La vie en rose: the welcome return of the FIDI Conference, Cannes

If ever you wanted to let your inner Brigitte Bardot or Jean-Paul Belmondo (or Eva Green and Omar Sy for more contemporary references) shine in style, then now is your opportunity: bienvenue à Cannes, the glitzy Cité des Festivals!

After two long and lonely years of Zoom meetings and online events, we are thrilled to welcome our FIDI family back in person, for what promises to be an unforgettable conference. Just imagine the scene: as you walk down the Promenade de la Croisette, with the Mediterranean Sea to one side and the warm sun overhead, you turn to step into the famous Hôtel Martinez. Prepare your best smile: lights, camera, and action!

Setting the scene

The Hôtel Martinez is one of the most famous hotels in Cannes, and it would be no surprise if you spot
a famous actor or two, hiding behind their
oversized sunglasses. Built in the art déco style and officially opened in 1929, the hotel quickly became a favourite holiday spot for European royalty and international movie stars. It underwent important refurbishments over the past two years, with the ballroom and many rooms opening to clients for the first time in April 2022. The Hôtel Martinez is also one of a very few in Cannes with a private beach right in front of its doors.

The hotel is very conveniently situated on the famous Promenade de la Croisette, the 2km waterfront avenue that stretches along the Cannes coastline; many high-end luxury shops and restaurants line the road.

The Hôtel Martinez faces the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Cannes and the Lérins Islands. The Palais des Festivals (where the FIDI 39 Club party will take place) is just 500 metres away.

How to get there

• The Nice-Côte d’Azur International Airport is 45 minutes away by car. A taxi ride will cost you approximately €80.
• Cannes train station is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Cannes airport is a 45-minute train ride from the station.

If it is the famous French culinary specialities that make your heart (and mouth) flutter with excitement, then the Marché Forville will take you to foodie heaven. Open every morning except Mondays, you can taste local specialities on the go, like the beignets de fleurs de courgettes (fried courgette flowers), a pissaladière (caramalised onion and anchovy flatbread) or a sweet calisson, a traditional French candy. If you would rather sit down to have a proper traditional meal while watching the locals go about their daily business, head over to one of the many small family-run cafés and restaurants in Le Suquet, the historic old town of Cannes. The quaint streets lend themselves beautifully for a relaxed post-lunch stroll, with spectacular views of the Bay of Cannes and the old port. The pastel-coloured buildings and narrow cobbled streets will give you an idea of what life in Cannes was like in the 18th century, before its age of luxurious glory.

Cannes is only one of the many jewels of the French Riviera and the Provence region. A day trip along the breathtaking coastline will take you to famous seaside towns like Antibes and Saint Tropez, whose beauty has been featured in many famous movies.

For the sailors at heart, a short boat trip will take you to the Island of Sainte Marguerite, where the Man in the Iron Mask was held captive by Louis XIV.

I also strongly encourage you to take the time to discover the inland beauty spots, like the Estérel mountains and, a bit further inland, the Gorges du Verdun. You will find yourself driving down winding roads immersed in dramatic green valleys and mountains, with rolling lavender fields and vineyards at every corner, offering you the opportunity to taste the best wines of the world (yes, I stand by that!).

As part of the FIDI Conference programme, you have the possibility of booking different half-day tours that cater to everybody’s tastes (see details on p48).

Networking FIDI style

The FIDI networking-focused philosophy has always been special. We believe in building deep, meaningful relationships that will last a lifetime. This is what has made the FIDI community so strong since 1950 – the sense of being part of a global family.

