Rémy Cregut: Travel, discover the world and meet people!
Founder and Honorary President of the MPI French Chapter since 1997, ECM Board Member and Chairman of Communications Committee, Rémy Cregut is a man with a diverse and rich professional background. Between 1984 -1996 he occupied senior sales and marketing positions at Sofitel, Grand Hotel Intercontinental and Hyatt. He subsequently acted as Director of Disneyland Paris – Business Solutions and then worked for the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the LSO International in Sophia Antipolis, and Center Parcs in Rotterdam. In 2005 Rémy moved to Montreux; a city renowned for its annual jazz festival. He is currently General Manager of the Montreux Music and Convention Center- 2m2c.
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What motivated you to join the ECM Board and chair the Communications Committee?
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Being active in professional associations is a crucial way to influence the future of our industry and to develop business. After the merger of EFCT and ECT in 2007, I was asked to join the board in order to represent the cities where congress and events play a significant role.
Being a part of ECM in this way has been such an adventure and a fantastic opportunity for me. Regarding the communications side of things, I was convinced we at ECM were simply not doing enough as a marketing organisation in those early days. It has been a privilege to bring my experience and my passion to bear.
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For me Montreux as a city is…
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First, Montreux has a unique setting, nestled and sheltered as it is Lake Geneva bay, surrounded by vineyards and with a breathtaking backdrop of snow-covered Alps. Secondly, and very logically to me, Montreux means ‘tradition in hospitality’ because it was there at the origin of tourism in the early 19th century, notably with its ‘Belle-Époque’ hotels. And last but not least, Montreux is about music; it has one of the best known music festivals in the world; many artists have lived or are living there ( I will mention Stravinski, Freddy Mercury and Shania Twain) and famous songs have been created there, for instance “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple.
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The project at work I am most preoccupied with at the moment…
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This is strategic and is to figure out the niche in the global meetings and events industries the 2m2c and Montreux should be occupying ten years on, and to then formulate appropriate development and marketing approaches.
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My favourite activity…
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is to travel, discover the world and meet people.
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The place I would most like to visit…
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Venice.
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A successful destination in the world of tourism …
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has to be different. It must have a story to tell; multiple views to remember; a wide range of typical indigenous food and flavors to taste; unique experiences to savour and to bring back home; and sufficient fame and notoriety to have people dream about visiting it. This is a tall order, but this is the ‘promise’ which what we as city tourism professionals are charged with delivering!
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If I could change one thing in the world, I would…
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provide sufficient food to all inhabitants of the planet.
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