How to organise a convention or conference in Marseille

Convention, conference or seminar: what is the difference?

Conventions and conferences share a size (often more than 150 people), a plenary session, parallel workshops and an evening event. This guide applies to both.

Why choose Marseille for a convention?

Marseille is well connected: Saint-Charles station puts Paris a little over three hours away by TGV high-speed train, and Marseille Provence airport serves many French and European cities. The Euroméditerranée and La Joliette district concentrates offices, hotels and meeting venues a few metro stops from the station. Finally, the sea, the Old Port and the Calanques offer a setting for outings that adds to the event’s appeal.

Which venue for a convention in Marseille?

For large formats, conference centres and exhibition parks such as the Palais du Pharo or the Parc Chanot are designed to host plenary sessions and exhibitions. Cultural venues offer an alternative: the Mucem has a 329-seat auditorium and reception spaces for up to 400 people. For each venue, check:

• the capacity of the plenary hall in theatre layout, with the space needed for the stage and the control desk;
• the number and size of the workshop rooms, and how close they are to the plenary hall;
• the break and catering areas, able to serve everyone within fifteen minutes;
• the technical equipment included and what needs adding;
• set-up and take-down times, often the evening before or early in the morning;
• public transport access and coach parking.

How do you build the programme?

An effective programme varies the pace. A plenary of more than 90 minutes without a break tires the room; too many workshops scatter participants. A model that works:

1. Opening plenary (1 hour): welcome, key issues, a standout speaker.
2. Break (30 min): coffee, partner stands, networking.
3. Parallel workshops (1 hour 30): three to five topics, with advance sign-up.
4. Lunch (1 hour 15): a buffet or standing lunch to keep people moving.
5. Afternoon plenary (1 hour 30): round table, testimonials, feedback from the workshops.
6. Closing (30 min): announcements, thanks, final word.
7. Evening: dinner or cocktail reception, then a dance party.

What technical set-up does a plenary need?

Beyond 150 people, the technical side becomes a profession. You need a sound system sized so the back row can hear without deafening the front row, a screen readable from everywhere (or two side screens), a microphone per speaker and two microphones for questions from the floor, a control desk that moves smoothly between presentations and videos, and a technician present from the first word to the last. To go further, see our article on sound for conferences.

How do you manage welcome, accommodation and transport?

For participants coming from other cities, the organisation starts well before the plenary. Negotiate a block of rooms with several hotels near the venue, with a release date for unused rooms. Plan a welcome at the station or shuttles if the venue is out of the way. On the day, a welcome desk with name badges, a cloakroom and a luggage room prevent queues at the start. Our luggage logistics partners can take care of suitcases between the station, the venue and the hotels.

How do you make the closing evening a success?

The evening turns a working event into a shared memory. In Marseille, it can take place in a venue with a sea view, on a rooftop, or at sea: dinner cruises departing from the Old Port take 35 to 250 people depending on the boat. What matters most is offering a real change of atmosphere after a day indoors.

What pitfalls should you avoid?

• Breaks that are too short for the number of participants: plan enough coffee points and toilets.
• Presentations sent the day before: set a deadline five days ahead and a single format.
• Overloaded wifi: ask the venue for its real capacity and plan a dedicated connection for the control desk.
• Workshops too far from the plenary hall: every move costs ten minutes.

How far ahead should you book a convention?

For more than 300 participants, start twelve months ahead: large venues and hotel room blocks are taken early, especially in spring and autumn, when trade fairs and conferences follow one another in Marseille. Between 150 and 300 people, six to nine months is usually enough. Then set a registration opening date three months ahead and a closing date one month ahead, and keep some leeway for late registrations from speakers and guests of honour.