The FIDI Conference is the highlight event in our association’s calendar – here are some tips for making the most of it:

• Lifelong relations are based on shared memories and unforgettable experiences – so make sure to allow time to create these memories together. Take advantage of the many networking events and social occasions to really make connections with your colleagues from all over the world. The FIDI Conference is where the FIDI family comes to life.
• The social evenings (such as the welcome reception, the FIDI France evening, the FIDI 39 Club party and the unmissable gala dinner and after-party) and the sightseeing tours are the perfect occasion to make friends and create unforgettable experiences with your colleagues.
• Avoid scheduling short business meetings one after the other during the conference days.
  If you need to, allow some time just before or after the conference days for pure business-focused meetings, or share your (digital) business card and contact details with your fellow participants and take time to follow up with them after the event.
• Don’t miss out on the business sessions that are an integral part of the FIDI Conference programme. You will learn from your peers and external stakeholders what is happening in the industry and how to make the best of current and future challenges. You might also find like-minded colleagues on very specific topics that you feel strongly about, opening up new possibilities that you had not even dreamed about.
• Make use of the FIDI Conference App to make meaningful contacts with your fellow attendees. We ask you to avoid randomly spamming them with meaningless messages – because you might achieve the opposite of what you were aiming for. Both your time and theirs is valuable, so make each message count.

Let the young generation show you how it’s done

The FIDI 39 Club gives a voice to the younger generation of the FIDI community, allowing the under-40s to network with their peers, learn from each other’s experience, and set the agenda for the future of our industry.

As in previous years, the FIDI 39 Club organises a series of events and activities for its members, some exclusive – such as the FIDI 39 Club conference, which takes place on Sunday and is mandatory for all members – and some open to all conference attendees.

Here are some of the highlights of the club’s activities:

• The FIDI 39 Club continues its tradition of having fun with a purpose and invites you to join them on Saturday for a fun beach clean-up competition.
• On Saturday evening, the FIDI 39 Club board invites you to an apéro (evening drinks with
  light finger food) and wine tasting; the perfect way to warm up for the famous FIDI Party hosted by the FIDI 39 Club
• The best party of the Conference – hands down – is the FIDI Party hosted by the FIDI 39 Club and open to all. And this one will beat them all: come dance the night away under the stars, on the top of the famous Palais des Festivals, where the Cannes film festival takes place!

All details of the FIDI 39 Club activities can be found on the FIDI Conference website.

Sporting activities to keep you fit

To help you work off the many aperitifs and social dinners, the Conference programme has different sporting activities lined up, such as the traditional golf tournament (sponsored by Shyft), the Gerson Relocation fun run and walk (sponsored by Gerson Relocation) and yoga on the beach.

It’s not all fun and games – learn about industry trends and how to prepare for the future

As the 2021/22 FIDI State of the Industry report shows (see pages 42-43), the industry is changing at lightning speed, with many (expected and unexpected) forces affecting the way movers go about their business. If you want to survive and thrive in the international moving and relocation world, you need to understand what is happening and how to make the best out of it. With this in mind, we have prepared a series of debates and panel conversation with industry leaders, as well as hands-on workshops. These include:

• Panel discussion: Leading change: how to prepare your team and business for change
• Panel discussion: How to navigate diversity and parity in a global industry
• Workshop by EY: Cyber Security Management; risks and the relation towards the new FAIM 2022 Quality Standard
• Workshop: How to start your sustainability roadmap
• Workshop by the FAIM Coordination Centre: An introduction to the new FAIM Quality Standard: FAIM 2022
• Workshop by TriGlobal: Understanding the Online Customer Journey and how to reach your clients online
• Workshop: RMC, Client and Supplier Relationship: how can we create an efficient and fair dialogue?

You can find all the details about the sessions on the FIDI Conference website.

All business sessions are free of charge; the workshops have a limited number of participants thus pre-registration is required.

We can’t wait to make memories with old and new friends

As part of the preparations for FIDI’s 70th anniversary (which we were planning to celebrate in Osaka in 2020), we filmed a celebration video, asking you what you liked most about the FIDI conferences, and what made you come year on year.

The one overwhelming response was: the people. The FIDI Conference is not ‘just another business event’ – it’s the celebration of a family that spans continents and generations; a community that supports each other in difficult times and celebrates happy moments together.

So, let’s make the 2022 FIDI Conference in Cannes a celebration of how far we have come, of how strong and resilient we are as a group, and of the exciting opportunities that lie ahead of us.

A très bientôt, les amis! 

