suburbs. Being a cultural and business centre; home to the world’s second biggest airport; and one of the most affluent capitals, the city is an extremely popular choice for hosting both European and International events. Dedicated venues abound the city, all offering something unique in terms of size, layout and facilities.
If you’re looking to hire a Paris event venue, everything will depend on the type of occasion and your precise requirements. To help you find the perfect place for your corporate gathering, this article gives an overview of diverse locations that have stood out to me.
Le Panorama Restaurant, Hippodrome Paris Longchamp (Longchamp Racecourse)
If there was one venue in Paris that was custom-built for a high-level company team building event, then this is arguably it. As its name suggests, the location gives a clear view of the stadium grounds and therefore the best perspective for watching the horse racing itself.
Although marketed as a restaurant, the venue’s interior is in fact totally adaptable for any social event and, together with its lengthy viewing balcony and paved outdoor terrace, the space offers 3 unique environments for guests to explore.
Situated on the far side of the Bois de Boulogne (the huge forest to Paris’s west), as an event organiser you will have to factor in having to transport guests outside of Paris. Therefore, this is really a venue to be booked for at least a full evening of entertainment.
Related Assignments:
➤ taxand-6
Further information on this venue:
www.parislongchamp.com/fr
Palais Brongniart
A former centre of financial activity, today, it’s one of the leading congress and event centres in Paris, and with good reason:
right in heart of the capital, its exterior, built in 1808, is amongst the most impressive of all the event venues in France.
its throughly modernised interior means that all areas are easily accessible.
the conference hall itself is elegant, spacious and well-equipped to cater for any kind of keynote presentation or panel discussion.
Related Assignments:
➤ afme
➤ afme-2
➤ afme-3
➤ afme-4
Further information on this venue:
www.palaisbrongniart.com/en
La Grande Halle de La Villette
An enormous complex in the 19th arrondissement, offering easily one of the largest total event surface areas within Paris itself. I’ve shot a conference in the independent auditorium Boris Vian, and I say that the presentation and sound quality achievable really are second to none. A clear recommendation if you’re looking for something engaging, modern and dynamic.
Related Assignments:
➤ doha-debates
Further information on this venue:
https://lavillette.com/hub/grande-halle
Musée Du Quai Branly
Founded in 2006, this modern museum is a relative newcomer to the capital’s event scene. It comprises multiple well-equipped environments that can together accommodate any kind of high-level gathering. With an extremely open conference space (perfect for keynote presentations and q-and-a sessions), a huge networking space with a full-length catering bar, and a rooftop restaurant with an open terrace offering an up-close and truly unique view of the Eiffel Tower, I could not recommend this option enough for those wishing to host a high-profile international summit.
Related Assignments:
➤ salesforceorg-10
➤ salesforceorg-11
➤ salesforceorg-12
➤ salesforceorg-13
➤ salesforceorg-14
Further information on this venue:
www.quaibranly.fr/en/professionals/privatization-of-public-areas/
UIC-P espaces congrès
Situated near the foot of the Eiffel tower, this is arguably one of the easiest venues to locate. Whilst the conference space itself doesn’t have tiered seating or a modern keynote setup, what’s great is the combined layout of this venue: several clusters of networking and exhibition spaces around one central reception area at the building’s entrance. Not only does this allow for split trade show / networking / conference setups, but it also means that as soon as guests enter the venue, they are immediately in the heart of the proceedings; every bit of the available space can be dedicated to your event.
Related Assignments:
➤ dlg
➤ dlg-2
Further information on this venue:
https://uicp.fr/
Cité internationale universitaire de Paris
One of the most obvious choices for any kind of high-level academic conference. Aside from the practical layout and the selection of dedicated individual event spaces catering to every type of formal gathering, the real pleasure of being a conference or trade show participant here is being able to network around such lavish decoration, which includes the venues fabulous exterior facade.
Related Assignments:
➤ e-hims
➤ e-hims-2
➤ e-hims-3
Further information on this venue:
www.ciup.fr/category/accueil/privatiser/
Le Pavillon Dauphine Saint Clair
A well-established event venue right on the edge of upmarket western Paris. Its 3 excellently-proportioned spaces - a dedicated registration area, a huge reception hall and a dividable conference room - all lead on from one another at ground-level, which is extremely practical for long full-day conferences requiring regular breaks.
