2017 French Trade Shows and Events

Selective list of 2017 trade shows and events in Paris, Bordeaux and Lille.

20-21 January

Salon du Travail et Mobilité Professionnelle
Careers Fair for job seekers, training advice, aspiring entrepreneurs and expats

Grande Halle de la Villette

Paris

15-16 March
Enova Strasbourg
Parc Expo -Wacken - Hall 7.1
Strasbourg 
France

21-23 March

SIFER 2017

Railway technology and services

Lille Grand Palais

Lille

France

24-27 March

Salon du Livre

Paris Book Fair

Porte de Versailles

Paris

14-17 June

Fête le Vin

Bordeaux Wine Festival

Bordeaux

19-25 June

Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace

Paris Le Bourget

25-26 June

ICBB 2017

19^th International Conference on Biometrics and Biostatistics

Holiday Inn Paris Montparnasse

Paris

NB: Inclusion on the list does not constitute endorsement of any trade show, event or third party. This list is for information purposes only and all details should be checked on the organisers' websites, as they may be subject to change.
  

The Three Musketeers

Un pour tous, tous pour un ! One for all and all for one!

Dome of the Palais des Sports, Paris

The refrain from Les Trois Mousquetaires or The Three Musketeers is as familiar in English as in French. The historical adventure story by Alexandre Dumas remains popular to this day. It has seen countless film productions. 

I welcomed the opportunity to see the latest musical production in French at the Palais des Sports in Paris.

The role of D’Artagnan was played by the decidedly dishy French-Canadian Olivier Dion. However, as befits the famous togetherness motto, he was not the only star in the show. All the leading roles showed star quality. The show plays to the strengths of each cast member. The songs are catchy. Voices are strong. The staging is stunning. The choreography and dancing are superb.

The young, hot-headed D’Artagnan heads for Paris to seek his fortune. His long journey is portrayed in an unsophisticated way. It provides an amusing contrast of his regional origins with the capital ahead and the otherwise highly modern production. Barely has D’Artagnan arrived than he finds himself called to duels by all 3 of the famed musketeers. We know the story in advance. Yet, the pace and acting still deliver the humour as if totally fresh to the audience.

The '4' Musketeers poster on the roof of the Palais des Sports

The production provides each star with a chance to shine. It is difficult to select all my favourite moments without spoiling all the surprises. Nonetheless, some moments stand out in my memory weeks later. The production of the evil Milady’s main scene is outstanding. The technology and fire combine to convey a very hot, menacing scene. Her cunning pursuit of the musketeers is as portrayed with simplicity and pace.

Although we know the story in advance, the actors keep us guessing until the last minute. Will the diamond necklace be returned from England in time? We still half expect another twist in the plot, as Richelieu waits ready to pounce on a hapless queen. Victoria enters the stage. She owns the stage as the triumphant, dazzling Queen of France. Her dress shimmers, her crown catches the light and the troublesome diamonds sparkle victory at her throat.

As the story is so familiar, it might even be possible to enjoy the production even if you don’t speak French. Les 3 Mousquetaires is a must-see spectacle. The whole cast received a lengthy and well-deserved standing ovation.

Les 3 Mousquetaires remains in Paris until 8th January 2017. It will then go on tour around France in 2017 – starting in Rouen in early February and currently finishing in Nice in July. I’m sorely tempted to see it again. 

This spectacle impresses and uplifts. A treat to celebrate a special occasion. With the right backing and a professional English translation for the script and lyrics, I believe that this musicial theatre production has potential for a successful international transfer. West End and Broadway next stops?

Showcase video:

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator/transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in marketing and project management.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English

Entrepreneurs at the French Chamber

Anglicity was delighted to attend its first meeting as an Active Member of the French Chamber of Great Britain. This first session was entitled: ‘From Scratch to Success: Business Stories’. President Estelle Brachlianoff introduced the panel of 3 visionary entrepreneurs and chair Eric Albert, City Correspondent for Le Monde. It was an inspirational evening providing welcome respite from Brexit discussions and uncertainty. It proved that you can succeed no matter what the odds.

The French Chamber's panel of entrepreneurs at the French Institute

Alain Afflelou

Alain Afflelou is one of the best-known entrepreneurs in France. He is a trained optician with a good eye for business. His name is closely tied to the French optician chain that he founded and now runs as CEO. He is the face and brand in his company’s advertising.

Alain’s description of his faltering beginning was highly entertaining. An initial refusal from the bank to finance his optician business did not stop him. The cheeky 20-year-old complained that they were ruining the dreams of two people – his and the man who wanted to retire. He ended up with a larger bank loan than his initial approach and bought the building.