You can find all the details about the 2022 FIDI Conference venue, programme and registration on the FIDI Conference website at www.fidiconference.org For any questions, please contact the FIDI Events team at admin@fidievents.org

COVID-19 and the FIDI Conference

At the time of going to press, the French authorities were looking into relaxing the travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FIDI office and events team is closely monitoring the situation and will inform all attendees of any changes to travel restrictions to France in the weeks leading up to the FIDI Conference.

A dedicated page on the FIDI Conference website is also regularly updated on the applicable measures, with helpful links to external pages.

At the conference venue, we will take all necessary measures to safeguard our participants’ safety and wellbeing. A professional nurse will be running a medical station on site at the hotel for the duration of the conference, where all attendees can take COVID self-tests free of charge.

The nurse will also be able to do an official PCR test on site. Disposable facemasks and liquid sanitising gel will be available at the hotel.

We will also hand out colour-coded wristbands to help you indicate how comfortable you are with social interaction (green: I don’t mind a friendly hug; yellow: I feel comfortable with limited social interaction, like a handshake; red: I would rather not be touched but am happy to talk to you from a safe distance).

Discover Cannes and its surroundings – FIDI Conference tours

Tour4All

Date: Tuesday 12 April; departure from the hotel at 2pm

Free of charge for all conference attendees

We are bringing back an old FIDI conference tradition: the ‘tour for all’, one big networking tour open to all registered conference attendees free of charge.

We have made sure not to schedule any other conference activity on Tuesday afternoon, allowing everybody to join in on the fun.

We will all take a boat for a short transfer to the Sainte Marguerite Island, off the Cannes coast.

Here you will get the chance to visit the Royal Fort Museum and the cell where the famous Man in the Iron Mask was held by the French king Louis XIV in the 17th century.

You will be invited to try your hand at the game of pétanque, a favourite French ‘sport’ and enjoy an aperitif (sunset drink) before heading back to the hotel.

Bicycle tour to Estérel Mountains

The Estérel Mountains are a great area for biking, with spectacular views over the Mediterranean.

After a short briefing, each participant will receive a bike according to his/her measurements, gloves, helmet, a rucksack with a windbreaker and a cereal bar. Participants will be accompanied by a qualified guide.

Guided walking tour of Cannes

Discover Cannes in a leisurely two-hour guided walking tour of the centre. Starting from the Hôtel Martinez, along the Promenade de la Croisette and its elegant shops, you will head towards the old quarter, known as Le Suquet, the original Provençal village perched on a hill overlooking modern Cannes. Back to the hotel, your guide will make sure to show you the different shopping streets, which you can explore on your own at your leisure.

Guided tour of Saint-Paul-de-Vence and wine tasting

The village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence dominates a dramatic rocky outcrop and is certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. Led by our experienced guides, guests will have the opportunity to walk around the narrow and picturesque streets of the village. You will visit some of the artists’ and craft workshops and go shopping in the traditional boutiques. In the heart of the village, a wine cellar from the 14th century will welcome you for a private wine tasting.

Guided tour of Antibes with Absinthe tasting

Antibes is one of France’s most ancient towns. The old city, overlooking the Mediterranean, is still surrounded by massive ramparts from the 16th century. The guided walking tour of the Old Antibes will take you through the many small streets with Roman and medieval features and to the traditional Provençal market. You will also see the Port Vauban, Europe’s largest yacht harbour, where the billionaires’ super yachts are anchored.

Near the market, the basement of a shop houses an absinthe bar that is unique in Europe. In the charming setting of a vaulted cellar, you will taste this historic drink, once a muse for artists.

Perfume creation workshop in Grasse

The small town of Grasse is still considered by many as the world’s capital of the perfume industry. In this half-day tour, you will visit the house of Fragonard, an old perfume factory established in Grasse in 1926. 

An unforgettable learning experience in the world of perfume-making awaits. You will discover how a perfumer or a ‘nose’ masters the art of fragrance creation; you will see which raw materials are used and how they are extracted.

By the end of the workshop and with the help of a professional perfumer, you will compose your own eau de toilette.

All optional half-day tours (except the Tour4All) will take place on Sunday 10 April and Wednesday 13 April in the afternoon. Exact departure time, duration and price can be found on the FIDI Conference website.

