Last January, the Palais des Congrès de Bordeaux hosted the annual Sail Training International Conference, a major event in the maritime world. Sandrine Vitse, Tourism & Events Coordinator at Bordeaux Métropole Tourism Department, worked alongside the organizer to establish Bordeaux as the host city for this international event. She takes us behind the scenes.
What are the key challenges of the Sail Training International Conference?
The Sail Training International Conference brings together each year ship owners of tall ships, host ports of nautical events, as well as national sailing associations. International experts and speakers also attend to share their experiences and projects.
This event is essential for all stakeholders involved in youth development through sailing, the organization of major maritime festivals such as the “Tall Ships’ Races”, international cooperation, and the transmission of maritime know-how.
In this context, Bordeaux proved highly convincing as a destination. Its rich maritime history, iconic port, and high-quality event infrastructure enabled it to stand out against Antwerp, another candidate city.
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Why was the Palais des Congrès de Bordeaux chosen?
We were expecting between 300 and 350 participants. Given the program, which included conferences and workshops, we needed a venue capable of hosting multiple session formats simultaneously.
The Palais des Congrès quickly became the obvious choice: its functional architecture and modular spaces perfectly met our requirements.
The presence of an auditorium for the opening plenary session was also a key factor. I would also like to highlight the smooth organization of the event. Thanks to the professionalism of the BEAM teams, everything ran under optimal conditions, much to the satisfaction of both the organizer and participants.
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Tall ships will return to Bordeaux in 2027…
Absolutely! For the second time in its history, after hosting the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races in 1990: Bordeaux will once again be the starting port of the Tall Ships Races 2027, from July 7 to 11.
On this occasion, around forty tall ships from all over the world will gather in the Port of the Moon, on both riverbanks, from the Pont de Pierre to La Cité du Vin.
We will embark 200 young people aged 15 to 25 for a unique sailing experience during the first leg of the race, which will connect Bordeaux to La Coruña in Spain.
For this large-scale event, we will once again collaborate with Beam, this time with H14, the official pavilion of Tall Ships Races Bordeaux 2027, featuring a space dedicated to regional and nautical products, a terrace restaurant, hospitality areas, and more.