That first shop was in Bordeaux. Other trained opticians might have been content to just run that one business in Bordeaux. His drive had its roots in his arrival from Algeria as a teenager. He went on to take over the franchises of Carrefour’s opticians. He made his takeover seem a funny tale of envelopes. He didn’t speak Spanish, but he didn’t let that hinder his expansion into Spain later either.

It rapidly became apparent that here before us was a shrewd operator. Alain recognises opportunities, drives a good deal and is an instinctive salesman.

Jean-François Cécillon

Jean-François Cécillon talked us through the highs and lows of his career. He relocated to London at a time when it was not so commonplace for a Frenchman to live and work out of London. He tagged along socially too with his British colleagues as their token ‘Frog’. The move did not make sense to his colleagues back in Paris. Jean-Francois relished the chance to travel the world. He showed us a video of all the stars that he worked with during his career at EMI. He made things happen, managed creative egos and used his gut instinct tellingly.

The most memorable moment was his description of a shirtless 20-year-old standing on his low coffee table, reciting some words. That young man was Robbie Williams. Those lyrics became the hit Angels. The rest is history.

Jean-François’ career at EMI became history too. He was not downed for long. Too young to retire, he has proudly fought his way back.

Ning Li

At 32 Ning Li was the youngest entrepreneur present. His tale was no less extraordinary - if not more so. He arrived in France for his education at the age of 16 from China. His parents could have done their homework better. He didn’t speak a word of French. He set about the task by learning the dictionary from cover to cover - page by page.

In order to help his parents out financially, he decided to look for a job. Where can a Chinese boy with little spoken French get a job? He headed for Chinatown and struck lucky. He found a family of Chinese immigrants with a bakery from his home region. As well as passing his BAC (just, so he says), he became a trained baker by working in all his holidays and spare time.

Ning could have settled for the safe career that his French higher education often provides. His admiration for that immigrant family pushed him towards life as an entrepreneur. The desire to buy an expensive sofa resulted in him co-founding his online furniture business Made.com.

There were mistakes along the way – such as using nude women to sell furniture to a largely female target audience. He admits the mistake. Yet, sometimes bad press gives you a higher profile than you could otherwise achieve. The resourceful Ning now gets customers to volunteer their homes as his showrooms.

Three very different men. Three different career paths. All three inspirational.

The above event was the third in the series that form part of the French Chamber of Great Britain’s drive to recruit more SMEs. At the end Managing Director, Florence Gomez announced a special publication is planned in response to Brexit.

Photo credits (except 2nd photo from top): Joana Saramago and with kind permission of the French Chamber of Great Britian

COP21: World's Last Chance

"We are counting on you!" so said the children in a video clip shown at the Élysée Palace. France staged its COP21 launch in Paris today. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Paris from 30 November to 11 December. The COP21 conference is the world's last chance to save the planet.

There was no mincing of words in Paris this morning. No more disputing whether climate change is happening. No more quibbling over how many degrees are necessary to stabilise the planet.

The world must act.

180 nations must commit and act cooperatively together. No more "we'll start next year". "Later" will be too late. Failure cannot be on the COP21 agenda.

COP21 is not about saving pretty little butterflies. It is not about saving cute animals. It is about saving mankind.

Our children will hate us for failure. Our descendants would hate us for all eternity... except if COP21 fails they won't be around to hate us.

The key to success at COP21 is telling the truth about climate change. The refugee crisis has given us a mere taster of the human agony of mass migration.

Climate change will hit the weakest nations the hardest... those with the weakest voice at the negotiating table. It calls on the more powerful nations to be magnanimous. The key word of COP21 must be "solidarity".

Short-term, blinkered, self-interested deals will ultimately rebound. They will condemn us all to share the same dire fate.

All eyes will be on Paris for two weeks in this massive conference at Le Bourget. The French are keen to set the world an example. The conference itself is to be a massive exercise in sustainability. All participants will be invited to use public transport to keep the conference's carbon footprint as low as possible. French gastronomy will be on offer with a keen eye on reducing food waste.

Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, will host 1,000 world mayors. They will seek not only to share local ideas but ways to act together. Their plans and actions should help us to understand what this global conference will mean for us on a more local level.

The most striking comment quoted at the launch came from a Moroccan woman: 

"You are going to decide who will live or die..."

 

If world leaders take short-cuts for short-term popularity at COP21, the consequences will be enormous. They should bear in mind that they will effectively be signing a greater number of death warrants. Every now and again, they should check their consciences by looking at the young conference helpers around them.

