Sett: 600 exhibitors and 16,000 professional visitors in the Outdoor Hospitality sector, eager to discover the latest innovations. An opportunity to plan and prepare the 2021 season with a special focus on the new health and safety challenges.
Created in 1978, Sett is the trade fair for equipment and technical infrastructure in tourism. For its 42nd year, it will take place next 3, 4 and 5 November at the Exhibition Center, Montpellier. Initiated by the Languedoc-Roussillon Outdoor Hospitality Federation, the fair today brings together seven other regional partner federations: Midi-Pyrénées, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Corsica, Limousin, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Bourgogne Franche-Comté.
This internationally recognized fair (11% of visitors from outside France) addresses professionals only (managers of campsites, bars, hotels, restaurants, bed-and-breakfast, beach amenities, and local community organizations, landscapers, technical managers, etc.). Sett offers tourism specialists a broad range of services that meet the needs and requirements of the profession, with more than 650 exhibitors last year in the main key sectors: HoReCa Equipment, Communication and Digital Services, Games and Leisure, Pools and Wellness, Leisure Accommodation, Green Spaces, Amenities).
With more than 55,000 sq. meters of floor space and nine exhibition halls, and with 400 exhibitors already booked, the 2020 event will again be one of the year’s high points when all the sector’s players can come together to plan ahead and prepare the 2021 season.
Over the years, this gathering has become an annual venue for all tourism professionals where they can exchange views on the sector and discuss its key challenges. It also offers a unique opportunity to find out more about the latest innovations and new trends that will guide the investments necessary to equip and modernize visitor facilities year-on-year.
“Today our profession can be optimistic as it is strongly mobilized to make summer 2020 a busy season despite a late start. In the current context, Sett 2020 will more than ever help us spot new leading-edge ideas so that outdoor hospitality can adapt and respond to the new challenges it faces, while retaining a high cost-effectiveness. Sett 2020 will help make sure the 2021 season is a great one too.” – Philippe Robert, President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Outdoor Hospitality Federation.
Like every year, the three days of the fair will be highlighted by many special events, organized around:
- Innovation, with the Golden Sett awards, in partnership with the magazine Décisions, to honour the best innovations in the sector.
- Information, with a program of talks on topics including regulations, legal aspects, tax, and health and safety concerns.
- Conviviality, with numerous meetings among professionals.
Find all the details on the Sett fair’s website: www.salonsett.com/fr/
The camping sector is more than ever strongly mobilized after the gradual resumption of activity announced last 2 June.
The pre-season, traditionally highlighted by the Easter holidays and spring long weekends, was missed this year owing to the current context, but since the reopening of campsites was announced, all the pointers have been positive. The Outdoor Hospitality professionals are now up and ready to welcome holidaymakers in the best possible conditions.
The professionals in the sector are unanimous: bookings have risen very significantly and are gathering pace. From early June, demand spiralled upward, with daily booking rates that soon became comparable to those of last year at the same period. They have since further risen, helping to offset the slow start to the 2020 season, which is now looking brighter than was initially feared even if the booking rates are of course still below those of previous years. Since the uncertainty about the re-opening of borders to international tourism was dispelled on 15 June a further upsurge in bookings is expected.
Outdoor Hospitality holds several trump cards in the current context, with some 8000 campsites in France, which ranks first in Europe and second in the world. It is the leading form of leisure accommodation in France, with 22 million vacationists per year opting for a camping holiday (Source: DGE, Atout France). Infrastructures in a natural environment offer isolated or widely spaced accommodation units that appeal to holidaymakers looking for a change of scenery that is low-risk in the current context. Camping locations are not closed, and not confined (no lifts or corridors). Campsites, very popular in France, cater for all social groups and enable everyone, whatever their budget, to get away and relax from daily routine.
According to an IFOP survey conducted last 12 and 13 May for the French National Outdoor Hospitality Federation (IFOP omnibus survey for FNHPA, 12 and 13 May 2020 on a sample of 1000 persons) , one French person in two wants a holiday this summer, and is thinking of spending it in France, provided there is no health risk and that it is affordable. They are looking at short travel distances and strongly favour France this summer (40%) rather than destinations outside France (10%).
The Outdoor Hospitality profession is making full provision to maintain the level of investment needed to plan seasons 2021 and 2022. The staunch commitment of the main players in the sector remains essential to obtain new conditions from government and financial organizations that respond to the current situation. The challenge facing the profession is a daunting one, if it is to maintain the level of investment that is essential to develop and secure its activity.
Outdoor Hospitality must reassure its regular clients and at the same time attract a new segment of holidaymakers seeking more authenticity and simplicity. To turn these opportunities to good account in the coming years, the profession must maintain a high level of investment (traditionally 20–35% of turnover). These investments are crucial for meeting tomorrow’s challenges by adapting to future vacationists’ new needs and expectations, starting with the 2021 season.
“Sett is one of the high points in our profession, in which all the year’s major investments are made to plan for the coming seasons. To take full advantage of the opportunities that will arise in the coming years thanks to the appeal of our accommodation provision in the current context, the Outdoor Hospitality players must pursue their investment strategy. Without our suppliers, our profession has no future. We must remain as attractive as ever, at the forefront of innovation, and offer solutions and a level of equipment that will meet the needs of tomorrow’s holidaymakers.” Nicolas Dayot, President of the National Outdoor Hospitality Federation
