Before the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys or even the CMAs there is….
ATOUT FRANCE’s French Affairs awards ceremony!
Celebrating at the French Awards 2010
You are probably saying to yourself – Quoi? – and I am happy to explain. ATOUT FRANCE, formally known as Maison de la France, is France’s national tourism association. Every October for the past seven years, they hold an event that culminates with an awards ceremony to honor travel operators for their success in the country. So while the event is certainly not high profile, it is a very exciting date on DuVine Adventure’s calendar.
The 2010 French Affairs was held in San Francisco’s Hotel Nikko in Union Square. At the awards ceremony there were 8 unique recognitions up for grabs and of the 8, DuVine was nominated for 3! Not bad if I do say so myself. Here is the list of our nominations:
• Best website
• Best special interest product
• Most creative use of social media
We were particularly delighted to be nominated in these categories because they honored not only our mission to develop unique and personalized travel but also to create a community where our guests can interact and share knowledge and experiences.
As DuVine’s representative at the event, Michelle Duffy, I eagerly awaited the awards ceremony to see if we would once again be taking home one of the coveted quasi-parallelogram shaped, glass awards. My fellow table mates, and eventual new friends, were quick to become DuVine enthusiasts as each nomination was announced. They were also equally supportive as each category passed without seeing me take a trip to the podium. Despite their jokes of sabotage and robbed glory, I assured them that the nomination was enough of an honor and it was great to see some of DuVine’s friends, like Discover France, be recognized for their accomplishments. Plus, there is always next year…
The Winner's Circle...
While the awards ceremony is certainly a highlight of ATOUT FRANCE’s French Affairs, there is much more to the event. After all, you cannot have vendors and operators flying across oceans and continents just for a gala dinner – we have work to do! The 2 day event is a unique chance for operators and vendors to connect face to face and includes presentations, panels, lectures, activities, a trade shows and plenty of exquisite French cuisine.
Before the awards ceremony all 200+ attendees attended an opening session. This session included a review of 2010 and a discussion of 2011 developments. In general the tone was quite positive, demonstrating that economic recovery has truly been felt in France’s tourism industry, which is always a good sign for DuVine! Following this session, the there were various panel discussions about everything from e-marketing to familiarization trips (shortened to fam trips for us industry people). I was asked to participate on the publications panel since DuVine includes a copy of ATOUT FRANCE’s FranceGuide Magazine in every gift packet sent to our guests going to France (anyone remember getting their copy?). Myself and my fellow panelists explained how this publication is a great tool to excite travelers for their upcoming journey as well as open their eyes to some more unique regions and experiences available in this diverse country.
Participating in the panel discussion...
After a morning alarm sounded by the Powell-Mason cable car outside my window, I began day 2 with a work session about the New French Hotel Classification system. This new system will build on the 1-4 star system by adding a 5 star category and Palace designation. A Palace will be a property that meets all 5 start criteria but is also located at a historically or aesthetically significant property. The first French hotel received its new rating in Feb 2010, 120 hotels have been rated so far and the old classification of hotels (in place since 1986) will be completely fazed-out in July of 2012. The most highly anticipated benefit of this new system is that hotels will have to raise their standards to keep their stars, which will improve the overall experience for guests. For example, a hotel must have WiFi to receive a 3 star rating and all 4 star properties must have air-conditioning, which will be two greatly appreciated improvements as anyone who has traveled into the French countryside can tell you.
A delicious lunch presented by Antibes Juan-les-Pins was our chance to relax after the morning work sessions and before the big afternoon trade show. The show included some great opportunity to catch up with current vendors, explore new options and discover new developments throughout the country. In other words, a great day to get the creative business and travel juices flowing, after all we are known for having the best bicycle tours in France and we can’t be resting on our laurels.
As I sat in San Francisco Airport to catch my red-eye flight back to Boston, I felt invigorated by the trip. Despite the unseasonably wet weather, as many local San Franciscans apologized for, I enjoyed not only an engaging conference but also my very first trip out west. Yes, while I have certainly have traveled a fair amount, including 3 trips to France this year, I had never been west of the Mississippi! It really is quite funny that we find ourselves amazed by the diverse regions of countries like France, Italy and Spain, but do not even stop to realize all that our own country has to offer. I have no doubt I’ll find myself out west again soon, perhaps a Napa & Sonoma bike tour next?
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