There are tough choices ahead - choices many ordinary citizens couldn't bear to contemplate. We have to place our trust in our leaders to become the statesmen demanded by our planet's crisis.

We'll be watching and counting on them.

Paris Peace Monument

 

Mur de la Paix in Paris

There is a peace monument near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Mur de la Paix (Wall for Peace) was built as a temporary structure in 2000. Like its more elderly "temporary" neighbour from 1889, it remains. It bears the word "Peace" in 32 languages and 13 alphabets. It was inspired by Jerusalem's Wailing Wall.

Eiffel Tower,  its "temporary" neighbour

The Peace Monument's location on the Champs de Mars is considered controversial. It has associations with war. Yet the chosen position is backed by French custom. Personally, I think it makes a timely reminder in troubled times. Paris seemed very nervous when I visited in March. Security was high after January's Charlie Hebdo attack and the Tunisian Museum attack during my stay.

Sadly, the peace monument was fenced off. Accès interdit (Entry forbidden). This seems an apt metaphor for peace in much of the world. Peace is fenced off - out of reach.

Sign forbidding entry to the peace monument

I walked away from the monument. I found myself at the gates of the Military School nearby, just as the young soldiers were emerging on Friday evening. Their girlfriends, friends and family had been eagerly awaiting them there for the weekend. I hope that those young French soldiers, and others like them, will always return to their loved ones with smiles and laughter.

On this Easter weekend there seems to be more hope for peace. An agreement was reached with Iran over its nuclear programme this week.

The Red Cross has been very actively involved in helping ordinary people caught up in crisis this week. It helps people in conflict and disaster zones whatever their religion. It is the world's largest humanitarian organisation. It operates as the Red Crescent in Muslim countries and is known as the Croix Rouge in French-speaking countries. The Red Cross responded to the fight against Ebola in Africa. It also helps with crises closer to home. My son James and I will be doing a sponsored walk over London's Bridges in May. Your support would be greatly appreciated however large or small via our Virgin Money Giving page.

Karen Andrews (Netto) runs Anglicity Ltd. She is an entrepreneurial French to English translator, editor, content writer and marketing consultant. 

Contact: karen@anglicity.com for further information on Anglicity's services.

On Round Tables

Round table artwork in modern art gallery at Beaubourg

A wall of neon signs flash "open" in numerous languages as you enter the main modern art gallery at the Centre Georges Pompidou. There is a large, round wooden table just inside the entrance. Round tables hold an important place in open negotiations and in international peace.

Neon "open" signs in different languages at gallery entrance

Furniture as artwork

The unusual table drew this carpenter's daughter in for a closer look. Furniture presented as artwork is perhaps more unexpected to others. The round table concept is also very familiar to me. I grew up near Glastonbury in Somerset. Glastonbury is reputed to be King Arthur's legendary Avalon. The idea of a round table is that it can have no head. There is a no preferential seating order, because there is no head of the table to sit near. Everyone seated at a round table is considered an equal.

Round table trend

I have attended a number of events using the round table format during the past year. The Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) used it at the London Language Show in late 2014. The same format was used successfully by UKTI at their recent Big Data event in Paris. It was also used at the FinTech Assembly in London in late February 2015.

Advantages

The advantage of the round table approach is that everyone gets an opportunity to speak. Less confident participants can feel more comfortable to speak in the more informal setting. You are also more likely to identify the right potential partners for your business. The approach lends itself to better networking and after event follow-ups.

Round table artwork

The table in the modern art gallery is elevated from the floor. Maybe this signifies that it is intended for those in elevated positions? There are words carved into table's centre. With my feet firmly on the floor as an ordinary citizen, I couldn't get the necessary height to read them. It seemed odd that the chairs were embedded in the table. I couldn't find any explanation of the piece. Nor could I find details on its maker. I noticed that the chairs at the table were not all the same. Not equal. Some were larger and stronger than others. Some seemed slightly crooked. One looked as if it might crack under any weight.

Equal?

Even if seated at a round table, all parties in a negotiation are rarely equal. In international negotiations, the more dominant personalities and stronger nations should allow alternative views to be heard.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant. 

Contact: karen@anglicity.com 
for further information 
on Anglicity's services.

 

At the Centre Georges Pompidou

Inside the Centre Georges Pompidou

"Where on earth?" That was my thought when I visited the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris for the first time. I had never seen anything like such architecture before. I still remember how the external pipework and escalators fascinated me as a young teenager.

