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European American Chamber of Commerce event in Lyon 4/16
The European American Chamber of Commerce, Lyon chapter, is a part of a network organization that facilitates business and best practices between the US and France. It has chapters in Paris, Lyon, Boston, Cincinnati, New Jersey, New York and a partner in Italy.
They hold conferences and events on business-related topics. On April 16th, they’ll be holding a talk on ETI size companies. The event details are below. RSVP required.
Happy networking!
EACC & KPMG present:
Focus on ETIs,
Intermediate sized companiesEurope counts over 30,000 ETIs – an intermediate category between small and medium enterprises and large companies, more than 3,000 of which are in France, where they are considered to be an essential driver of economic growth.
Speaker: Sara Righenzi de Villers, Expert comptable Commissaire aux Comptes, KPMG
Who are they?
How do they resist the effects of the current economic crisis?
What are their challenges?
What are their key growth drivers?Tuesday 16 April 2013
from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
KPMG, 51 rue de St Cyr 69009 LYON6:30pm to 7:00pm – Welcome cocktail
7:00pm to 8:00pm – Presentation and Q&A
8:00pm to 8:30pm – Networking cocktail
American Clubs in France: a great resource for events
Bonjour everyone,
I’ve posted in the past about the American Clubs newsletter. It is not just for Americans but more of a resource for expats and French citizens alike to know what’s going on around in France in terms of networking with like-minded individuals in dozens of cities.
I encourage you to sign up for their newsletter (icon on right here to sign up under “Contact Us/Newsletter).
You should also be able to see the latest newsletter edition, for events all over France, here.
Happy networking!
Lyon’s Fête des Lumières Dec. 6-9
Bonjour!
The annual famous light festival in Lyon, France, Fête des Lumières, takes place this December 6th thru December 9th, 2012.
It is really a FANTASTIC show. The amazing aspect of the spectacle itself varies according to year, but you won’t regret going. You may only regret the crowds. I’ve been the past 5 festivals and the population of Lyon doubles to almost 4 million during the long weekend.
You can find out more on their Facebook page and the official site. The site is also available in English. The site has useful information on different shows around the city and times.
Travel info
-You’ll want to check out the TCL Lyon public transport system website for travel updates.
-The regional train system, TER Rhone-Alpes, has information on train schedules as well.
-If you’re taking a TGV via SNCF, check out the SNCF website “Gares en Mouvement” to see about train arrivals and departures. They also have tips for visits to Lyon.
-If you’re flying in, the Aeroports de Lyon website has information.
-Hotels are usually booked this weekend months in advance. Check out classifieds or apartment sharing websites at this point.
It’s truly a wonderful festival, and I love the city of Lyon. Check out my post from last year.
Bonne visite !
The Economist’s France 14-page special report
The Economist this week has a 14-page special report this week in its print edition that focuses on France, from its economy to politics, under the central theme of how economic structural reform is necessary in order to avoid a “time bomb” going off at the heart of the Eurozone. You can access the Nov. 17, 2012 print edition contents here. The leader article introducing the special report is here, and the special report link can be found at the table of contents site under “Special report: France” (there are 8 articles).
I’m delving into all this right now and encourage you to do the same. Even if you don’t agree with the magazine’s analysis, it is a highly-regarded publication for a reason: for asking important questions.
This is the not the first time the British news magazine has waxed poetic about France’s economic woes and potential for growth. Indeed, French economic and business paper Les Echos puts past covers and stories into perspective (in French).
What do you think are France’s biggest problems and do you think Hollande and Ayrault’s government can solve them?
Back to the US after 5 years in la belle France
Hello, Bonjour everyone:
Apologies for the lack of activity on this blog in some time. I’m currently setting the stage to revamp its offerings and content to improve its purpose of informing and advising expats and potential expats.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your readership and likes and follows, you make this site what is. My goal is to foster a community of readers, and with your help I will build that.
