Nunc Est Bibendum has absolutely nothing to do with the famous French rubber tyre company. Instead it is the name of a wine-themed events management agency set up by Laurent Turrel in 2006. Based in Lyon, it mostly targets corporate clients from which it gets about two thirds of its business.
“I work with companies as well as with organisations,” declares Laurent Turrel. “This mostly involves seminar and incentive programmes as well as client meetings. I can also help companies that want to set up tasting clubs like the 12 that already exist in Lyon, Mâcon, Paris and Saint-Étienne. Monthly membership costs 25 € “.
Nunc Est Bibendum has developed a range of different products. Like the Twelve Labours of Hercules, a wine-themed game that can be played either on an individual basis or in teams of between three and 10 people. It involves 12 educational and recreational sessions, with the aim of recognising aromas, recreating wines Roman-style, locating vineyards or recognising various wines during a blind tasting. The game lasts up to three hours and costs 1200 € (plus VAT) for a group of 50 people. Other packages offered by the agency include a discovery of local wines with blind tasting (800 € plus VAT based on 50 people) and a walking or cycle tour through Lyon. “Participants get into teams of five or six people,” continues the agency’s boss. “We take them on a tour of the city, making various wine or gastronomic stops. The tour lasts between two and three hours, involving three or four stops in restaurants or wine bars, wine shops or quirky places such as the Galerie Françoise Souchaud, Musée des Miniatures, Cavavin, the Côté Part-Dieu restaurant, the Phénix Hôtel or the bookshop In Cuisine. Still based on 50 people, the cost for this package is 1000 € (plus VAT)”.
Nunc Est Bibendum operates throughout France and is involved on average in three events a week. The smallest groups involve about ten people whilst the largest have around 250. The agency is increasingly called upon for its services by foreign agencies and cruise operators and relies on organisations such as OnlyLyon, Rhône-Alpes Tourisme and Rhône Tourisme for publicity. “All of my packages can be delivered in English and I also speak a little Spanish,” explains Laurent Turrel. “The demand for wine-themed events is still growing. Probably because anything to do with wine tends to be social and therefore ideal for team-building. Which is often what companies are looking for…”
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