Created in 1991 by a Swiss architect, and originally focused on golf and tennis, the Citygreen complex is situated just 10 minutes from Geneva city centre. Located at Veigy-Foncenex, in the Haute-Savoie, it established itself at the end of the 1990s on the fitness market. Its then owner, the British group Holmes Place, sold it at the end of 2005 to Lionel Kupper, who previously worked for Club Méditerranée and Marmara. The arrival of this tourism specialist, with a long career working for holiday clubs, whipped Citygreen into shape, particularly when he decided to pursue the seminar and team building business by offering companies the chance to combine work sessions with leisure activities.

Citygreen is a 11,000 m² complex that offers two swimming pools, indoor and outdoor; 11 tennis courts, some that are under cover and heated; a badminton court, three fitness rooms; a room with weights and cardio machines; a spa area with four steam rooms, four saunas and two Jacuzzis; a massage and beauty room; a golf practice green; a restaurant-bar with space for 130 people; a free 250-space car park, and four meeting rooms for between 15 and 100 people that were opened in 2005, explains Brigitte Bouchayer, meetings and events manager. It’s a tool that opens up opportunities with business clients, particularly because we can also offer the option of a nearby hotel-residence, the 4* Clarion Suites Geneva Excellior, which has 80 apartments available .

The only venue of its type in the Rhône-Alpes region, Citygreen boasts 5000 members, 60% of which are Swiss. The meetings business is on the increase with, once again, 50% of its clientele coming from Switzerland.

In 2007, we organised about 100 seminar days, including evening functions or corporate dinners, continues Brigitte Bouchayer. And if our largest room can only offer space for 100 people, we can handle larger groups, up to 300 in total, by opening up our tennis courts. Most of the meetings handled here are between one and three days long. Our corporate clients really appreciate the chance to combine work sessions with a range of sporting activities, and we’re proud to have clients such as ABB, the Central Bank of Genève, the Post Office, Somfy, the Lyonnaise de Banque, Caterpillar, MMA, Mercer Consulting, Asics, Axa and Bayer Health on our books .

If you’re interested in trying their facilities out for yourself, it’s worth knowing that a meeting session, including two refreshment breaks and lunch, starts at 39 euros per person whilst a team-building event costs from 60 euros including lunch and activities. For semi-residential packages, the cost ranges from 135-140 euros (excluding dinner)to 160-175 euros (ncluding dinner), all on a single occupancy basis.