The Forum Aix-Marseille pursues its ambitious goals with its second edition

The economic advantages and attractiveness of France’s regional metro areas are at the focus of discussions with decision-makers from multinational companies

On September 26, the second edition of the Forum Aix-Marseille will be held in the offices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille-Provence at the Palais de la Bourse in the heart of Marseille. This event, which is a prelude to the États de la France economic conferences to be held in Paris in November, highlights the vital role regional metro areas play in the location and development strategies of international companies. The heads of major multinationals with operations in France will be invited to the Forum to share their recommendations for promoting and improving the economic attractiveness of the French regions. These recommendations will then be forwarded to the French government and the French president’s office at the end of 2023.

Are the days of the great business capitals behind us? Whether motivated by carbon reduction strategies or efforts to attract employees, international companies are now looking to locate their decision-making centers outside of traditional capitals. Regional cities and metro areas that are easily accessible by train and plane offer a warm, welcoming environment to live and work. As a result, they have become hubs for industrial relocations and renewable energy projects, as President Emmanuel Macron noted during his visit to Marseille in June 2023. The presence of talent in the regions, whether in terms of human resources for logistics or highly qualified engineers, provides a solution to the recruitment hurdles and employee shortages that companies are facing.

The appeal of French cities in the eyes of international companies

When the regional economic conferences were launched in 2022, they proved to be a huge success. The events were held in the Marseille and Lille metro areas in September and October respectively, in partnership with the DZA international business consultancy firm. 

The Forum Aix Marseille was organized by Provence Promotion with its partners in the influence program: the Port of Marseille Fos, Marseille-Provence Airport, Euroméditerranée, the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, and the Top 20 business club. The 2022 edition was an opportunity to hear from the presidents and managing directors of major international industrial and service groups such as Salesforce, Adecco, ABB France, KONE France, Autogrill, Air Products, and Google France.

The contributions made by these business people at the Forum Aix-Marseille were transformed into recommendations that were delivered to national political leaders during the 16th edition of the États de la France conference that was held at the Palais d’Iéna in Paris on November 15, 2022. These recommendations were also used as input for a report submitted to President Macron and his government.

The second edition of the Forum Aix-Marseille

The second edition of the Forum Aix Marseille will be held on September 26, 2023 at the Palais de la Bourse in Marseille, and it will have the same objective: to gather recommendations for improving France’s attractiveness as a business location.

A number of CEOs of French subsidiaries of international companies have announced that they will be taking part. As veritable ambassadors who stimulate investment in France, these business leaders are spearheading major economic investments, as can been seen with companies such as Heidelberg Materials, LyondellBasell, and Prologis.

The morning will be highlighted by two plenary sessions: “Talent: diversity, inclusion, mobility: the response of metro areas” and “Decarbonization and the green energy transition for the industry and logistics sectors: what role can metro areas play?”

Download the program for the Forum Aix-Marseille 2023 (in French)