A partnership agreement was signed between Thalys and the “Leading Venues of Paris” on 27 September 2006 at the Palais des Congrès de Paris in the presence of Jean-Michel Dancoisne, Managing Director of Thalys, and Véronique de Chantérac-Lamielle, Managing Director of the of  Palais des Congrès de Paris.

To enable visitors and exhibitors to travel faster to conferences and shows at venues situated along its network, Thalys has signed partnerships with the sector’s major players, including the Koelnmesse in Germany.

This agreement symbolises the commitment of the “Leading Venues of Paris” to developing the market for conferences and exhibitions coming from the north of Europe, thus creating optimizing synergies in its commercial activities.

Thalys is the official transport company for visitors and exhibitors travelling to the “Leading Venues of Paris” from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Participants attending events in one of the four “Leading Venues of Paris” are eligible for reduced fares, with discounts of up to 25% on the price of a Comfort 1 ticket and 15% on the price of a Comfort 2 ticket.

In practical terms, visitors and exhibitors attending a partner event can benefit from a 25% discount on the price of a Comfort 1 ticket and a 15% discount on the price of a Comfort 2 ticket*.

Thalys is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2006. The company has already transported more than 50 million passengers between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne. Thanks to Thalys’ new Ticketless service, it is also possible now to travel without a paper ticket. In 2008, Thalys will transport passengers from Brussels to Amsterdam and Brussels to Cologne in approximately one hour and thirty minutes, and from Paris to Amsterdam and Paris to Cologne in approximately three hours.

Thalys is a product of the SNCB, SNCF, DB AG and NS groups. The “Leading Venues of Paris” are four exceptional venues devoted to the organization of conferences, exhibitions and other events in Paris.

The alliance formed between the French capital’s four leading venues - the Palais des Congrès de Paris, the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition and Conference Centre, the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, and the Palais des Congrès de Versailles – has without doubt created a global offer that is unique in Europe.

“We now offer our customers tailored solutions that are perfectly suited to their specific needs,” explains Véronique de Chantérac-Lamielle, Managing Director of the Palais des Congrès de Paris and the Palais des Congrès de Versailles, and Marc Granier, Managing Director of Paris-Nord Villepinte and Paris-Le Bourget.