Meeting News - December 3, 2007 - (Page 20)

Destination Insider: France Edited by Mariana Lemann mariana.lemann@nielsen.com Regular ﬂights are scheduled to begin spring 2009, initially operating routes to Asia. The planes’interiors will be revealed only a few months before operation, but will feature three cabins with a total of 538 seats. amphitheatres, exhibition halls, theaters, and breakout rooms. Cnit has added broadband and LCD screens. Simultaneous translation booths offer 10 languages for international attendees. Open 24/7, the Parvis de La Defense, the business center core, is also undergoing renovation, with new towers under construction. The historic center will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008, and plans have been announced to completely modernize the buildings by 2015. Cnit Unveils Makeover Following an expansion and renovation, Cnit Conference and Exhibition Center, located at Paris’ La Defense business center, reopened in October with an increased number of breakout rooms, improved signage, and new visitor trafﬁc management. The revised Cnit offers more than 21,000 sf of meeting space, divided into 36 rooms (up from 28); more than 53,000 sf of flexible space; and 107,000-plus sf of exhibition space. Flexibility is a key part of the changes. The facility now offers a system of modular walls that can be used to arrange the space for gatherings of 30 to 400 delegates. Arrangements can be made for Event Report Wide load: Air France will operate superjumbo aircraft starting in 2009. Breadth of Service Air France the ﬁrst European carrier to ﬂy Airbus’ A380 superjumbo jet Testing continued last month for Air France’s A380 Airbus, a very wide-bodied plane that the carrier plans to put into regular service come spring 2009. On Nov. 12, one touched down at Montreal-P.E. Trudeau airport in Quebec, arriving from ParisCharles de Gaulle. The A380 requires special airport structures to accommodate its size: The Paris–Montreal roundtrip ﬂight tested the plane’s compatibility with the S3 boarding satellite at Terminal 2E of Paris-CDG, designed to provide facilities for six Air France A380s at the same time, as well as the jetliner’s ﬁt with Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Operated under the supervision of Airbus, the demo included several VIP customers and ﬂight attendants to test in-ﬂight catering, boarding and baggage procedures, and other onboard services for the superjumbo aircraft. The A380 test flight was a milestone in a plan that had been in the works for some time. In 2001, Air France ordered 10 planes, with an option to purchase an additional four. The airline exercised its option for two more units in June and will pursue the growth of its ﬂeet of very wide-bodied aircraft between spring 2009 and spring 2012, on the basis of yearly additions. This schedule meets the airline’s medium- and long-term development requirements on certain long-haul routes with heavy trafﬁc, where the combination of growing trafﬁc and saturated frequencies and slots calls for an increase in aircraft capacity. 20 MeetingNews December 3, 2007 Emballage Show in Paris Gets a Bit of Repackaging The Emballage World Package Exhibition announced the program for its 38th biennial edition in Paris, Nov. 17-21, 2008, expected to draw manufacturers, design agencies, and international consultants from around the world to 24 conferences and nearly 500 product launches. Admission to the symposium will be free for all visitors. The upcoming edition of Emballage will feature Gold Meetings, a customized business appointment for buyers and sellers. The idea is to put together international visitors with concrete projects in front of relevant exhibitors to optimize their time and increase their chances of doing business. According to the organizers, nearly 60 percent of the exhibition area already has been reserved. Last year, 2,200 companies and brands from 46 countries took part in the exhibition, and more than 108,000 visitors from 142 countries attended the show. H Cnit Conference and Exhibition Center In Good Taste Salon du Chocolat draws more than 400 exhibitors to Paris T he 13th Paris Salon du Chocolat, from Oct. 19-22 at Porte de Versailles, hosted nearly 130 chocolate makers from all over the world. With an emphasis on showing visitors the cocoa lifecycle, Salon du Chocolat had Mexico, represented by the state of Jalisco, for the ﬁrst time at the event, alongside important cocoa producers like the Ivory Coast, Cuba, and Venezuela. Maintaining a 13-year-old tradition, Salon du Chocolat presented its chocolateinspired fashion show. Models dressed up in clothing and accessories done up in chocolate by master makers in collaboration with fashion designers. This year’s event presented 22 designs from names such as Coralie Robert, Nicolas Boussin, Jacques Bellanger, and Fatima Lopes. In addition to Paris, Salon du Chocolat takes place in New York, Tokyo, Beijing, and Moscow. www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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