Rhône-Alpes Bienvenue en classe Affaires

1. Rhône-AlpesBienvenue en classe Affaires Welcome toRhône-Alpes Business Class

2. ACCESS • RHÔNE-ALPES, a territory as large as Switzerland. • At the border of Italy and Switzerland • An international junction beween Northern & Southern Europe : • 2 international airports • Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Geneva • International railways by Thalys, Eurostar and TGV • A network of 1.350 km of motorways

3. 4 SEASONS Diversified tourist and cultural offer Lyon, Beaujolais and the Rhône Valley The Alps (Chamonix, Megève, Val d’Isère, Courchevel, Grenoble) Alpine lakes (Annecy, Geneva/Evian, le Bourget/Aix-les-Bains) Gateway to Provence (Ardèche, Drôme)…

4. ECONOMICS • Rhône-Alpes, powerful economy based on scientific research and nanotechnology • BioMérieux-Pasteur, Alcatel, ST Microelectronics, Hewlett Packard, Casino, Péchiney, Cap Gemini, Bayer Cropscience… • 2nd university centre in France ; training 20% of French engineers • Rhône-Alpes, 2nd regional tourist destination in France : • 151 million tourist overnight stays in 2005 (11,5% / France) • A market which amounts 9,8 billion € (10,8% / France) • 12,5% of French employed people in tourist trade • 1st destination in France for « mountains » and « countryside » • 5,7 million inhabitants (10% of France) ; 130 inhabitants/km²

5. ECONOMICS • Rhône-Alpes, 3rd regional MICE destination in France • Annual turnover from business tourism : around 800 M€ • Cities (Lyon, Annecy, Grenoble…) represent Rhône-Alpes’ first destination for foreign visitors

6. MICE OFFER DMC • 145.000 hotel beds (ranked 2nd in France) • 30 congress and exhibition centres • 12 convention bureaux • 40 incoming agencies and PCO’s • 40 venues for events • 30 service and activities providers (incentive, team building…)

7. WINTER • Rhône-Alpes, the largest ski domain in the world : • The mountains : half of the regional territory • 160 ski resorts (northern French Alps) representing 70% of the national mountain economy • Famous spots : Chamonix, Val d’Isère, Courchevel, Megève, Les Arcs, La Plagne, l’Alpe d’Huez, Tignes, Méribel, Val Thorens, Les Deux Alpes, Avoriaz… • Corporate ski competitions, dog sledding, snowshoeing, skidoo, ice climbing, igloo building, treks…

8. WATER • Water, the main element of Rhône-Alpes’s landscapes : • 7000 km of rivers • 13 major lakes • 400 km² of glaciers • 32 brand names for bottled water production (Evian, Badoit, Parot, Thonon / Aix / Vals…) ; 3 billions of liters manufactured in 2004 • 16 thermal and spa resorts (Aix-les-Bains, Brides-les-Bains, Divonne-les-Bains) • 40% of the national hydro-electric energy production

9. CITIES LYON classified as World Heritage by the UNESCO Silk (canuts) and gastronomy (bouchons lyonnais) ANNECY cruise on the lake at the foot of the Aravis range GRENOBLE Olympic town Bastille Fort Nanotechnology centre

10. Wine seminars in Beaujolais or Drôme Provençale Golf resorts (Evian, Divonne, Le Gouverneur…) Gala dinners in a chateau or another outstanding venue Outdoor and sporting incentive trips, multi activities treks… GREEN

11. NEWS • Lyon Convention Centre : new 3.200-seat arena • Lyon Eurexpo : extra 16.000 m² for exhibitions • Re opening of Aix-les-Bains congress centre • New Hilton Evian Resort & Spa : The first resort by Hilton in France Concorde Hotel at the Cité Internationale in Lyon, a new 4-star hotel in the heart of Annecy, extension of the convention centre in Saint-Etienne…

12. HIGHLIGHTS • Worldwide exhibitions : Biovision, Pollutec, Lyon Mode City… • International summits : G7, G8… • Sport events and championships : Winter Olympic Games (Albertville 1992), Golf Evian Masters, Rugby World Cup 2007,Ski World Championships in Val d’Isère 2009… • Festivals and art/cultural events : Nuits de Fourvière, Festival du Film International d’Annecy, Jazz à Vienne… • Medical congresses and international scientists’ conferences

13. More :www.rhonealpes-tourisme.com