Case Study
La Cité des Congrès Valenciennes: a successful migration to a new event management tool
The Cité des Congrès Valenciennes, located in the heart of an innovative district developed by Valenciennes Métropole, is a modern conference and exhibition center.
Designed to meet the needs of professional and cultural event organizers, the Cité des Congrès Valenciennes hosts a wide variety of events each year, including conventions, conferences, seminars, trade shows, as well as shows, Christmas parties, and events for the general public.
The challenge / Issue
Context:
In a context of internal transformation and strategic redefinition, the organization recently embarked on a decisive change, requiring a complete overhaul of its management system, particularly in terms of CRM, reservation management, and events.
The tool it had historically used was no longer suited to its new constraints, particularly in terms of budget, but also in terms of ergonomics and flexibility.
In this context, the Cité des Congrès Valenciennes turned to Lab Event with the aim of achieving a rapid, controlled, and sustainable transition to a new digital environment.
Objectives:
The decision to transition to a new system came at a time of intense activity, with the Cité des Congrès hosting a series of events.
The objective was therefore to migrate all data within a limited timeframe, design a new management infrastructure, train teams on new tools, and ensure full commissioning before a mandatory deadline corresponding to the final shutdown of the old system.
This context made the project particularly strategic and sensitive, requiring rigor, responsiveness, and close support.
Solution provided by Lab Event
To respond to the urgency of the situation and the complexity of the context, Lab Event proposed a completely turnkey solution.
This global approach has been articulated around several essential steps:
In-depth analysis of the client’s needs
Design of a new management infrastructure
Implementation of an intensive training device
The main objective was clear: to ensure a smooth transition to the new system without causing any disruption in the activity of the Valenciennes Congress Centre.
Services and activated modules:
From the first exchanges, the activated features were chosen to cover the entire operational scope of the site.
Lab Event’s advanced CRM allowed for centralized and structured contact management, while the generation of purchase orders, quotes, as well as contracting with electronic signature ensured the continuity of business processes.
The integrated project management, coupled with billing and budget monitoring modules, provided a consolidated view of all events, allowing precise steering in accordance with the requirements of the team in place.
Approaches and processes:
In order to best align the tool with the specific needs of the structure, several collaborative work sessions were organized.
These workshops made it possible to precisely map the internal processes, to recreate a tailor-made structure integrating personalized fields, and to formalize an adapted working method. Thanks to intelligent bypass logic, the team avoided resorting to specific developments: some functions were replaced by clever solutions such as automated exports or the use of an internal nomenclature, ensuring efficiency and agility.
Implementation / Development
The success of this project is above all due to the strong commitment of the teams involved:
> On the Lab Event side, the entire team organized themselves in project mode, with great flexibility in the schedules. Resources were mobilized in the evening and weekends were used to accelerate implementation and meet deadlines.
This exceptional involvement made it possible to maintain a sustained and effective pace, which is essential in this emergency context.
> For its part, the team at the Cité des Congrès was very responsive and dedicated. Despite the constraints, she managed to retrieve a significant part of the data from the old system. This was enough to lay a solid foundation in Lab Event, while offering an opportunity to overhaul some inherited usages.
Two weekly workshops allowed to maintain a high level of coordination between the two structures, keeping a clear direction and a focus on priorities.
On the technical level, several customizations have been implemented in order to adapt the solution to the particularities of the City of Congresses. This modeling and configuration work was conducted in parallel with the training sessions, which facilitated a quick handling of the tool by the operational teams.
Results obtained
After a few weeks of intensive work, the migration was completed within the allotted time.
As soon as the old tool was stopped, the teams of the Cité des Congrès were ready: they could switch to Lab Event the next day, without interruption in their activity. This operational continuity was a strong issue, and it has been fully achieved.
Beyond the simple resumption, the Lab Event tool has allowed a notable simplification of processes.
Internal circuits have been streamlined, exchanges accelerated, and the readability of projects improved. Users now have a more flexible system, better adapted to their reality on the ground.
The structure is now autonomous on the tool and continues its skills development through punctual and targeted support.
“More flexible and ergonomic, the Lab Event platform accompanies us daily. A big thank you to the teams who made possible a quick and successful migration of this new tool.” – Valenciennes Congress Centre
Conclusion
This migration project conducted in a very short time is a striking example of what the combination of an agile tool and strong synergy between teams allows.
The responsiveness of Lab Event, its ability to propose concrete and immediately activable solutions, as well as the unwavering involvement of the Valenciennes Congress Centre, have made possible a relaunch of activity without any break.
The collaboration continues today in a logic of continuous optimization. It could inspire other structures in transition, facing similar challenges of rapid transformation and modernization.
