After the success of its first economic mission in Cannes, Qadran set up its second roadshow in the French province, in Marseille, focusing on smart cities. Led by His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to France, and composed of French and Qatari business leaders, the delegation went to Marseille on September 26th, to meet with key stakeholders in the city and region.

Thanks to the crucial help of His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani and the Embassy of Qatar in France, Qadran had the honor of welcoming a special delegation coming directly from Doha with senior representatives from Qatar Financial Centre, Qatar Businessmen Association and Qatar Business Incubation Center.

Marc Pietri, President of the Constructa group,  welcomed the delegation at La Marseillaise tower, a project that had mobilized several of Qadran members, including Constructa and Vinci Construction. After admiring the exceptional panoramic view of Marseille from 31st floor, the delegation continued its visit with a presentation of Euroméditerranée and its vision for the sustainable city of tomorrow, led by Hugues Parant, CEO of Euroméditerranée.

A business lunch, in the presence of local export-oriented business leaders, was organized to exchange and understand the challenges and business opportunities of the region.

The day continued with a visit to thecamp, a symbol of the dynamic start-ups ecosystem of Aix-Marseille. After a short site visit and a presentation of various incubation programs, several startups pitched their projects in front of the delegation. Following these presentations, a networking moment was held on campus in the presence of Olivier Mathiot, President of thecamp and Pascal Lorne, President of the French Tech of Aix-Marseille.

His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani took the opportunity of this trip to meet with the Mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin, to discuss further development projects between Qatar and the city.

Qadran held its second thematic half-day on September 27th to discover Marseille and the region’s cultural structures in prevision of the France-Qatar Cultural year in 2020.