The most distinct aspect of the space is the elegant reception hall whose large glass windows let in an enormous amount of natural light allowing attendees to appreciate the surrounding greenery as they mingle.
The conference hall, having a low-stage, non-tiered seating and only small projection options is far better suited to panel discussions as opposed to extravagant keynote presentations.
Related Assignments:
➤ climate-action-3
Further information on this venue:
www.saintclair.com/nos-lieux/pavillon-dauphine-saint-clair
Station F
Branded as the world’s largest startup facility, this shared indoor area consists of company offices and meeting booths surrounding a conference space in the central basement; this has true tiered seating and a huge modern projection screen (one of the best I’ve witnessed for Keynote presentations, and I’ve seen a lot). On the ground floor above, the central open area can be closed off for use a networking area.
Related Assignments:
➤ corporate-events
Further information on this venue:
www.stationf.co
Cité De L'architecture Et Du Patrimoine
As far as a cultural event spaces go, this really is as good as it gets; situated off the iconic Trocadéro Plaza with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower through its tall windows, the location alone is enough to impress, but it’s the interior - a display of over 1000 years of French architectural history - that makes this venue so incredible. Guests enter into one of Paris’s finest museums filled with sculpture-laden walls. No matter how many cocktail networking events an international business traveler has attended, they will not forget this unique setting.
Related Assignments:
➤ arianespace
Further information on this venue:
www.citedelarchitecture.fr/fr
Le Karé (Rêvez D’ailleurs Venues)
A lesser-known venue situated at Boulogne-Billancourt, just outside Paris, is comprised of a main conference hall which can be converted into a reception area for evening events; dividable workshop rooms; a networking coffee area; and private VIP lounges. It’s an interesting choice for medium sized events (200 guests).
Although the access - a small lift and a narrow staircase - is not ideal, the big advantage of this venue is that there is little walking between the different environments and the entire location is completely private. This makes it very practical for hosting simultaneous workshops and presentations, as attendees can be rotated quickly between rooms.
Related Assignments:
➤ opal-rt
➤ opal-rt-2
➤ opal-rt-3
➤ opal-rt-4
Further information on this venue:
https://en.convention.parisinfo.com/paris-professional/83467/Le-Kare
BMW George V
If you are looking for an exclusive, fashionable event location to host 50-70 attendees, then this concept store, just off the avenue des Champs-Élysées, is worth considering: you’ll have your event in between a choice selection of top-of-the-range automobiles and there is a central stage area where seating can be placed for presentations and speeches. This venue makes a great choice for award ceremonies as everything about its interior design speaks innovation.
Related Assignments:
➤ iida
Further information on this venue:
www.brandstore.bmw.fr
Palais Des Congrès De Paris
One of the most popular exhibition and trade show spaces in the French capital. Its versatility and capacity have made it the home of the largest multi-day conferences and congresses that have taken place in Paris. With its versatile floorspace totalling 18000 m² and comprising 100’s of sub-venues, hence each time I have shot at this location, it has been a completely different experience.
Related Assignments:
➤ innoenergy
➤ innoenergy-2
➤ innoenergy-3
➤ innoenergy-4
Further information on this venue:
www.viparis.com/fr/site/palais-des-congres-paris
La Maison De L’architecture
Located right next to the Gare de l’Est, this is a very lively setting with a very decent capacity (thanks to its minimalist interior design and spacious main hall). It also has a very appealing private garden terrace area, which simply must be taken advantage of in the warmer months. A versatile space ideal for hosting sizeable networking occasions.
Related Assignments:
➤ ciee
Further information on this venue:
www.maisonarchitecture-idf.org
Hotel Du Collectionneur
No comparison of the best Paris event venues would be complete without mentioning at least a couple the luxury 5-star hotels dotted around the most upmarket of the capital’s arrondissements. If you’re an event agency, then I don’t need to mention the practicalities of having both guest accommodation and the event premises under one roof.
This hotel deserves acknowledgement for its layout, which contains numerous sub-spaces, perfect for localised activities such as closed corporate workshops and high-level meetings. Upon entering, you’re greeted with a spacious and attractive foyer, which descends via a split staircase to a reception area giving access to a very adaptable conference space.
