LUXE PACK Monaco on its way to becoming a more responsible trade show
The 35th edition of premium packaging’s annual headline event will take place on 2, 3, and 4 October and feature an exciting programme of new products. After announcing the new LUXE HOME section at the heart of the trade show, the organisers have rolled out a new initiative designed to help customers reduce the carbon footprint of their trade show visit while enjoying a more seamless experience.
A special Paris – Monaco express train
The trade show organisers are offering their attendees the opportunity to travel aboard a private express train from Paris to Monaco on the morning of Monday 2 October. For €60, each passenger will enjoy non-stop train service lasting around 6 hours, breakfast, an eco-responsible lunch, and on-board activities (massages, tastings, presentations, etc.) in the company of other luxury packaging professionals.
We asked Fabienne Germond, Director of the LUXE PACK Trade Shows, to tell us more about this initiative.
How did the idea for this special train come about ?
We frequently talk to luxury goods companies that make up the majority of our visitors and found that train travel was being increasingly used for practical or environmental reasons. We were keen to actively support them in their CSR initiative, and this special train is a first step.
What exactly is available for visitors this year ?
2023 will serve as a test. All trade show participants can purchase a one-way ticket for €60 including tax. The main objective was to offer a low-carbon transport alternative to air travel (26 times less carbon according to Ademe 2023 figures). But we also wanted to offer inexpensive transport to our attendees and create a new networking experience: the show starts as soon as the train pulls out of Gare de Lyon! Although the journey is longer than by plane, since there is no TGV line to Nice, professionals can either work on board or start networking with their peers. Shuttles will be waiting to take them straight to the Grimaldi Forum when they arrive. So, passengers board the train at the Gare de Lyon and are escorted right to the doors of the GF. They will also be able to enjoy massages or tastings of local products on board during the journey, in addition to the catering provided.
I have to admit that we are not the only ones to thank for this very attractive and accessible offer. We received invaluable support for this initiative from the Government of the Principality. The Mission for Energy Transition is very active in Monaco. In line with the convictions of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, the means deployed to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions and achieve energy sobriety in every activity sector of the Principality are impressive.
So what challenges were involved in setting up this train for the first time ?
LUXE PACK is an international trade show that is free for all its professional visitors. This year, with this project, we are becoming a sort of travel agency! That is what’s rather complicated: we are not used to deciding on the departure and arrival dates of our visitors during the three-day show. Their arrival date varies depending on where they are coming from, their schedule, their means of transport, etc. We therefore had to agree on a date and place of departure. This year, we have organised a one-way trip on a train from Paris, but if we do this again another year, we would, of course, like to offer a return ticket. And why not other destinations in the future? The challenge for a trade show as international as ours is to have sufficient potential in a given city.
Even if the majority of our customers come by plane, we shouldn’t forget that this event often saves them a lot of other trips to meet suppliers, partners, or customers in different cities around the world all year round.
Since this offer only concerns some of your attendees, how else are you taking part in the ecological transition ?
We are increasingly investing to minimise our carbon emissions and especially to support our customers in changing their habits, whether they are visitors or exhibitors. For us, the Grimaldi Forum is a key ally, a real precursor in the field of waste reduction: their eco-design approach is one of the most far-reaching of any European congress centre. We are currently carrying out a detailed Carbon Audit that will allow us to further improve our resource management and what we can offer participants in coming years. Just as the trade show’s success depends on a group of exhibitors and visitors, the event cannot successfully navigate the ecological transition without them either.
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