Founded six centuries ago as Massilia, Marseille is one of France's oldest cities. Its founders were merchants from Phocaea, earning the city its nickname. With its focus on the sea, the city enjoyed industrial prosperity, before turning to tourism and new technologies. Today, it attracts a large number of companies looking for atypical event venues in Marseille. Focus on a cosmopolitan city with an exceptional environment and heritage!
One of the main indicators of the city's attractiveness to businesses is its ICCA ranking. In 2022, Marseille was France's third-largest convention city, with 25 professional events organized over the year. This characteristic has led to a sharp rise in the number of day bookings in Marseille for all types of projects.
Whether you're looking for a meeting room, a training space or a conference venue, the city of Marseille has plenty to offer. OfficeRiders has compiled a list of atypical, humanized venues with capacities to suit your events. From a loft on the Old Port for a dozen people to a château reception room for 50 participants, discover high-quality offers for your flexible booking in Marseille.
Looking to book a day in Marseille? Get off the beaten track by booking a sailboat, a château, an art gallery or a winter garden. Enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Mediterranean or the discreet luxury of a Haussmann apartment on Rue de la République. From a 1900s-style house to a designer villa, there's no shortage of exceptional places to live in Marseille!
The city offers a wide range of luxury properties for your corporate events, fashion shows, cocktail parties or presentation evenings. Book a villa with swimming pool in the hills, a former printing works near La Timone or a loft with patio in the city center.
Are you looking for a flexible reservation in Marseille for a casting, shooting or filming location? From a New York ambience to a rooftop with spa, or an authentic sailboat, atypical locations abound. The wild majesty of the Calanques, the picturesque charm of Les Goudes or L'Estaque lend themselves perfectly to staging your projects. What's more, most hosts offer professional equipment and additional services on site.
The prefecture of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region boasts a grandiose natural setting and a varied architectural heritage. Its industrial past has left its mark on many neighborhoods, while urban renewal projects have breathed new life into the city. This melting pot of influences makes Marseille an attractive city for both tourism and business.
The city boasts some exceptional natural sites. The Calanques, France's first peri-urban national park, stretch over some twenty kilometers of coastline. They combine jagged limestone coves with unique underwater treasures. The sea borders the town to the west, offering a breathtaking panorama of various archipelagos. There's no shortage of nautical, sporting and tourist activities: boat trips, scuba diving... The Mediterranean is also the source of a flourishing economy. Finally, Marseille is surrounded by several mountain ranges, including Mont Puget, which dominates the city with its white rocks. These areas are particularly popular with hikers.
As one of France's oldest cities, Marseille is home to treasures from every era. The Cosquer cave and its Paleolithic paintings, and the ancient ruins of the Jardin des Vestiges are among the oldest visible sites. The Middle Ages produced such prestigious buildings as Saint-Victor Abbey and the Vieille Major. From the Renaissance, Marseille has preserved the forts of Saint-jean and Saint-Nicolas. Finally, the Second Empire saw the construction of the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, the "good mother" of the Marseillais! The Longchamp and Pharo palaces, La Major cathedral and the Rue de la République also date from this period. The city's industrial past is still clearly visible, particularly in the Belle de Mai district. This industrial wasteland, rehabilitated as a place for art and culture, includes the former tobacco factories. Next door, La Joliette is home to the famous Docks de Marseille, converted into commercial and office space. Marseille's architectural renewal is also reflected in large-scale projects such as Euroméditerranée. This urban renewal project includes the Arenc, Joliette and Porte d'Aix districts. This ambitious project has propelled the area to fourth place in the national ranking of business districts. Among the buildings emblematic of post-modern architecture is the Tour La Marseillaise, with its 35,000 m² of office space. The Mucem - the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization - located at the entrance to the port, is also representative.
It's no coincidence that companies choose Marseille to hold a corporate event or product presentation. The city combines an exceptional setting, a rich and varied heritage, and a dynamic and attractive economy. OfficeRiders lists a growing number of flexible rental offers in Marseille, in all styles and configurations.
Today, the city is developing around three main economic axes. One of these is the city's historically flourishing port and maritime activity. The Grand Port Maritime is the largest in France, the second largest in the Mediterranean and the fifth largest in Europe. Millions of tons of products from all over the world pass through the port every year. The Mediterranean is also a place of human crossings. Marseille is the main gateway between Corsica and the mainland. Exchanges with other countries around the Mediterranean are equally dense.
Marseille's many assets explain the growing influx of tourists. While leisure travel is plentiful, business travel is also booming. This is one of the reasons behind the development of day-bookings in Marseille, which OfficeRiders regularly supports. For companies, the city's natural and cultural attractions are a godsend. They can combine work sessions with a variety of activities to strengthen team cohesion.
The city's latest asset is its undersea Internet cable. This has boosted the development of digital activities, in particular the creation of data centers. The city's attractiveness in terms of new technologies is of great interest to start-ups and scale-ups, as well as more traditional companies undergoing the digital transition. This technological competitiveness is also reflected in the services offered by seminar rooms in Marseille. They often include state-of-the-art equipment and a fiber connection. This enables you to organize and run meetings and events smoothly and efficiently.
Today, certain areas stand out for their attractiveness, alongside the city's emblematic districts. The development of means of transport is also accelerating the city's growth.
To find a film location in Marseille, you can target the following spots, for example: the Vieux-Port, authentic and bright, a true symbol of the city of Marseille: many lofts and duplexes with sea views can now be found here; Prado, the traditional business district, with its many apartments with terraces; Castellane: the neighborhood of law firms is home to a number of luxury space reservations; Euroméditerranée: Marseille's new business spot is becoming a must-see; Nord Littoral: combining proximity to Euromed and the charming backdrop of l'Estaque, this urban free zone offers a wealth of opportunities.
Marseille remains the most congested urban area in France. However, a real effort is being made to deploy alternative mobility solutions. Marseille is accessible via three freeways, but also by rail via the TGV - Paris is only 3 h 30 away. Marseille-Provence airport puts the city within easy reach of all European and world capitals. Within the city itself, the emphasis is on the development of public transport. Marseille has 121 bus lines, two metro lines and three tramway lines. The provision of self-service bicycles is the second priority for improving mobility in the city center. Last but not least, Marseille has some 30 parking lots, as well as 16 park-and-ride facilities close to public transport stations.
OfficeRiders is present in Marseille to help company directors, managers and HR officers find suitable sites. You too can choose Marseille to host your corporate events!