BACK TO THE EUROSIMA 2024 GENERAL MEETING

 

The EuroSIMA 2024 General Meeting, held on May 17, brought together our industry and members for a day rich in exchanges and perspectives. Hosted by Jean-Louis RODRIGUES, President of EuroSIMA, Christophe SEILLER, Executive Director, and the operational team, the AGM aimed to take stock of the year's achievements and outline our actions for 2024.

 

BALANCE SHEET 2023: STRATEGIC REINFORCEMENT

 

 

Jean-Louis Rodrigues, President of EuroSIMA, opened the meeting with a message of support for Franck Laporte-Fauret, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation following an accident a year ago. We are all thinking of him and continue to support him in his recovery.

Our President reminded us of the nature of our association: " EuroSIMA's vocation is to federate and develop an ecosystem of companies, to encourage the emergence of new projects and to ensure the growth and sustainability of established companies in the European Action Sports sector.

He then praised the hard work of the operational team, as well as the collaborative efforts with our institutional partners and key partner structures such as Union Sport & Cycle, SIMA and the Annecy-based Outdoor Sports Valley Association. "As a result, our industry has gained greater recognition from the public authorities, as well as enhanced support for the region's attractiveness and economic development."

" 2023 was a year synonymous with confirmation of the momentum and interest shown in our market despite a delicate context of a general slowdown in consumption, but with the rise of the surf tourism destination on our European coasts."

The year 2023 was marked by the growing recognition of our market, despite a difficult economic context. Among other things, we set up a reference system with Surfrider Foundation Europe to help our members reduce their environmental impact. More broadly, we aim to support our industry in adopting concrete, achievable CSR approaches, by making useful tools and a progressive improvement approach available to our members.

 

CLARIFYING OUR ACTIONS

In 2023, we realized that the diversity of our actions sometimes made it difficult for our public to understand our role and missions. To remedy this, we undertook a major restructuring of our communications. We clarified our initiatives and structured our messages to make them more impactful and accessible.

This redesign included the enhancement of our various campaigns, such as the "Inside EuroSIMA" podcast series, which highlights inspiring stories from our industry, as well as the #EuroSIMAFamily campaign, which highlights the latest news from our network and our members.
We hope that our strategy, which aims to clarify our actions, will enable our audience to feel included in our approach and to better understand our actions.

 

OUR PRIORITIES FOR 2024

To continue moving forward together in 2024, we have defined several strategic priorities:

  • Commitment and innovation :
    • Support for eco-innovation and R&D projects
    • Implementation of our environmental impact reduction guidelines
    • The importance of positive management, inclusion and the social dimension.
  • Training and education :
    • Strengthening training programs on digital transformation, management and sustainable development
    • Tailor-made thematic workshops to enhance the skills of our industry players.
  • International development :
    • Promotion of European brands on the world stage through international events such as Surf Expo in Orlando, Surf Scape in Huntington Beach and the Taghazout Surf Expo.
  • Promotion and Visibility :
    • Continuation of communication campaigns and flagship events such as the Surf Summit, the Beach Party and the Surfing Lounge
    • Promoting the innovations and successes of our members through our communication media
  • Key strategic information to support our members' development

 

PROJECTS AND PROJECTED BUDGET 2024

At the EuroSIMA General Meeting, we also presented our budget outlook for 2024. We plan to continue advising and supporting our member companies, and to help them establish themselves in the "Action Sports" ecosystem, locally, nationally and internationally, while emphasizing innovation and social and environmental responsibility.

 

KEY EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS

Our year will be punctuated by several key events, including :

  • " EuroSIMA Beach Party: a friendly inter-company surfing event to be held on June 21 in Seignosse.
  • The " EuroSIMA Surf Summit " and "Surfing Lounge": conference, testimonials, round tables, networking, exhibition, [...] scheduled for September 26 and 27 in Seignosse.
  • The " Forum des Métiers de la Glisse ": to be held in April in Hossegor, highlighting career opportunities in our industry in collaboration with France Travail.

We will continue to produce content that reflects our values and initiatives, including, among others :

  • " Inside EuroSIMA Podcast: our business podcasts on the Action Sports sector.
  • " #EuroSIMA Family ": your great news highlighted on our digital media.
  • EuroSIMA 's " Call for Innovation Projects " encourages our companies to present their major innovations every year.
  • " Shared Goods & Services Platform ": exclusive advantages available to EuroSIMA members, to be found every first quarter in collaboration with OSV.
  • " Ride For Good": a campaign dedicated to new virtuous initiatives and concrete tools for CSR development.
  • " Shape Your Future! the campaign specific to our Employment platform and all the online news on the HR side of our industry.
  • " EuroSIMA Network News ": a selection of practical and technical information from our network of partners, providing monthly business intelligence.

