The "Invest in Provence" and Massilia Mundi communities are forging new links

A first gathering took place in the boiler room of La Savonnerie du Midi

On Tuesday 1 October 2019, Provence Promotion met up with the Massilia Mundi ambassadors and a number of new businesses moving to the region. A successful first event, enabling business and job creators to meet key stakeholders involved in boosting Provence's reputation and wider influence. Around sixty attendees received a warm welcome in the superbly authentic setting of the Savonnerie du Midi, successfully relaunched in 2018 by the Prodef group.

For the occasion, Provence Promotion issued the entrepreneurs and managers with the "Invest in Provence" label to mark their entry into the community of investors who have chosen Aix-Marseille-Provence to create or expand their companies. Four of these companies discussed their experiences. Operating in fields as varied as digital technology, health or lifestyle, they each expressed their enthusiasm and highlighted the outstanding quality of the welcome they received to help them set up here.

Provence Promotion attracts dozens of investors to Provence each year and likes to celebrate their arrival by organizing a special event in one of the region's most emblematic settings. After the Docks Village in 2015, the Voûtes de la Major in 2016, the McArthurGlen factory village in 2017 and the lounges at Marseille-Provence airport in 2018, the 2019 version of this special evening was held at La Savonnerie du Midi.

Against the backdrop of the cauldron room, its CEO Guillaume Fievet was delighted to welcome these new economic stakeholders who, like himself, are here to do business in Provence and to further enhance the region's standing.

These companies met the ambassadors from the Massilia Mundi network, who had come along to share their positive vision of the region and their experience.

Jean-Luc Chauvin, President of Provence Promotion and of the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reminded everyone of Provence Promotion's activities and the commitment of its teams. "The agency supports French and foreign investors with the different formalities relating to their plans to set up in the region, displaying a professional and friendly approach which generates a real family spirit throughout the 'Invest in Provence' community, a community which gains more than 70 new member companies each year".

Didier Parakian, a Provence Promotion board member, Councilor for the Métropole, Councilor for the Marseille-Provence region and deputy Mayor of Marseille, stressed the common ground uniting the Massilia Mundi network and Provence Promotion and congratulated Jeanne Lamant on her appointment as President of the development fund. "The network's philosophy has remained unchanged and it is today seeking to maximize the impact of its activities through opportunities and synergy" explained Jeanne Lamant.

First-hand confirmation of the region's attractiveness

After having responded to the needs of companies looking to set up in Provence, and after working with them to find the best solutions where sites, financing and recruitment or mobility aid are concerned, Provence Promotion encourages these companies to share their experiences with others.

The agency invites them to tell their story and to explain why they chose to set up and expand in the region.

With this in mind, four companies came along to speak at the "Invest in Provence" evening event:

• Vitrociset, an Italian technical services and IT systems company specializing in the aerospace, defense and industrial sectors, which recently set up in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance as part of Iter, and which is taking advantage of the sheer diversity of Provence's economic fabric to expand.
   
• Picadeli, a Swedish Food Tech company, is developing a fast and healthy food concept through a self-service salad bar. After locating its French headquarters in Marseille, the fast-growing company (+110% in 2019) has recently completed its expansion project in the Euroméditerranée area.
   
• IFly Aix-Marseille, which recently opened an indoor freefall simulator at the Décathlon village in Bouc-Bel-Air. A major investment of 10 million euros, with a team of around twenty people already working there.
   
• Ipsomedic, founded by a French entrepreneur after her time as an expat in Belgium, who developed a cutting-edge business in the biotechnology and health fields, the company is currently pursuing a number of partnerships and patent registrations.

All drawn from very different backgrounds, these four companies represent an excellent cross-section of the variety of projects supported by Provence Promotion in terms of investments, activities and geographical origins.

The "Invest in Provence" evening ended on a happy and convivial note with a cocktail and a visit to the Savonnerie du Midi museum, which remained open for the occasion.