SUSTAINABLY WELCOMING THE WORLD: The Palais des Festivals de Cannes, the first conference centre to become a "société à mission"
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During a town council meeting on 28 November 2022, the Town Hall approved its Palais des Festivals et des Congrès adopting the status of entreprise à mission1, which was ratified by the Extraordinary General Meeting of the SEMEC shareholders on 12 December 2022. This approach comes under the framework of the PACTE law (Action plan for business growth and transformation) of 2019, which introduced the quality of a société à mission, allowing a company to formalize its reason for being and define its social and environmental objectives. This is a major challenge for sustainable competitiveness.
The Palais des Festivals de Cannes is the first conference centre to become a société à mission.
The purpose of the Palais des Festivals et des Cannes has been considered with all colleagues and stakeholders in Cannes as a destination, during multiple workshops held as of 2021. Its definition was subject to in-depth reflection by the company into its identity and the stakes attributed to its actions. It aims to bring all the Palais teams together around a common, responsible and committed project: “Sustainably Welcoming the World”. A purpose that is set out in three major objectives: “Connect”, “Take care” and “Reveal”.
“In the face of the ever-increasing climate emergency and of the scale of the environmental challenges that we are facing, it is no longer the time for reflection, but for action. The commitment of Cannes and its Palais des Festivals must be total. In becoming a “Palais à mission”, our flagship of the tourism and events economy in Cannes is confirming its desire to strive daily for a sustainable and responsible events activity.
I congratulate the SEMEC team, whose approach is in line with the actions implemented by Cannes Town Hall in favour of protecting the environment, in particular by massive investment in clean energies such as green hydrogen, biomass or even solar power for the effective decarbonization of our living zone in order to succeed in making our “zero carbon” plan a reality by 2050.”
David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes
SUSTAINABLY WELCOMING THE WORLD
Because in the face of the climate emergency, health crises and a world that is permanently changing, we believe it is essential to question our practices, our responsibility and the sense we give to our trades.
Because at a time when global crises separate us, we are convinced it is vital to maintain authentic human contact in a spirit of solidarity and to take advantage of new technologies to bring us closer together.
Because our history and the iconic status of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in the heart of Cannes obliges us to always set more of an example.
We sustainably welcome the world to the heart of our “global village”, our region, our soft skills and our know-how.
We have chosen to confirm our commitment to the future and towards all our stakeholders through three pillars, which form the bedrock of our reason for being: connect #CANNES, take care &CANNES and reveal αCANNES.
The Palais des Festivals today holds ISO 20121 certification, an international standard for sustainable events management.
In order to continue its commitment and fulfil its mission, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes has already announced concrete objectives:
- Launch and perpetuate new international trade fairs and festivals by encouraging ecodesign and responsible and sustainable operation.
- Greatly reduce its environmental impacts: sustainably managing waste, reducing its energy consumption, in particular by using 100% green electricity as of 2023, metering and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
- Training all personnel in QSE-SD (Quality Safety Environment - Sustainable Development)
- Support the associations and other local players in favour of the environment, including the Fondation Cannes and the PRIME project (*)
- Have its media broadcast the talents and innovations revealed during the many annual events to professional and leisure audiences, in line with the Cannes brand.
“The economic lung of the town, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès is confirming its social and environmental commitment by becoming a ‘Palais à mission’.
In the heart of Cannes, we are sustainably welcoming the world! We are connecting people from every walk of life in our “global village”, we take care of everyone and the environment, and we reveal the talents of the entire world. “Sustainably welcoming the world” is more than ever the mission of the teams and partners of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes”.
Jean-Michel Arnaud, Chair of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes
(*)Société à mission : a French business model whereby the business pursues a set social and environmental purpose with specific sustainability goals
(*) Le projet PRIME (Posidonia Restauration Initiative for a resilient Mediterranean Ecosystem) soutenu par le fonds de Dotation Cannes et la Fondation Cannes, est un projet signé NaturDive et BlueLeaf Conservation. Il consiste à mettre en place des actions de sensibilisation et d’éducation à l’environnement mais également au déploiement d’un outil de surveillance pour la protection des fonds marins et des actions de restauration des herbiers de posidonie.
À propos du Palais des Festivals et des Congrès - www.palaisdesfestivals.com
Moteur de l’économie touristique, le Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes œuvre pour une activité 12 mois sur 12. Premier centre de congrès en France après Paris, plus de 140 événements génèrent 310 jours d’activités. Il accueille des événements phares, tels que le Festival de Cannes, Cannes Lions Festival de la Créativité, CANNESERIES, MIPIM, MIPCOM, MIPTV, MIDEM, MAPIC, Tax Free World Exhibition... Il participe aussi à l’attractivité touristique et culturelle de la destination. Avec plus de 80 spectacles tout au long de l’année et des Festivals culturels phares : Cinéma, Séries, Jeux, Danse, Musique …
Il est le pôle d’attractivité de toute une région avec une résonnance internationale.
En plein centre-ville, et en bord de mer, il dispose d’une infrastructure hôtelière et de restauration exceptionnelle.