 

REACTIONS

 

"The AGM is always a special moment for our association. On the one hand, there's the protocol and institutional side of the "Rapport Moral" of the President that I am, which is very important halfway through this 3rd mandate. It's my duty to take stock of what's been achieved and what's been done over the past year, as well as to set out my vision and main objectives for the coming year. The association's budgetary situation for last year's fiscal year, as presented by our auditor. And on the other hand, the pleasure of getting together: companies, institutions, project leaders, with very constructive and friendly exchanges, as well as the pleasure of sharing a drink with those present." Jean-Louis Rodrigues, President EuroSIMA

 

"These are special times when you chat with people in your industry, and exchange trends, information, feelings, difficulties, solutions. We're all together, it connects. It's a real opportunity to reconnect physically and talk face-to-face with certain colleagues." Emmanuel Debruères - Oxbow CEO

 

"It's always a great time. It's a time for taking stock: what's happened this year, what's planned? But it's not just a General Meeting. It's also a time for industry players to get together. There's both a serious side to it, and also an opportunity to meet people." Joost Grootswagers, President of Liberated Brands Europe

 

" First and foremost, it's an opportunity to get together. I think it's important to be able to share, to take stock of the various actions that have taken place over the winter, and of future projects. It's also an opportunity to meet and talk to new members of the association. The arrival of Gong in the association is a good example. Today, we discussed what having a major e-commerce player like Gong would mean for EuroSIMA. And then, on the training side of things, we also learned that some training centers are preparing to change the way they work over the next few years. It's always interesting to have this information beforehand, so that we can say to each other "We need to get together again, because we may both be working in the same sector, in the same niche. How can we work together or complement each other? And these are the discussions that are taking place this evening. Anyway, it's a chance to have a beer with everyone. " Kevin Lestrade, Director HackSchooling Institute

 

CONCLUSION

EuroSIMA President Jean-Louis Rodrigues, Executive Director Christophe Seiller and the rest of the team would like to extend their warmest thanks to everyone who took part in the association's most convivial and family-oriented event.

Our industry is unique, and EuroSIMA is proud to speak out on behalf of its members to defend their interests.

Please visit eurosima. com or contact us for more information on our initiatives and upcoming events.

 

________________

EUROSIMA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2024

The 2024 EuroSIMA General Assembly, which took place last May 17th, brought together our industry and members for a day of interaction and fresh perspectives. Chaired by Jean-Louis RODRIGUES, EuroSIMA President, Christophe SEILLER, Executive Director and the operational team, this GA aimed to take stock of the year's accomplishments and to announce what we are headed for in 2024.

 

2023 OVERVIEW: STRATEGIC REINFORCEMENT

Jean-Louis Rodrigues, EuroSIMA President, opened the GA with a heart-felt message of support to Franck Laporte-Fauret, who is currently going through physical therapy following his accident from a year ago. He remains in our hearts and minds and we all wish him courage through his recovery. Our President started by reminding us of the nature of our association: "EuroSIMA aims to federate and develop a business ecosystem that encourages the emergence of new projects and to ensure growth and longevity for existing businesses in the European Action Sports industry."

He then recognized the commitment and work of the operational team, as well as the efforts of collaboration with our institutional partners and key partners such as Union Sport & Cycle, SIMA and Outdoor Sports Valley, based in Annecy.
"Our industry has gained more weight and recognition with public institutions and more support in terms of attractiveness and economic development throughout our territory.
"2023 was a year that confirmed the dynamic energy and interest in our market despite a delicate context of overall slower consumption but also linked to the rising power of destination tourism surfing on our European coastlines."

2023 demonstrated increasing interest in our market, despite a difficult economic context. Among other things, we launched a guidebook with Surfrider Foundation Europe to help our members reduce their environmental footprint. On a larger scale, we also aim to support our industry towards more widespread, tangible and easily applicable CSR initiatives by providing our members with useful tools and a ready-to-use progressive improvement approach.

 

CLARIFYING OUR ACTIVITIES

In 2023, we realized that the variety of our activities could sometimes make it difficult for the public to understand our role and missions. To correct this situation, we began a major restructuring in terms of our communication strategies. We clarified our initiatives and structured our messages so they can become both more accessible and more impactful.
This reorganization includes increased visibility for our various campaigns such as our podcast "Inside EuroSIMA", which puts the spotlight on inspirational stories from within our industry. We will also shed more light on #EuroSIMAFamily, which promotes key news from our members and within our network. We hope that our new strategy that aims to clarify our activities will allow our audience to feel more included in our approach and to better understand our actions.

 

PRIORITIES FOR 2024

In 2023, we realized that the variety of our activities could sometimes make it difficult for the public to understand our role and missions. To correct this situation, we began a major restructuring in terms of our communication strategies. We clarified our initiatives and structured our messages so they can become both more accessible and more impactful.
This reorganization includes increased visibility for our various campaigns such as our podcast "Inside EuroSIMA", which puts the spotlight on inspirational stories from within our industry. We will also shed more light on #EuroSIMAFamily, which promotes key news from our members and within our network. We hope that our new strategy that aims to clarify our activities will allow our audience to feel more included in our approach and to better understand our actions.

