As Director of Event Production at BEAM, Delphine Demade and her team are launching a call for applications from other event organisers, whose visions and communities could enrich the range of themed events at the Foire de Bordeaux.Proof of a strategy of openness to other organisers and of a model that is constantly evolving to adapt to today's trends.
What makes the Foire de Bordeaux unique?
The Foire de Bordeaux is a unique place to meet and speak to a wide range of people, from young couples to families, from the very young to the elderly. Popular by nature, this event is rich in history. Celebrating the art of living in the South-West, the Fair is a commercial event with over 800 exhibitors that combines discovery and festivities: these are the pillars that have made it its strength and the key to its longevity. As a ‘model fair’, the Bordeaux Fair benefits from its strong local roots. Professional sectors and economic players join forces and use this authenticity to reach out to their different audiences and customers. It's a fantastic media platform for reaching out to 190,000 people in the region.
After a decline in the popularity of fairs in the 2010s, the Foire de Bordeaux seems to have been given a new lease of life since 2020...
The image of trade fairs has been tarnished by the growing competition from leisure and entertainment offers. It's a phenomenon that our model is coping with, thanks to the renewal of our content and our ability to offer unique experiences to our communities. As we all know, the Foire de Bordeaux generates positive emotions that leave a lasting impression on visitors. As children, we go to the Foire de Bordeaux with our parents, which becomes a real Proust's madeleine... It is on this lever of immersive, personalised and up-to-date experience that we rely with a festive programme alongside our commercial offer. The Fair has a real feel-good effect!
The current trend emphasises the need tocreate meaningwithin the events sector. How does the Foire de Bordeaux achieve this?
By sharing new social trends with our audiences. Opening up to the subject of ecomobility or upcycling - illustrated this year with the Big Dressing, for example - opens the door to the challenges of social responsibility.
In addition, in order to reach out to the multiplicity of our communities, we rely on players in specialised sectors, such as the world of agriculture, with the Salon de l'Agriculture de Nouvelle Aquitaine, a major historic event also linked to the Fair, or for the past 10 years with the Bordeaux Geek Festival, an event dedicated to the fascinating world of pop culture.
BEAM has decided to launch a brand new call for applications, "Impulse", with the aim of opening up to other organisers. Can you tell us more about this?
The Foire de Bordeaux is a platform for bringing together a wide range of audiences, making it a perfect testing ground for innovative event concepts aimed at a specific community. This call for co-branding applications is aimed at event organisers who already have a project in mind. Always attentive to new trends and the current expectations of its visitors, the Fair is looking to develop new themes that complement its own and add a personalised experience.
What exactly are you offering these organisers?
In practical terms, we offer young consumer events the opportunity to come and test their model for a few days in a space at the Foire de Bordeaux. The idea is to support these up-and-coming events in their production, by providing them with a space and visitors. Candidates will be selected up to 31 December, and we will choose the project that we feel fits in best with the Fair.
What are the next areas you will be working on at the Fair?
In addition to the new themes, we're going to be continuing our work on renewing certain sectors of our more traditional commercial offer, and at the same time responding to the changing expectations of our public.
We will continue to develop the Foire de Bordeaux as a genuine platform for economic and institutional players to express their views on their own specific issues. I'm thinking, for example, of sustainable commitment, the right to training and employment. These essential areas give these major players in our region the opportunity to position themselves as closely as possible to their audience. Our progress on societal issues, such as inclusivity and sustainable commitment, also remains an area on which we will continue to work.
IMPULSE" call for entries
Support an events project (event or trade show type) looking for new development opportunities and targeting the general public.
The successful applicant will benefit from :
- up to 12,000 m² of exhibition space at "partner rates" to present their event
- a large-scale communication campaign using the "Foire" brand
- a 4-day presence at the Fair from 29 May to 1 June 2025
Candidates will be selected by the Foire de Bordeaux teams after reviewing their applications. The deadline for applications is 31 December.
Would you like to share in the Fair experience?
Find all the information you need to apply here.
