After 15 years spent working as tour manager with various different coach operators, Marie-Cécile Truchet decided to set up on her own last year and created her incoming travel agency Evalys at the beginning of April, based at Lussas close to Aubenas in the Ardèche. I specialise in holidays and weekends for both individual and group clients in the Ardèche and the neighbouring areas, explains
Marie-Cécile Truchet. For groups, it mostly involves
made-to-measure incentive and team building events. The groups arrive in Montélimar or at Valence’s TGV station. I look after their coach transfers to southern Ardèche and I mostly work with the Rouret holiday village which is managed by Pierre et Vacances or with comfortable little hotels like the Mas de l’Épaire, an old silk farm located in the Paà¯olive woods offering 30 rooms, as well as with properties in Vals les Bains and Ruoms .

In 2006, Evalys organised five events for groups such as Ticket Restaurant, Total, Mac Donald and the national Ministry of Defence (a seminar for the mountain infantry). Most of the time I’m working on events lasting between three and five days including one half day’s seminar, continues Marie-Cécile Truchet. When you take into account the 1 ½ hour transfer time from Valence’s TGV station, I reckon that two days is too short a time. Ticket Restaurant organised an event for 20 people who canoed down the Ardèche and camped on the river bank overnight. For Total, it was a 25-person group staying at the Mas de l’Épaire. They did canyoning, canoeing, tried acrobranche (adventure trail high in the trees) and horse-riding. The MacDonald event was a prize trip for 80 people for a day at a beautiful old farm, that had been converted into a gîte .

In 2007, Evalys is expecting to double its number of groups with at least ten interested in the destination. On average the groups will number between 15 and 50 people , says Evalys’ proprietor. But I’m able to handle up to 300 people because I can use the Rouret holiday village .  At the moment, business tourism represents 20% of the agency’s global activity. But the aim is to increase this share to at least 40% in 2007, which means that Evalys appears to be guaranteed a promising future considering that it’s the only specialist agency in the area where demand is increasing. It’s actually an interesting niche market and it’s started rather well, confirms
Marie-Cécile Truchet. For example, I can suggest a three day/two night stay in Vans for 350 euros per person including accommodation in a double room, four meals, two breakfasts, horse-riding, acrobranche, canyoning and canoeing, all supervised by qualified instructors based at the water sports centre at Vallon Pont d’Arc or by independent instructors .

Another example is a trip planned next May for an IT group: There will be 50 people staying five days/four nights at the Rouret holiday village. Included on the programme will be micro-light flights, canoeing, adventure trail in the Chassezac gorges, via ferrata, rafting, picnic meal, bowling, go-karting, quad biking and a disco evening. This works out at 700 euros per person…