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Lille 2004 : consequences and impacts

 

Céline BLONDEAU

Lille Catholic University - FRANCEFaculté Libre des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion –

Faculty of Economics and Management (FLSEG)

October 2010

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Lille 2004

Hop-o'-My-Thumb (Le Petit Poucet) with his “seven league foots” : symbol of Lille 2004

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Lille and Nord-Pas de Calais Area in the heart of Europe

200 000 inhabitants 1,5 million for Lille and its suburbs : 4th largest

city in France 4 million for the region Nord-Pas de Calais (60

million in France) 8 conglomerations with a population of over

100000. Lille is located at the hub of an area counting

over 100 million people within a 300 km radius.

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Lille in the heart of Europe

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Why Lille 2004 ? Background and motivation To change Stereotypes :

• To strengthen and improve the image (mining coal excavation, bad living conditions in 19th century, unemployment, bad weather…) : from tradition to transition.

• To change image : "blue collar" and working class population are viewed different from culture.

To Increase notoriety. To take advantage of its assets :

• dynamic city in the heart of Europe : develop tourism

• A strong reputation and savoir-faire about events and giant flea market (Braderie, 1st week-end of September).

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La Braderie

Everybody sells everything on the street for 48 hours non-stop: the whole city is turned into a pedestrian area.

250 restaurants compete for the highest pile of mussels prepared during the week-end.

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How to increase notoriety ?

Foundations• TGV (high speed train) 1994

• Hotel accommodation progressed considerably between 1989 and 1994, with the creation of 69 additional establishments in the Region.

Step by step• Candidate for the Olympic Games in 2004 (won vs

Lyon in France) in mid 90s, but Athens won.

• Candidate for European Capitals of Culture.

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Tourism : an activity full of promise

Tourist region ! 6th largest tourist region in France, but above all local tourism (Nord-Pas de Calais, British, German, Belgian and Dutch visitors): 2 out of 5 tourists were foreigners.

58 million visitors in Nord-Pas de Calais (almost day trippers); many tourists pass through the region on their way to other destinations (150 million per year).

33 classified museums (France N°2 region for its density of museums) .

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What is Lille 2004 ? A year of festivals, metamorphoses,

shows and visions of new art of living open to Europe and the world (related to related to past foreign immigration)

Based on Lille's own culture and history to promote popular culture, and remember folklore and the importance of tradition.

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The opening ceremony : 6th December 2003

700 000 people for the 1st series of balls, known as "Bals Blancs" (white balls)

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The "Giants", weight of tradition of carnivals

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Exhibitions in museums

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Some popular events or places

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Parallal worlds

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Flower Power at Hospice Comtesse and Euralille

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Les "Maisons Folie"

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Metamorphosis of Grand Place :From La forêt suspendue orHanging trees to …

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To … La forêt de bambou (forest of bamboo) and a parallel world (41° N)

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Metamorphosis of Faidherbe street : from star path …

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To Shangai "Ramblas" !

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Even Metamorphosis at the station !

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Even more : Las Fallas in Lille !

Lille welcomed the Valencian tradition. Under the guiding hand of Louis Bouchard, 9 districts of Lille imagined their own fallas. Over 20,000 people witnessed the ritual burning of these sculptures.

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Lille 2004 : Organisation and Results

2 473 events 76 partner firms 10 000 artists 800 direct jobs 17 800 "Ambassadors", regional volunteers. 39% events were free of charge More than 6 000 flags in 142 towns and in the

stations (Lille, London, Paris and Brussels).

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Mécénat : a real performance

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Impact

For the first time ever, a European Capital of Culture included the participation of 193 surrounding villages, towns and cities: from the Nord-Pas de Calais region and Belgium.

Almost 100 partners gave their help to Lille 2004, by supporting events, projects and artists.