Numbers of participants are limited, so do not delay to register.

Minimum numbers apply to all tours. If minimum numbers are not reached, FIDI reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the tour. If this is necessary, refunds will be processed.

The FIDI Conference: a sustainability pledge

We are all responsible for creating a more sustainable future.

As part of FIDI’s commitment towards greater environmental sustainability, we commit to making the 2022 FIDI Conference as environmentally sustainable as we can. 

To achieve this, we are working closely with our partners to plan the 2022 FIDI Conference, which will – wherever possible – reflect green event best practices. We also ask you to commit to following best practices during the event.

Below you can find some of the key actions we are planning to implement: 

Carbon footprint offset 

‘Carbon offsetting’ allows individuals and organisations to compensate for CO₂ emissions by supporting verified projects that reduce emissions somewhere else.

To compensate part of our FIDI Conference’s carbon footprint, we offer the possibility for each attendee to purchase a €10 ‘sustainability ticket’. FIDI will match each voluntary contribution (i.e. FIDI will pay an extra €10 for each ‘sustainability ticket’ purchased). The collected funds will go to a project from the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform.

Hotel

The 2022 FIDI Conference is taking place at the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes. We are working together with the hotel team to achieve specific environmental objectives for our conference, for example:

• The hotel will promote vegetarian, local and seasonal catering options in their menus.
• The hotel tries to minimise single-use plastic items. For example, hotel key cards are biodegradable; only metal straws are used in the hotel; laundry bags are made of fabric; and so on. 
• The hotel provides waste recycling bins throughout its venue for easy recycling and has recycling facilities on-site.

The Hôtel Martinez is part of the Hyatt group. On its ‘World of Care’ page, you can find the group’s sustainability commitments and policies.

2022 FIDI Conference on-site promotion and information material

• Where possible, we will use paperless technology and avoid paper printouts. The 2022 FIDI Conference programme, attendees list, and so on will be exclusively available online via the 2022 FIDI Conference app and website.
• We will try to source the most environmentally respectful option for any printed material and assets.
• We encourage our sponsors to distribute their promotional material in a paperless manner and/or on recycled paper where possible.
• Where possible, we will reuse assets from previous conferences, such as roll-ups, lanyards and brochures.
• We have decided not to hand out conference bags to attendees at the 2022 FIDI Conference, but will provide a reusable water bottle, which we encourage you to use throughout the event. Water stations will be set up throughout the hotel for this purpose.  
• Our attendee badges will be printed on biodegradable, recycled material.

What can you do as a Conference Delegate to help reduce the environmental impact of the event? 

• Try to find the most efficient transport option to the conference location, and when possible, walk or use public transport during the 2022 FIDI Conference
• Participate in the 2022 FIDI Conference carbon offsetting project by purchasing the voluntary ‘sustainability ticket’ for €10 per attendee. FIDI will match each voluntary contribution.
• Where possible, avoid using printed promotional material, business cards or plastic gifts for your fellow attendees – try finding digital or environmentally friendly alternatives.
• During your stay at the hotel, follow basic environmentally conscious best practices: reuse your towels, for example, and decline housekeeping for the duration of your stay; avoid wasting water unnecessarily; switch off the air-conditioning (and the lights) when you leave your room; where possible, choose the vegetarian option on the menu; and so on.
• Where possible, avoid using plastic bottles or single-use plastic cups or containers.
• Use the waste recycling bins diligently (and don’t be shy to ask for help – recycling rules are very different from one country to another).

If you – as an individual or in your company – follow specific or innovative environmental best practices, share them with us and your fellow attendees. Lead by example and share your experience.

If during the 2022 FIDI Conference you notice something that we could do better or if you have ideas on how we could improve our event’s environmental impact, please let us know at:
admin@fidievents.org

We are only at the start of our journey to reduce the FIDI Conference’s environmental impact. We will make mistakes along the way – but we promise to try our best. Please help us to make our conference a truly environmentally responsible event. By making small changes and taking responsibility for our actions together, we can make a significant impact.