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Retail

Consumer Goods Forum: Paris Summit Ends On High

By square1
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Consumer Goods Forum: Paris Summit Ends On High

Peter Freedman, the new managing director of the Consumer Goods Forum, will have been pleased with the conclusion of its three-day Paris summit, held last week. On Friday evening, Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of L'Oréal, hosted the summit-closing gala dinner, an extravagant black-tie event for over 1,000 delegates and their partners at Château de Versailles, to celebrate the end of a very successful event.

The gala evening started when guests arrived through a private entrance into the royal courtyard, followed by an exclusive tour of the king's apartments and the famed Hall of Mirrors, where musicians in elegant period costumes played court music and baroque melodies, and courtiers danced stately quadrilles.

Then it was on to a cocktail reception in the stunningly beautiful gardens of Versailles, where the finest champagne from magnum bottles flowed and canapés were served.

The guests were then escorted, to the beat of the military drums, along a red VIP carpet to the Orangerie for a sumptuous dinner in the same room where French presidents traditionally entertain their most prestigious visitors. The Orangerie was decorated with beautiful floral arrangements for this very special occasion.

L'Oréal’s guests included retailers from around the world, FMCG manufacturers and service providers. There were many Americans, a big contingent from Asia, and, understandably, there was a strong French presence. Jean-Dominique Tortil, vice-president of communications for L'Oréal, hosted a small but distinguished party of journalists from major European news media outlets, including Le Figaro, Le Monde, Nikkei (the Financial Times of Japan), Lebensmittel Zeitung and ESM.

Two of France’s greatest opera singers and a fireworks display in the gardens of Versailles were the final acts, before bringing the evening to an end, as delegates were chauffeured back to their respective hotels. Next year’s global summit will be in New York. After L'Oréal’s spectacular soirée, it will be interesting to see what the Americans have planned.

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