The Business of Meetings 99: The Value of Experience with Rémy Crégut
Today, we have the pleasure of speaking to a legend in our industry! Rémy Crégut is the head of the 2m2c Montreux Music and Convention Center in Montreux, where the Montreux Jazz Festival is held. He also started the MPI chapter in France and is an active ECM member.
Rémy has had some wonderful life experiences! He had a fantastic career in the hotel industry and did various jobs within the Meetings and Events industry.
Rémy is an excellent example of what servant leadership means. In this episode, he shares his fascinating story, talks about leadership, and discusses his experiences before becoming the General Manager of the 2m2c Montreux Music and Convention Center. They include participating in the Paris Dakar off-road race, joining the army, running a team of truckers in America, and rising through the ranks in a hotel. He also shares some of the lessons he learned along the way and some key points for having a successful career.
We hope you enjoy our exciting and inspiring conversation with Rémy Crégut today!
Rémy Crégut’s bio
Rémy Crégut is the Founder and has been the Honorary President of the MPI French Chapter since 1997, a member of the MPI Foundation European Council, and was an active ECM Member from 2006 to 2016.
Rémy is a man with a diverse and rich professional background! Between 1984 -1996, he occupied senior sales and marketing positions at Sofitel, Hyatt Hotels, and Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts. He subsequently created Disneyland Paris Business Solutions, acting as a director for 3 years, and then moved to the Côte d’Azur to open the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
Two years later, he became Executive Vice-President of LSO International, the largest destination management company in France at that time. Before accepting his current position in Montreux, he was heading Center Parcs Business Solutions in Rotterdam.
In 2005 Rémy accepted the role of General Manager of the 2m2c Montreux Music and Convention Center, host of the famous long-lasting Montreux Jazz Festival. Remy had been serving on different boards (Club Français du Tourisme d'Affaires, ANAé, and European Cities Marketing).
He now sits in various committees, such as the Coesio (French Speaking Congress Destinations), Swiss Convention Centers Alliance, the Swiss Riviera Economic Development Office, the Swiss Riviera Hotels Association, the Montreux Riviera Convention Bureau, and the Partners Club of the French Association of Event Agencies.
Joining the family business
Rémy always dreamed of working in the family business. His father wanted him to get a diploma before joining the company, which constructed roads, airports, and parking lots. So Remy enrolled at the Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics in Paris, got a diploma, and became part of the business.
Business school
After his father sold the business, Rémy enrolled in a business school in the south of France. After a year, he quit his studies because he wanted to find his own way in life.
A hotel in the south of France
Around the same time, one of his aunts opened a hotel in the south of France, so Rémy started working there. He had to do almost everything from driving to cooking to being a porter because his aunt had no experience as a hotelier.
Paris Dakar
Rémy always wanted to participate in the Paris Dakar off-road race. He finally got the opportunity to do it on a motorbike in January 1992, and it was a memorable experience! He gained a lot of confidence from doing it, and it afforded him the chance to learn more about the world.
The army
Rémy then spent a compulsory year in the army. That was another valuable experience for him. It allowed him to get in touch with real life in France and meet people from all over the country.
A new adventure
While working at his aunt’s hotel, an American man who had made a fortune in specialized industrial cleaning asked Rémy to work for him and open subsidiaries in America. Rémy agreed.
Running a team of truckers
Six months later, the employer went bankrupt and asked Rémy to help him run a team of truckers from Virginia to Louisiana to fetch the equipment from the various subsidiaries to sell it off.
The value of experience
It is vital to be curious and have diverse experiences. Learning from your experiences and applying what you learned is valuable because that will help you develop responsibility and become more competent as a leader.
Hotel in Paris
Rémy learned most of what he knows today from working for a Sofitel hotel in Paris, answering client requests, and organizing meetings and events. After six months, he got promoted to manager. He spent the next five years working for the hotel, doing different jobs.
The key to success
Rémy’s curiosity was the key to his success in his first job.
Mission
When you work for an organization, you will have a mission. Find out what the missions of those working around you are too, and get to know who does what. You will earn the respect of your co-workers when you listen to them and make an effort to understand what they do.
Predict the unpredictable
Rémy believes that part of any job in the events industry is predicting the unpredictable. The more experience you have, the easier it becomes.
Montreaux
Montreaux is a beautiful, panoramic city. Everyone Rémy has ever invited there has returned!
Entertainment in Montreaux
Discovering all the entertainment in Montreaux was a whole new world for Rémy! As well as the famous Montreaux Jazz Festival, Montreaux also hosts the oldest classical music festival and the largest French-speaking humor festival in Switzerland.
Creating enjoyable and unique experiences
Everything Rémy has done in his life has helped prepare him for what he does now. It is all about hosting people and creating enjoyable and unique experiences.
MPI
Starting an MPI chapter in France helped Rémy grow. It also helped him improve various aspects of his personality and brush up on his public speaking.
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