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ImpactFigures : 9 million visitors (40% of foreign visitors, of whom 60% are British), 2.8

million tickets. Number of Tourists : 30% higher than in 2003 Hostels: number of nights : 33% higher Foreign visitors : 31% higher 4000 journalists from all over the world More than 2000 audio video reports. 5 000 articles in local newspapers and 1 500 articles in national

newspapers; 1 400 in foreign newspapers (in Spain, 30 articles, in 20 different

newspapers). A website www.lille2004.com , with more than 100.000 visitors per

month. 140 delegations came to benefit from Lille experience (Vancouver

2010, - 27 candidates for cultural capital for Europe)

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Tourism office : Attendance

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HotelsBetween 2003 et 2004: number of nights in hotels in

Lille : + 27,2% ; Occupation rate : from 63%

to 70,3%, with a maximum of 79,3% during the second quarter ;

- tourist occupancy : +39,7% Number of nights for

foreigner : + 37,1% (mostly due to Belgian people, 3 times higher, and to people from Netherlands, 2,5 higner; German, twice higher)

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Budget

Budget : 73,7 million euros 18 % Mécénat privé18 % État18 % Communauté urbaine15 % Conseil Régional11 %  Ville de Lille9 % Conseil Général Nord6 % Europe et autres collectivités5 % Conseil Général Pas-de-Calais

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Record of attendance

• 301 287 visitors for Rubens Fine-Arts Museum,

• 213 600 visitors for Mexique-Europe exhibition (Modern Arts Museum, Villeneuve d'Ascq)

• 127 000 for Picasso exhibition

• 100 000 for egyptologist Auguste Mariette in Boulogne-sur-Mer,

• 100 000 for Robots and Cars of the future at Tri Postal of Lille,

• 75 600 for Flower Power

• 60 000 for Microfolies

• 55 000 for Watteau exhibition

• 40 000 for Erwin Redl in Sainte Marie-Madeleine Church in Lille,

• 25 000 for sculptor Ousmane Sow in Mons-en-Baroeul

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Conclusion about Lille 2004

Lille 2004 reveals that the city is in the heart of Europe.

It shows Europe how dynamic, young and modern its population is .

Gives a strong cultural and touristic image.

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Long term Consequences

Programme of urban development and restoration of the area's heritage providing both sides of the border with:• 12 maisons Folie,

• some local exhibitions,

• a renovated Opera,

• and a skate park, dedicated to new sports.

• More pedestrian streets : les "Ramblas" !

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What else since 2004 ?

Lille 3000 ! The voyage goes

on...

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Very dynamic: in 2006, after Lille 2004,

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Lille 3000 in 2006-2007

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Lille 3000 in 2009 Fasten your seatbelts as Europe XXL invites

you on a series of voyages of discovery, in the form of the midi-midi thematic weekends. All usual reference points of time and space are to be forgotten!

4 months dedicated to "new European countries" : a voyage through a Europe transfigured 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall

Boarding for Europe XXL!

From west to east, this event picks you up all over Central Europe and Eastern Europe, … until Istanbul.

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Parade and celebration : March 2009

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The midday-midnight-midday concept in the former freight train station Saint Sauveur

Les "Midi-Midi" or midday-midnight-midday concept :

27/03/2009 > 29/03/2009 : Berlin 10/04/2009 > 12/04/2009 : Baltes Countries 22/05/2009 > 24/05/2009 : Warsaw 05/06/2009 > 07/06/2009 : Moscow 19/06/2009 > 21/06/2009 : Budapest & Bucarest 03/07/2009 > 05/07/2009 : Istanbul & Balkans

It takes visitors on a non-stop 48 hour voyage to a Central or Eastern European city, region or country. Budapest, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Warsaw, Bucharest, plus Istanbul, Berlin, Moscow and the Balkans.

Each weekend, appreciate the creative energy of these dynamic cultural regions.

No need to pack your bags to enjoy, from Friday to Sunday, a concentrated dose of the best music (from folklore to electro), live performance and literature but also fashion, design, food, media and more… midi-midi, or how to live with Eastern attitude.

http://www.lille3000.com

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Welcome to Lille

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Thank you !

Céline BLONDEAUFaculty of Economics and Management

Lille Catholic University

October 2010