Recap of European Regional Meeting, February 2023

The first WTCA European Regional Meeting of 2023 was hosted by WTC Marseille Provence in early February, reuniting 31 individuals  representing 24 WTCA Members across Europe. Our program combined business with pleasure, including work ing sessions on TradeTech , Real Estate, Sustainability, collaboration between Members, WTCA updates and a focus on Africa with our upcoming General Assembly (GA) to be hosted by WTC Accra.   

WTC Marseille Provence is an important player in the event organization market locally. Their portfolio is comprised of more than 700 events per year and our delegation of WTCA Members can testify to the impeccable set-up and very fine range of professional and touristic activities within their portfolio . We were lucky enough to discover their installations on the 29 th and 30 th floors of the Tour La Marseillaise, with astonishing 360 ° views over Marseille and the Mediterranean.   

On the first day of the meeting , we discussed opportunities in trade and investment in the 2 nd largest French city. Emmanuelle Butaud from ICC France updated our Members on TradeTech – following up with a conversation on Trends in International Trade on the second day. We examined the future of real estate and how the pandemic has affected the way we work, live and shop, as well as the impact of PropTech on property management. We then focused on Africa with an interesting conversation with Africalink, an association of entrepreneurs from Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe, followed by a discussion on bringing delegations to the upcoming GA. Our last sessions were led by Mariette Mulaire , Ex-Officio Director & Board Managing Director, providing the audience with an update from the a dhoc WTCA PR Committee ; and our WTCA Members presenting their (sometimes joint) initiatives to their fellow Members.   

In the evening, we discovered another location managed by WTC Marseille Provence, a few steps away from their central location - the Palais de la Bourse. This marvelous edifice from the Second Empire was hosting an exhibition on the Sixteenth Chapelle (another source of revenue on the WTC Marseille Provence business model) . We began the evening with a networking cocktail reception with members of WTC Marseille Provence’s Business Club , and then enjoyed o ur gala dinner with pétanque tournament !     

On the second day of the meeting , we received an update from the WTCA Headquarters , as well as the MACs, ERAC and regional teams. After a discussion on trends in international trade – and what it meant for the WTCA Members in terms of opportunities – we focused on sustainability. The core topic was blue economy with a presentation of the Port of Marseille Fos, followed by initiatives from WTC Ballerup with the UN Global Compact, WTC Dresden with the UN University, and WTC Marseille Provence on their CSR strategy.  

After our networking lunch, we boarded the Petit Train that took us through Marseille and its wonderful views over the Mediterranean to the Cosquer Cave. The replica of the Cosquer Cave in the Villa Méditerranée in Marseille opened less than a year ago, revealing secrets hidden for 30,000 years at a depth of 37 meters beneath the sea. The story is told on three floors with an ‘underwater’ replica of the prehistoric cave, which can be explored on board exploratory vehicles. The luckiest of us then walked up to Notre-Dame de la Garde to watch the sunset over the Frioul Island.  

WTC Marseille Provence gained the added value of showing its Business Club members how the WTC location is connected to business opportunities across the region and the attendees from the fellow European Members benefited from many intraregional networking opportunities that shortly resulted in concrete businesses.  

In response to the tragic news coming out of Türkiye and Syria about the recent catastrophic earthquake damage, the attendees immediately started pooling together resources to help with these tragic events.  

Finally , in the context of ecological transition, our host committed to make the ERM the most environmentally neutral event possible. We used paper cups and walked or  used public transportation to reach all event venues.  

Our sincerest thanks to the team at WTC Marseille Provence for hosting our first ERM of 2023 and for making this an unforgettable experience for WTCA Members.  

We hope to further elaborate on these topics in the coming months and years, strengthening our Association and the World Trade Center brand in Europe and globally.  

If you have ideas and suggestions for future WTCA European events, please reach out to Danica ( milovanovic.IC@wtca.org ) and Anaïs ( AJan@wtca.org ). Likewise, if you are a WTCA Member located in Europe and are interested in hosting a future ERM, please contact  Anaïs or Danica.