With a population of more than 700,000 inhabitants, Bordeaux is a dynamic, 21st century city that has managed to protect and to restore the magnificent legacy it inherited from the 18th century, which was the city’s “golden century.“

For such a long time, the city has been famous for its wine-making, but the city of Bordeaux and the surrounding area also owe their prosperity to a diversified and dynamic economy.
The economic energy of Aquitaine and its leading metropolitan area attract economic activities with a strong technological orientation. The region today is well-known as a privileged site for locating businesses. The 2003 honours from the economic publication “L’Entreprise” for the most attractive cities for businesses, placed the Bordeaux area at the top for metropolitan areas of more than 150,00 inhabitants.

Alongside traditional economic sectors (food production and wood/paper), industrial activities and high tech services have been developed:

• aeronautical and space technologies
• automotive industry
• electronics
• healthcare
• telecommunications
• strategic tertiary sector

Today the region is experiencing important scientific and industrial development in key technologies such as the life sciences, innovative materials, imaging technologies and also photonics, where a vast programme for territorial development has been put into place to accompany the creation of the Megajoule Laser.

Ariane rocket boosters, Falcon aeroplanes, medical and surgical instruments, femtosecond lasers, and the plasma torch are a few of the shining stars in regional product development.

The International Aeroport of Bordeaux-Mérignac is the largest in the Southwest and the fifth largest outside the Paris area. 13 national and international airlines serve 38 destinations in France, Europe and the world. 19 daily flights connect Bordeaux to Paris in one hour.
The TGV Atlantique connects Bordeaux to Paris in 3 hours, to Lille in 5 hours, and to Brussels in 6 hours. Highway infrastructures allow quick access toward large peripheral and European cities.

The Convention Hall recently re-opened, and it now makes Bordeaux one of the most important convention cities in France.

The Bordeaux Gironde Convention Bureau (BGCB) is the best point of contact for organisers of conventions, seminars and incentive programmes. Its mission is to develop business tourism in Bordeaux and the Gironde, to provide organisers with information about activities, locations and services that correpond to their needs and help them to set up their events. The BGCB provides any advice and assistance needed for all aspects of the event, from project design to final completion. BGCB employs personnel that are qualified and highly knowledgeable about the region, so they can provide the best possible information on what to expect.