UBIFRANCE UK News

UBIFRANCE UK News n° 18 - 15 September 2009

As some of you will be aware already, the press bureau, together with the rest of the French Trade Commission, has moved offices: the move kept us busy over the summer months, but has gone pretty well. Since 1st September, we have been based in the heart of the West End, a short walk from both Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, in brand-new offices at the top of a modern and functional building — quite a change after the more sedate surroundings of Belgravia, where we were before.

The official inauguration of our new offices is expected to take place in late October. It will be attended by Anne-Marie Idrac, French Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Trade; Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, French Ambassador to London; Alain Cousin, President of UBIFRANCE, the French export-support agency; and Christophe Lecourtier, Director-General of UBIFRANCE, together with many other guests.

Our partners in the media have not been forgotten, however, and I am pleased to announce that we will have a Christmas party with you (and for you) this year, which will also be held to mark the move to our new offices. We will get back to you over this at some stage in the near future, but you can already pencil in the date, which is Thursday 3 December in the evening (from 6pm).

The highlight of the summer period is the Bastille Day cocktail party at the French Ambassador’s Residence in High Street Kensington (in London), on 14 July, and this year did not disappoint. The event took place in the evening, contrary to earlier years, when it was in the afternoon. The weather was very good on the day, which undoubtedly turned the celebration of France’s national day into a success.

Apart from our move to new offices, it has been a busy summer for us because we have a big operation in the pipeline in relation to the 100% Design London trade show, which will take place at Earl’s Court in late September (24 to 27 September).

Our colleagues in the Consumer Goods Department of Mission Economique UBIFRANCE, the French Trade Commission in London, have assisted about a dozen interior-design companies from France, which will attend the 100% Design trade show. The 100% France Pavilion will showcase French participants, with the support of promotional bodies VIA and Ateliers d’Art de France.

The arts-and-crafts industry and the design sector are well-supported in France, through a network of official and trade organisations intended to promote their activities, at home and abroad. VIA (Valorisation of Innovation in Home Furnishing) is a non-profit association that was set up in 1979, whose vocation is to promote contemporary creation in furnishing (furniture, lighting, tableware, rugs, interior textiles, etc.), both inside and outside France. Ateliers d’Art de France, for its part, was created in 1868, and is the largest French federation for arts-and-crafts professionals. It promotes and supports 2,800 French artists, designers and manufacturers in the arts and crafts.

Regions across France enjoy wide-ranging prerogatives nowadays, thanks to the devolving of a range of powers from central government, which started about 25 years ago. Most regions run schemes for export promotion, and one of the most dynamic in this respect is Pays de la Loire, in Western France. There is a link to the 100% France Pavilion, already mentioned, since half a dozen French companies on the stand will be coming from Pays de la Loire. The region is particularly keen to support the design sector, which it has identified as a key industry of the future, and Pays de la Loire has actually set up a dedicated programme (and label) to this effect, called Design’In /Pays de la Loire.

Among the companies to be found on the French pavilion, some specialise in large-size printed stickers for mural decoration (ACTE DECO has also developed an environmentally friendly decorative fabric, described as an ‘ecological cloth’); others specialise in lighting fixtures (among them is ATELIER SEDAP, which has created a unique range of lighting fixtures in plaster mouldings). Among the other companies on the French stand, DALCANS is headquartered in Paris and goes for audio-visual animations and multi-sensorial installations integrating TV display screens.

In the coming weeks, we will be sending press releases and press packs on many of the companies attending the French Pavilion to the specialist press, following the general press kit on design in the Pays de la Loire region, already mailed to the media. Journalists and editors interested in the topic and in the companies featured should get in touch with Kate Ambler, press officer.

We do not deal with interior design and lighting fixtures only at the press bureau, however, as interesting as they may be — and this is certainly a sector where many French companies are creative and dynamic. You will see, from the selection of press releases listed below, that we have been covering other sectors too, also in connection with B2B events organised by our colleagues within the French Trade Commission in London.

One such tough assignment was the Beer & Cider promotional event held in Central London on 1 & 2 July: I can confirm that many of the regional beers up for sampling (from Brittany, Corsica, and other parts of France) were truly memorable, not to mention the high-quality cider on offer.

The next issue of UBIFRANCE UK News will be sent to you in early-to-mid December 2009, before the end-of-year break, but we will be in touch before then, regarding the Christmas party I have just mentioned.

Philip Jolly

Manager — Press Office

Mission Economique UBIFRANCE, the French Trade Commission in London

Food & Drink

Design & Business

IT & Telecoms

Manufacturing & the Environment

Transport & Logistics

Medical & Cosmetics

Food & Drink

Space 2009 to showcase the best of the beasts in Brittany

The SPACE 2009 trade far will play host to the cattle (dairy and meat), pig, poultry, sheep, goat and rabbit breeding sectors, from France and other countries, from 15 to 18 September 2009. The event is being held in Rennes (Brittany).