To continue moving forward together in 2024, we have defined several strategic pillars:

  • Commitment and innovation:
    • Supporting eco-innovative and R&D projects
    • Implementing our environmental impact-reduction guidebook
    • Importance of positive, inclusive management and social considerations
    • Training and education:
    • Accent put on training programs related to digital transformation, management and sustainability
    • Organizing theme-based workshops to increase skills of industry players
  • Global development:
    • Promotion of European brands on the international stage through global events like Surf Expo in Orlando, Surf Scape in Huntington Beach and the Taghazout Surf Expo
  • Promotion and Visibility:
    • Pursuit of communication campaigns and key events like the Surf Summit, the Beach Party and the Surfing Lounge
    • Showcasing our members' innovations and successes through our communication platforms

Acting as a relay for strategic and key information to help our members grow

 

2024 PROJECTS AND PROVISIONAL BUDGET

During the EuroSIMA general assembly we also presented our provisional budget for 2024. We plan on continuing to support and provide advice to our member companies, to encourage them to establish a strong foothold in "Action Sports" territories locally, nationally and internationally, while keeping a focus on innovation and CSR.

 

KEY EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS

Our new year will include several key events, namely:

  • The " EuroSIMA Beach Party ": and fun inter-business event in Seignosse on June 21st.
  • The " EuroSIMA Surf Summit " and the " Surfing Lounge ": conference, interviews, round-tables, networking, exhibit, [...] September 26th & 27th in Seignosse.
  • The " Forum des Métiers de la Glisse ": this job fair will take place in Hossegor in April, showcasing career opportunities in our industry in collaboration with France Travail.

We will also continue to offer contents that reflect our values and initiatives, including, among others:

  • " Inside EuroSIMA Podcast: our business podcasts about the Action Sports industry.
  • "#EuroSIMAFamily ": your good news promoted through our digital platforms.
  • " EuroSIMA Call for Innovative projects: to encourage our businesses to present their key innovations, year after year
  • " Shared products & services platform ": exclusive advantages available to EuroSIMA members at the beginning of each quarter in partnership with OSV.
  • " Ride For Good ": a campaign dedicated to virtuous new initiatives and tangible tools in CSR and sustainability.
  • " Shape Your Future! ": a campaign specifically dedicated to our Job Platform and all online news related to HR in our industry.

" EuroSIMA Network News: a selection of practical and technical information from our network of partners, for up to date monthly professional industry intelligence.

 

REACTIONS

"The GA is always a special moment for our association. On the one hand, there institutional and protocol aspect linked to the " Moral report ", which is very important mid-term in my 3rd term. As President, it's my duty to recap all the activities from the past year and provide updates on what is going on at the moment, just as I must present the vision and key objectives for the year ahead, including figures, with the budget and financial aspects from our Chartered Accountant. And then other the other hand, there is the joy we all have in coming together: businesses, institutions, project managers...it is always very constructive and enjoyable to have a fruitful conversation and share a drink with everyone who attended. " Jean-Louis Rodrigues, President EuroSIMA

"These are priceless moments when you get to chat with people from within your industry where you can talk about all kinds of things from trends, to information, feelings, challenges and solutions. We are all together and that creates a connection. It really is the opportunity to reconnect physically and get to talk to certain colleagues face to face ". Emmanuel Debruères - Oxbow CEO

"It's always a good time. It's both a recap: what happened throughout the year, what projects are on the table? But it isn't just a GA. It's also a gathering of the industry. There's both the serious aspect and the opportunity to meet people. " Joost Grootswagers, President of Liberated Brands Europe

"First and foremost, it is an opportunity to come together. I think it's important to be able to share, to discuss the various actions from the winter and upcoming ones as well. It's also an opportunity to meet or discuss new association members. The arrival of Gong into the association is a good example of that. Today, we were able to discuss what it means for EuroSIMA to have a e-business major player like Gong onboard. And regarding training specifically, we found out that certain training institutions would be changing how they work in the next few years. It is always interesting to have that kind of information ahead of time to be able to say "Hey, we have to get together because perhaps we are in the same field, same niche. How can we work together and complete one another?" Those are the types of conversations that are born here tonight. And last but not least, it's a great opportunity to share a beer with everyone. " Kevin Lestrade, Director at HackSchooling Institute

 

CONCLUSION

EuroSIMA President Jean-Louis Rodrigues, Executive Director Christophe Seiller and the rest of the team would like to kindly thank everyone who was present for this powerful, fun and family-like event for our association.
Our industry is unique and EuroSIMA is proud to carry the voice of its members high and far and to put their interests first.
We encourage you visit our website eurosima.com or contact us for more information on our initiatives and upcoming events

 

 

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