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CHAMONIX, CONGRESS DESTINATION

 A human perspective for your bespoke professional event

Chamonix has all the necessary requirements for a smooth and successful event :

• Direct motorway access ; an international airport only 90 km away ; rail links
  
  
• Exceptionally beautiful natural surroundings
  
  
• A range of quality hotels
  
  
• A majestic congress centre
  
  
• An outstanding and extensive natural playground
  
  
• A heart that beats all year round

Chamonix can offer conference facilities for up to 350 people (capacity of the plenary hall of the congress centre). This number allows us to provide a made-to-measure events plan and ensure full an complete operational management of all your requirements.

A history and traditional welcome, 250 years young

In 1091, the Count of Geneva donated the Chamonix valley to the Saint-Michel de la Cluse monastery in Piedmont (Italy).  The monks settled in during the 12^th century and tried, for many years, to impose their authority.  However, they did not reckon on the steadfast nature of the Chamonix people with their longing for independence and whose desire for freedom led to numerous rebellions which continued up to the year 1786.  Chamonix changed from dukedom to kingdom as treaties and annexations were entered into and abandoned.  In 1860, Chamonix became french and the first surfaced road was built between Geneva and Chamonix in time for the visit of Napoleon III.

1741 saw the beginning of tourism in Chamonix.  The first inn opened its doors 30 years later and other hotels followed.  At the beginning of the 1900s, during the Belle Epoque, luxury hotels were built to accommodate the aristocracy which divided its time between Nice, Deauville, Biarritz and Chamonix (Le Majestic, which is now the congress centre, and Le Savoy, a Club Med).  At first, people only visited Chamonix during the summer; however, it soon became a winter resort and was the venue for the first Winter Olympics in 1924.

In the meantime, the first lines of Chamonix’s history of mountains and mountaineering were being written.  In 1786, two Chamoniards reached the summit of the Mont-Blanc.  These mountains and glaciers were believed to be bewitched but scientific interest soon led to numerous expeditions and the construction of the very first high-altitude observatories, forerunners to mountain refuges.  With ever-increasing visitor numbers, mule-drivers, crystal seekers or chamois hunters grouped together to guide them through the mountains.  This resulted in the formation of the Compagnie des Guides in 1821 and its famous relief fund, the first funding system set up to help families in the valley affected by mountaineering accidents.

Throughout its history, the Chamonix valley has welcomed many famous people, including Goethe, Chateaubriand, George Sand, Victor Hugo, Théophile Gauthier and Louis Pasteur who have all written moving and passionate accounts of their visits.  Since then, explorations, ascents and other challenges have followed, making Chamonix the mountaineering capital of the world.  Roger Frison Roche made Chamonix his home base and remained a fervent ambassador throughout his life.

Chamonix and Science

Chamonix’s strong links with the scientific and medical worlds began in the 18^th century: first experimental expeditions, construction of high-altitude observatories, theory on the major glaciations of the Quaternary period.  In this extraordinary natural laboratory, many fields of investigation continue to attract scientists from all over the world, as witnessed by: The Ecole de Physique in Les Houches created in 1951 from which 26 students have been awarded the Nobel Prize; the creation of the Ifremont mountain medical research institute (Institut de Recherche en Médecine de Montagne); the Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme test centre and medical laboratory; the Centre de Recherche sur les Ecosystèmes d'Altitude (CREA) [research centre for high altitude ecosystems]; and the network of players devoted to science (including several researchers based in the valley).

Chamonix organizes numerous scientific or medical congresses throughout the year.

Bureau des Congrès
Office de Tourisme - 85 Place du Triangle de l'Amitié - BP 25 - 74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
Tél : +33(0)4 50 53 75 50 - Fax : +33(0)4 50 53 80 83 - congres@chamonix.com