- About us
SAFIM, facilitating events in Marseille!
SAFIM is a key player in Marseille and has been hosting and organising events for over a century! It has managed the Marseille Exhibition and Convention Centre since 1906 and has acquired know-how and expertise in every area of event organisation. Its experience means it works on two levels to provide you with the ultimate service:
Marseille Chanot, THE place for your event!
Exhibitions, conventions, product launches, sports events, road shows, etc. Marseille Chanot is 100% flexible and offers:
- a large selection of spaces all on one modern site at the heart of the city
- efficient logistics
- experienced staff that are ready to listen and provide customised support in accordance with your needs
- a broad network of institutional, business and technical partners to make sure that your event goes to plan
Over 200 large-scale events take place at Marseille Chanot each year. Yours could be one of them!
SAFIM, event organisers
SAFIM has organised the Foire Internationale de Marseille since the first trade fair and the Colonial Exhibition in 1906, and also organises other exhibitions for professionals and the general public:
Salon Piscine & Jardin
www.salonpiscineetjardin.com/Foire internationale de Marseille
foiredemarseille.com/Key figures
- 60,000 sq m
of exhibition space - 60,000 sq m
of esplanades - 1 million
visitors each year - 7 exhibition halls
available for your event - 51
staff
1st colonial exhibition
The Colonial Exhibition of Marseille in 1906 is the first colonial exhibition organised in France and takes place from 15 April to 18 November at Parc Chanot. Around fifty pavilions and halls are built for the occasion, based on the architecture of the regions represented (Cambodia, Martinique, Algeria, French Guiana, etc.) and welcome more than 1,800,000 visitors.
Construction of the Palais des Arts
The second colonial exhibition in Marseille provides the opportunity for the construction of the Palais des Arts. The metal gate of the current entrance to Marseille Chanot is also installed at this time.
Launch of the 1st Quinzaine Commerciale of Marseille
Based on the event organised in Paris every spring since 1904, the first Quinzaine Commerciale takes place at Parc Chanot. Four years later, it becomes the “Foire Internationale de Marseille” with its famous logo sporting a red and black liner with the image of Notre Dame de la Garde in the background.
Construction of the Palais des Congrès
A new Palais des Congrès is built to accommodate the growth in the number of events at the Exhibition and Convention Centre . The first building was constructed in 1950 and now houses the offices of France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
Launch of renovation programme
Three waves of investment (in 1994, 2000 and 2010) give the Marseille Exhibition and Convention Centre a makeover and the large selection of spaces that it now offers.
6th World Water Forum at Marseille Chanot
A large-scale event for Marseille Chanot: 6 days, 35,000 visitors, 15 Heads of State, 145 countries represented, making use of all the centre’s indoor and outdoor areas.
A new name: Marseille Chanot!
The Marseille Exhibition and Convention Centre is convinced that location is a key choice in organising an event, and gets a new name and logo.