Past the foyer, on the ground-level, you’ll arrive at an open garden lined with with glass corridors; this provides an enormous amount of natural light and gives the whole interior an extremely spacious feel.
Related Assignments:
➤ taxand
➤ taxand-2
➤ taxand-3
➤ taxand-4
➤ taxand-5
Further information on this venue:
https://en.hotelducollectionneur.com
The Peninsula Paris
A 5-star hotel with a completely private event area reached via its own exclusive corridor directly from the main reception. For gala dinner events, this elegant and well-proportioned space is second-to-none. The stage area is more than suitable for speeches, award ceremonies and even projections, without being intrusive to the dining experience.
Related Assignments:
➤ lee-kum-kee
Further information on this venue:
www.peninsula.com/en/paris/5-star-luxury-hotel-16th-arrondissement
Méridien Etoile Hotel
This 4-star hotel on the edge of Paris houses a spacious presentation area with an adjoining reception space. With unfixed seating it is a versatile option that is perfect for full-day events requiring only a simply conference / networking setup.
Related Assignments:
➤ agritel
Further information on this venue:
www.marriott.com/hotels/event-planning/business-meeting/parmd-le-meridien-etoile/
Le Metropolitan (Chateauform’ City)
Chateauform’ City advertises a wide variety of event spaces in the Paris region. Le Metropolitan, their venue in the 17th arrondissement, has one of of the best layouts I’ve seen for accommodating the needs of a full-day of social business activities. After the ground-floor registration, guests descend into an exclusive event area, the centre of which is a large open space for large social gathering. From there, there is direct access to a dedicated conference hall and several clusters of versatile meeting rooms, ideal for hosting simultaneous workshops.
Related Assignments:
➤ loptimisme
➤ loptimisme-2
➤ loptimisme-3
Further information on this venue:
www.chateauform.com/en/house/chateauform-city-le-metropolitan
Paris Expo Porte De Versailles
Being one of the best-know and prestigious trade fair locations in the Paris area, there is always some type of large-scale exhibition or convention taking place here. For such types of venues, hosting multivendor sales events, I am normally hired to be the exclusive photographer for one of the hundreds of exhibiting manufacturers.
Related Assignments:
➤ seven
➤ nimlok
➤ nimlok-2
Further information on this venue:
www.paris-expo-portedeversailles.com/en/site/paris-expo-porte-de-versailles
Bibliothèque François Mitterrand (François Mitterrand Library)
Whilst not known primarily as an event location, the top floors of the library’s 4 main towers can comfortably host medium-sized networking evenings. The main selling point of these spaces is, unquestionably, their unparalleled panoramic views of Paris, right over the Seine river, which are made all the more dramatic with the city lights of the evening.
Related Assignments:
➤ tezos
Further information on this venue:
www.bnf.fr/en/francois-mitterrand
Le Perchoir
This rooftop bar in the 11th arrondissement is an interesting choice for smaller, more exclusive networking events. Whilst there are indoor areas, the real appeal of this venue is its uniquely alternative rooftop view over Paris.
Related Assignments:
➤ google-1
Further information on this venue:
https://leperchoir.fr/
The Grand Pavois Boat (Paris City Vision La Marina)
In terms of team events and client entertainment, no matter the chosen vessel, it’s difficult to go wrong with a gala dinner cruise. As this activity can comfortably occupy an entire evening, it’s certain worth me mentioning a couple of the hosting boats, each with their own unique features.
The Grand Pavois’s lack of an upper deck is compensated by its open glass framework, meaning that no matter the weather, you can dine whilst enjoying constant unique views of the City of the Lights.
Related Assignments:
➤ opal-rt-5
Further information on this venue:
www.marina-de-paris.com/en/
Excellent (Yachts De Paris)
This is a beautiful, classy boat, whose best feature, for any open-air networking activity, is its large open deck; unlike many boat roofs, the Excellent’s has no large obstructing components, therefore the view from all places remains entirely panoramic. For guests, this is beneficial for both taking in the best of the magnificent Seine river, and for seeing the whole event unfold together in one open outdoors space.
Related Assignments
➤ google-4
Further information on this venue:
www.yachtsdeparis.fr