When I revisited on 21st March, the enormous building still looked very innovative. Its visitor numbers and the very long ticket queues suggest that Beaubourg has retained its power of innovation and popularity.  The contents on the inside took me by surprise this time. 

Jeff Koons' Magenta Balloon Dog

Jeff Koons

I visited the modern art collection of the American Jeff Koons. Although much of it was pleasing to the eye, I am afraid that I found the majority somewhat shallow. I didn't really know what to make of the brightly-coloured and overgrown balloon sculptures. The Incredible Hulk, Popeye, a huge red lobster, etc all left me cold. 

Jeff Koons' exhibition at Centre Georges Pompidou

It all seemed too superficial to me. The explanatory blurbs generally seemed too contrived for my taste. Maybe they was some criticism of the modern commercial world and its fascination with how things look? The gold figures of Michael Jackson and his pet monkey might confirm this.

Hervé Télémaque

I much preferred the artworks in other galleries. For example, the ones that offered some historical comment or reflection on the current state of the world - e.g. racism depicted in the work of French Haitian-born artist Hervé Télémaque. 

Artist as archivist

There was a simple mound of white square blocks in one room. Some bore Arabic script. Some in Latin Script bore simple historical date information. I understood this to be a pile of grievances built up over centuries in the Middle East. The blocks could topple over at any time.

In the corridor outside were the two large works that had the greatest effect upon me. One was a painting. The faces seemed Far Eastern in origin. All were crying out looking at the sky. The colours were very bold - yellow, orange and red. What imminent disaster could they see in the sky? Global warming? A nuclear explosion? Armageddon of some sort? 

On the opposite side, there were shelves full of world globes. Each globe looked very swollen as if nursing large wounds. The wounds were taped over. Over and over again. Pinned to the shelves were pictures of major incidents. They looked Middle Eastern in origin - the scars and after-effects of fires and bombed-out buses. 

The American artist's balloons seem all the more superficial and detached from real life.

 

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

marketing consultant

with project management, 

technical writing and

translation skills.

Please do not hesitate to contact Karen for further information on Anglicity's services karen@anglicity.com

Spring Air in Paris

Spring colour in the Marché aux Fleurs, Place Louis Lépine

The third day of my recent Paris trip was officially the first day of Spring. The Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market) in Place Louis Lépine was filled with spring colour and greenery. Paris will be hosting COP21 in the battle against climate change in 2015. Air quality was poor during my stay. French TV claimed it was worse than Shanghai.

On my first morning, the Eiffel Tower was obscured by mist and murk. At the weekend, travelling by Metro was free to encourage Parisians to use public transport instead of their cars.

Paris owes much to Baron Haussmann for its wide, "airy" streets. British cities simply cannot replicate his urban planning . Today, such an autocratic approach will not be tolerated. British cities also have much heritage to preserve and cannot emulate Paris despite inner-city congestion problems.

Boulevard Haussmann in Paris

The Recession seems to have left Paris with a backlog of maintenance repairs, but the solid infrastructure must leave many cities envious. Wherever I went, traffic seemed to move without too much difficulty - even during the rush hour. Accustomed to London congestion, I kept allowing too much time to get from A to B.  I couldn't help wondering if the wide streets were such a blessing if they made Parisians more inclined to drive into the capital.

I was very surprised by reports on French TV. Despite regulation, the French still smoke heavily in public places - and, French women are more likely to continue smoking in pregnancy. I have always understood the French to be very health-conscious.

I saw evidence of eco-friendly initiatives. Paris has its equivalent of London's "Boris bikes". I saw row upon row of them - all largely unused. Maybe because of the high pollution rates during my stay? I also saw electric cars being charged in the streets. Again, I was disappointed not to see one in use. 

Autolib' electric car sharing scheme in Paris

At the Centre Georges Pompidou, I saw an artwork by the British-born and New Zealand-based David Trubridge. It was an orange sphere representing the sun with white wings to either side. Trubridge used natural, sustainable and recyclable materials.

The work hangs above visitors' heads as a poetic reminder of the dangers of climate change. David Trubridge was inspired by both Maori legend and Greek myth. Like Icarus, Man is flying too close to the Sun. It seems an appropriate warning in the host city for COP21 - especially just after the solar eclipse.

If you would appreciate help with your technical marketing communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

technical writer and 

translator with over

15 years' marketing

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy and

content marketing with a 

particular focus on innovation

and the environment.

Sales at the French CNET Conference

Eiffel Tower stands tall in March sunshine

Following UKTI's embassy event on Big Data, I remained in Paris for the French association of translation companies' annual conference. CNET (Chambre Nationale des Entreprises de Traduction) held the event in a five-star hotel near the Eiffel Tower. The conference title was Vendre Plus, Vendre Mieux (Sell More, Sell Better).

