Interview with Paul Guiraud, Managing Director of EIG FSE and Isabelle Klein, Corporate Sales & Marketing Director of Sofinord, on BFM Business.

In this interview with Isabelle Klein and Paul Guiraud, the focus was on strategies for capitalising on the success of the Olympic Games for French companies.

Isabelle Klein emphasised that the Sofinord teams worked with exceptional motivation and genuine passion. ‘Today, we can be proud of having contributed to a remarkably unique Games,’ she says. The Olympic Game were an exceptional showcase for French expertise, particularly for the member companies of the France Sport Expertise Economic Interest Group. They offered an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate the skills and expertise of the French sports industry in the context of a world-class event such as the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

However, it is recognised that French companies are often subject to high expectations when it comes to organising events that meet international standards, which can lead to a degree of scepticism and even ‘French bashing’. Nevertheless, these Olympic Game have illustrated the ability of French companies to meet these challenges successfully, restoring confidence in their potential.

For Sofinord, the Olympic Games provided an opportunity to mobilise all the group’s companies, whether in terms of hospitality, security or logistics. It was also an opportunity to celebrate the company’s fiftieth anniversary in a memorable way.

The question now is: how can we capitalise on this success?

International competition is particularly intense, especially from the UK and the Netherlands, who are well ahead in the field of public-private partnerships. However, France also has considerable strengths. Thanks to the good practices developed during the Olympic Games, the country is in a position to promote and export its expertise at future major sporting events, a crucial issue for the interest group.

Finally, it should be remembered that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were the first to comply with the new organisational model set out in the Olympic Charter, and their success far exceeded expectations. The event was a real springboard for companies such as Sofinord.