After spending the past 5 years in France between Lyon, Grenoble and Paris, from teaching English to going to graduate school and working in communications and advertising, I’ve recently moved back to the US to accept a great career opportunity in Chicago.
I’ve greatly appreciated my time of discovery, learning and friendship over the past 5 years, and I’m a better person for having lived in France and made great friendships there with French nationals as well as expats. France will always remain a special place for me, and I know I’ll be back there someday in one way or another.
I will continue to post to my blog and improve its content to share news related to France and expat issues. Now I’m reconnecting to my American roots but keeping my French cultural and linguistic reflexes, and connecting to the French expat community here in Chicago. Quite a role reversal but I’m ready for the adventure.
Thanks again for your readership, and if you have any comments or suggestions for what content you would like to see, feel free to post a note.
Best wishes for Thanksgiving. Posting soon…
Merci!
Michael
Bastille Day 2012
Happy Bastille Day everyone! Joyeux 14 juillet tout le monde !
How did you celebrate today? Feel free to post in the comments section your favorite places to celebrate, no matter which country or city.
I myself am in Washington DC today and among several spots to revel in the celebration, Bistrot du Coin is a local favorite.
In the spirit of transatlantic relations, this NY Times piece is interesting.
Vive la France !
French airport strikes continue, though will likely improve
Great news out of France for travelers (including me tomorrow):
Several security service teams working at airports around France are striking to receive more benefits and a pay raise.
This has affected Lyon St. Exupéry Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy CDG), Toulouse and this may soon expand to Nice, Bâle-Mulhouse (Basel-Mulhouse) and Rennes. Video below.
The Aéroports de Paris website states the following at 3pm today: “Paris-CDG: Industrial action by security companies, 3 pm update Paris-CDG Terminal 2 : 15 mn wait time at security checks, up to 60 mn at peak times. No flight cancellations. Paris-Orly : normal situation.”
Normally the strikes before were also in terminals 1 and 3 of CDG. The Lyon website says strikes should continue to cause delays today but should not result in cancellations. To be confirmed.
Now the French government is looking into having a law obliging airports to have minimum service during strikes. They’ve also named 2 official mediators to try to resolve the crisis.
For the latest updates, call your airline and please check the respective airport websites and France 24 for latest information.
I’ll be writing a bit less during the holidays. Safe travels and Happy Holidays!
Lyon’s Fête des Lumières this weekend
The annual Fête des Lumières in the wonderful city of Lyon, France takes place this weekend. I’ve been the past four years and will be there again this weekend, along with millions of other visitors (in addition to the local Lyon area population of 1.8 million or so).
For more information on this great event, check out This French Life, The Daily Mail UK’s great article, and of course the official site.
Enjoy!
France has 9 cities in Top 100 Global Innovation Cities ranking
France’s strong tradition of research and innovation, as well as growing FDI and domestic investment in pharma, nanotechnology, cleantech, biotech, and other innovative sectors seem to be gaining worldwide recognition.
In the latest rankings of Innovation Cities released by the company 2thinknow, the United States has 23 cities in the Top 100, Germany has 16 and France has 9, making it third among countries in the poll. One of my favorite cities, Lyon, even makes it in the Global Top 10. Congrats to Lyon! The following French cities are in the Top 100:
#3 Paris
#8 Lyon
#27 Strasbourg
#37 Nantes
#39 Marseille
#41 Bordeaux
#44 Toulouse
#63 Montpellier
#96 Reims
After the Top 100 but within the overall ranking of 331 benchmark cities, France has several other cities featured within Europe: Nice, Lille, Cannes, Rennes. Although I’m personally surprised that Grenoble, a city known for its research and nanotechnology, is nowhere to be found…
G20, Paris newspaper bombing, Madame Le Pen goes to Washington
In the latest issue of Bonjour Paris news, I have an article that talks about these subjects. You can read it all here.
Michael
americanexpatinfrance