 
CNET's President, Pierre Bastos, opened the conference. Some faces were familiar from previous ATC and EUATC conferences. Participants had travelled from as far as Israel, Greece, Estonia and Finland. Most were French, with a fair number from Lyon as well as Paris.

EUATC

Pierre then handed over to Catherine Granell, CNET's General Secretary. She gave a presentation on the EUATC's forthcoming conference in Lisbon on 23-24 April. She stressed the value of networking with other European translation companies. She expressed her concern at how poorly France is represented at such international events each year. In 2014, just 4 French companies attended the EUATC conference, despite the fact that it took place in Juan-les-Pins, France. Over lunch later, a number of French participants said that they were considering attending the ELIA (European Language Association) conference from 16-18 April in Lyon.

Sales

There followed an excellent presentation on sales by Dominique Zouzou. Dominique is an experienced Sales and Marketing Director for major international companies. His presentation was well-supported with data and graphics. He demonstrated the change in sales approach required by today's clients. I was fascinated to hear confirmation that the marketer's task has increased, while the sales role is now confined to the very end of the cycle. 


Dominique supplied some interesting figures: 

• Sales is a thankless task with a 99% failure rate from prospects.
• 90% of sales prospects never reply to cold calls.
• 93% of clients today use internet research before contacting you.
• The sales process is 57% complete before you even know about it.
• 65% of the top sales performers use social media.

Dominique took us through the changing demographics. He explained the changing contact preferences of the different generations - from the Baby Boomers to the future's Generation Z. The data came from the US. I wondered if social networking was advancing at the same rate in France. (Networking over lunch in France seems as important as ever).

E-business

The next presentation Selling Translation on the Internet followed on neatly. Welshman Nigel T Packer of Pelatis Online presented in English. He advised participants that their translation teams would need new e-business and transcreation skills - or, (Nigel teased) UK e-businesses might cross the Channel and "steal" their work. He spoke of a new 10-week course at Swansea University, hopes for a Masters course and his planned masterclass at April's EUATC conference.

CNET Survey

Next up was Hugues Mantoux, CNET's administrator. He presented the CNET membership survey that first began in 2002. No official survey of the French translation market exists. Concerns about the number of active participants in CNET's 2015 survey casts some doubt on the validity of the findings and figures.

The French market appeared much smaller than I would have expected. There are relatively few new entrants to the market with most companies being mature and well-established. The average French translation business was experiencing a decline in its turnover, especially in Paris. Any industry growth seemed to be outside Paris. Concerns over payment delays and pricing are shared with the rest of Europe. There was a worrying 11% drop in internships.

Hungarian Agreement

After a very enjoyable lunch, Miklós Bán presented on how Proford, the Hungarian Translation Companies' Association negotiated an agreement with its freelance translator associations. There is much food for thought here for other European associations. With 15 years' experience in the industry, Miklós shared a perception that it is not always easy to work with French freelance translators. In Hungary, two agreements (one for translation and the other for interpreting) resulted in a 16-page document that transformed the business climate.

A lack of trust and understanding existed between Hungarian translators and translation companies. There was also a generational gap between the older and younger translators. Hungarians often still look to the state to resolve professional issues and conflict. Democracy and self-regulation are newer to Hungarians than the French. (I will return to this interesting agreement in a separate blog with greater detail and my own thoughts).

Translation Buyer's Perspective

Arnaud Kauer then gave a translation buyer's perception of a multinational's translation requirements. As I gave a presentation at ELIA Budapest in 2012 from my then translation buyer's viewpoint, I was very interested to hear his views. I noted some cultural differences in his approach to the subject. I also observed how his comments were received in the room.

Social Media

Juliette Eskenazi gave the final presentation of the day on social media, thus building on its demonstrated importance to sales today. She discussed Facebook and LinkedIn primarily. Facebook is the main French social network with 28 million users. There seemed to be some reticence in the room about social media, particularly from Brittany. Our speaker and her audience demonstrated the same difference in attitude between the generations as found in other countries.

Two very full days in Paris came to an end. It was good to meet new contacts at the CNET conference and exchange contact details. I hope that some will become good future business partners and prospects. We said our farewells in the hotel's garden. We had missed the solar eclipse earlier in the day. The morning's mist had cleared. The Eiffel Tower now stood tall in a sunny, blue sky.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
a technical marketing

consultant. She offers

content writing,

editing and French to

English transcreation 

services.

Contact: karen@anglicity.com 
for further information.