On Wednesday, 30 March, the Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin (the operator of La Cité du Vin) and KEDGE Business School announced an entirely new type of partnership, uniting their respective brands to promote and increase the visibility of the two organisations. The partnership combines shared experience, know-how in providing an optimal visitor experience and pooled knowledge to inaugurate La Cité du Vin, the world’s only cultural leisure facility of its kind. The venue, which expects upwards of 450,000 visitors per year, will open its doors on 1 June 2016 in Bordeaux.
From early June onwards, La Cité du Vin will offer visitors an ambitious and unprecedented project: a journey through time and space to explore different wine cultures and civilisations. To meet this challenge, La Cité du Vin has called upon the expertise of KEDGE Business School.
KEDGE Business School is one of a number of institutions that have supported the project from its earliest days. Several collaborations with students and faculty members led to joint work with representatives of La Cité du Vin and the creation of a partnership in support of a cultural and leisure destination unlike any other.
La Cité du Vin: serving the entire wine-growing industry and changing the tourism landscape for all stakeholders.
“A key part of KEDGE Business School’s mission is to contribute to the development of major projects within its geographical sector. La Cité du Vin will have a major impact, and we are proud to be involved,” comments Thomas Froehlicher, Director General and Dean of KEDGE Business School.
As the world’s wine capital, Bordeaux now has a site worthy of its ambitions. This place of extraordinary discoveries is expected to welcome over 450,000 visitors per year, who will be able to immerse themselves in an astonishing world of interactive digital animation, awaken their senses, and enjoy unique tasting experiences.
“La Cité du Vin is a great cultural and leisure resource which will increase the visibility of Bordeaux as an international tourist destination. It will act as a bridge between Bordeaux and the vineyards of the world. As we turn this challenge into reality, having KEDGE Business School as a partner gives us the expertise and resources we need,” adds Sylvie Cazes, President of the Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin.
A partnership built on observing and analysing a unique—even oneiric—experience
La Cité du Vin is a cultural and tourist experience. Visitors will take a trip back in time as they discover the permanent and temporary exhibitions and participate in workshops, while enjoying a comprehensive range of services that include the belvedere and wine bar, as well as restaurants and boutiques. Yet if this offering is to reach its full potential, visitor satisfaction needs to be quantified.
Under the new partnership agreement, KEDGE Business School will support the project by recording observations on visitor experience and customer satisfaction levels. Visitors’ journeys will be tracked via their digital companions, and the information collected during their visits will be aggregated and ultimately used to improve the services offered.
“Our intention is to deliver a unique, high-quality experience to our visitors. Our partnership with KEDGE Business School will give us an in-depth understanding of our visitors’ behaviour and satisfaction levels, and improve the training of our already highly qualified staff,” says Philippe Massol, CEO of the Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin.
Faculty members and students studying for their Master’s degree in Wine and Spirits Management will be responsible for analysing the data collected.
Staff training: a key to success
As part of the partnership, KEDGE Business School will provide training to staff members whose job is to welcome visitors, issue tickets and handle additional sales. General management will also benefit from HR support and seminars on digital strategy.
KEDGE Business School is supporting La Cité du Vin by developing a database service and a dedicated training programme which addresses the highly specific needs of both staff and management. “In addition to the exceptional environment this offers our researchers, the KEDGE Business School Wine & Spirits Academy is perfectly positioned to contribute to the success of this great resource to promote Bordeaux and its entire region. With such a win-win project, we owed it to ourselves to get involved,” notes Jacques-Olivier Pesme, Director of the KEDGE Business School Wine & Spirits Academy.
KEDGE Business School will also enjoy preferential access for its employees, alumni and business partners.
Once again, this partnership illustrates the wine and spirits expertise within KEDGE Business School and its commitment to the wine industry.
About La Cité du Vin and the Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin
The Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin is an official public-interest foundation whose mission is to preserve, develop and promote the cultural, historical and intellectual heritage of wine. It has been a recognized part of French cultural heritage since 2014. As the project’s principal and owner of the building, the City of Bordeaux has entrusted the running of La Cité du Vin to the Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin. More than just an essential visit during any stay in Bordeaux, it will also be a part of everyday life and leisure for the people of Bordeaux and its region. La Cité du Vin is expected to attract over 450,000 visitors a year, and opens its doors on 1 June 2016.
www.laciteduvin.com/en
About KEDGE Business School
KEDGE Business School has campuses in France (Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille and Toulon), China (Suzhou, Shanghai) and 4 partner campuses (Avignon, Bastia, Bayonne and Dakar, Africa). The KEDGE Business School community is composed of 12,000 students (including 25% overseas students), 196 permanent faculty members (including 44% overseas lecturers), 300 academic partners and 50,000 alumni worldwide. With a portfolio of 31 programmes in management for students and executives, KEDGE Business School also develops customised educational programmes for specific corporate needs worldwide.
#30 European Business Schools and #23% EMBA worldwide in 2015 Financial Times rankings, KEDGE Business School is AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accredited and a member of the French Conférence des Grandes Ecoles.
www.kedgebs.com – @kedgebs – Facebook/kedgebs
