THE BLOG

Team Nice Côte d’Azur: Tribune by the General Director, Hervé Laubertie

*^{Hervé Laubertie, General Director of Team Nice Côte d’Azur (photo credit – TNCA – Tribuca)}*

As we celebrate France’s 1st position as the most attractive country in Europe, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis is benefiting from an exceptional dynamic in 2023 in terms of its economic attractiveness.

The 2023 activity report of Team Nice Côte d’Azur reveals a record year in terms of the implantation of companies supported by the metropolitan area’s economic promotion and development agency.

The figure of 22 new companies welcomed to the metropolitan area is significantly higher than the performances of previous years on the territory.

This unprecedented increase in supported projects is a testament to the reinforced attractiveness of the territory thanks to the Metropolis’s economic development strategy, the relevance of Team Nice Côte d’Azur’s refocused scope, and strengthened collaborations between all its economic actors.

This economic dynamism is confirmed by the Arthur Loyd France firm, which ranks the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis as the 2nd major metropolis in terms of economic vitality, with a notable progression of 7 places in this ranking.

Interview with Hervé Laubertie, General Director of Team Nice Côte d’Azur.

What is your analysis of the 2023 attractiveness report for the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis?

The 2023 attractiveness report for the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis is decidedly positive.

The number of implantations has reached a historic record since the creation of the agency.

While we were in a year of transition of our organizational model, we supported 22 new companies in their implantation on the territory.

This is significantly more than in previous years, where the number of implantations on the Metropolis was between 12 and 18.

Our repositioning, supported by the territory’s economic development policy, which favors innovation and the development of a sustainable economy, has enabled us to strengthen the impact of our actions.

Collaboration with the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Tourist Office has been decisive in creating new synergies to achieve these results.

Our strategy of more targeted prospecting is already bearing fruit.

The implantation of MedPack, a Tunisian company, at the beginning of 2024 is an example of our ability to attract international investments through targeted initiatives such as the partnership we initiated at the end of 2023 with the regions of Sousse and Tunis in Tunisia. These actions consolidate our positioning as a dynamic and internationally-oriented economic hub.

This is essential for our long-term development strategy.

In 2023, the Côte d’Azur Airports, a major lever of attractiveness for our territory, joined the Team Nice Côte d’Azur agency as a new member and thus supports our action.

The integration of the airport into our development strategies will enable us to better capitalize on its capacity to attract international visitors and investors, thus strengthening our positioning as a leading economic hub in Europe in the strategic sectors of health, creative and cultural industries (ICC), green and blue economies, industry, tourism, and of course, innovation and digital technology.

Finally, the results obtained are not limited to figures but reflect an upward trajectory of the economic attractiveness of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and our region.

What is your roadmap for 2024?

Since the beginning of the year, 6 companies have already chosen the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis to pursue their development.

For 2024, our roadmap remains focused on strengthening the initiatives that have borne fruit in 2023, while introducing new strategies to develop the territory’s economic attractiveness.

We want to capitalize on the major international events scheduled for this year.

The arrival of the Tour de France and certain matches of the Olympic Games will showcase Nice and its economy. These events offer an exceptional platform for promoting the attractiveness of the Metropolis, both in terms of tourism and the economy.

We also plan to strengthen our international partnerships.

Our renewed cooperation with Tunisia, following the success encountered in 2023, is an example of this. This week, during Viva Technology, an international tech fair organized in Paris, we will formalize a partnership with the economic and innovation actors of the regions of Tunis and Sousse

This international ambition also includes Italy and Canada.

Specific missions are already scheduled in these two countries, including an economic mission to Quebec in October, initiated during a previous meeting with the Quebec General Delegation in Paris, and a mission in November to Rome, carried out in partnership with Business France.

We will continue our mission of strategic targeting, focusing our efforts on the sectors with the greatest potential for our territory.

This more refined and targeted approach aims to maximize the economic benefits of our initiatives and partnerships.

What opportunities do the major international events expected in 2024 and 2025 represent for the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis?

Hosting and organizing international events play an essential role in the economic development of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.

For 2024, the arrival of the Tour de France and the Olympic Games, for example, offer a unique opportunity to showcase Nice on the world stage.

The city is thus distinguished not only as a leading tourist destination but also as a territory that is economically dynamic.

These events serve as a catalyst for attracting new investors. Companies interested in implanting themselves in a territory capable of hosting major international gatherings see the Metropolis as a strategic location.

The ripple effect of these events is significant.

They generate an influx of visitors, stimulating the local economy in the short term and improving infrastructure and services in the long term.

In 2025, hosting the United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC) will enable us to strengthen our actions on technological innovation and sustainable development driven by the blue and green economies.

The conference highlights the territory’s commitments to a sustainable economy. While the event will take place in June 2025, it has already sparked discussions and interest among companies that see significant economic potential in Nice related to the preservation of the oceans and natural resources and that share our vision of sustainability.

Some of our contacts may consider implanting themselves in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.

Thus, the rich program of international events for the years 2024 and 2025 represents a tremendous opportunity to consolidate the economic attractiveness of the Metropolis, promoting diversified and sustainable economic development.

Our goal is to take advantage of these opportunities to showcase the key economic sectors of our metropolis and ensure that the Nice Côte d’Azur destination is positioned on the map of all investors.

What are your other projects or initiatives?

Beyond the international events, we are implementing several initiatives.

Among these, the emphasis is on the development of specific sectors such as the green and blue economies, the Cultural and Creative Industries (ICC) which benefit from the renewal of the Victorine Studios, as well as the digital sector, in which Nice already has significant assets.

We are also working to strengthen the synergies between the different economic actors of the territory. This includes closer collaboration with local academic institutions such as the Université Côte d’Azur or the EDHEC Business School, with whom we have initiated a partnership to measure the impact of our activities and those of the companies implanted on the territory more globally in terms of economics, society, and the environment.

We also place a high priority on improving the welcome and integration of new companies on our territory.

This involves adapted support services and initiatives aimed at facilitating their installation and expansion.

For example, collaboration with the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry is crucial for providing companies with the resources and network necessary to thrive.

We aim to contribute to our territory being perceived not only as an attractive investment location but also as a partner in sustainable economic development.

By consolidating our role as a facilitator of economic opportunities and a coordinator between the different actors of the territory and the external companies and investors, we can, together, show that Nice is the land of all possibilities.