Company history

Marc Doncieux, Florence Lallemand de Malefette, Frédéric Faurennes and other students, all aged 22 and studying law in Toulouse, create the association EGEE Toulouse (General Assembly of European Students). The aim is to create a European public opinion in the student sphere.

These are their first steps in event management: they create the European Space Weekend which attracts over 400 students. From this success springs their passion for the profession!

The EGEE experience continues with the organisation of a second European Space Weekend in Toulouse.

Joined by others, Marc and Florence set up their first business: Groupe Europa, a limited company with a capital of 250,000 French francs.

Their first congress is that of hospital pharmacists.

The first company premises? The “Petit Salon” in the Meeting Lab on rue Saint Pantaléon, Toulouse.

Creation of the Europa Organisation department, which is developed in parallel to training.

This year also sees the recruitment of the first employee, Lydie Loss, who is today Project Manager at Europa.

Business gradually develops. Europa organises congresses for the CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales), takes charge of the Forum des Talents, the Journées Toulousaines d’Anesthésie et de Réanimation, and others.

There is a major turning point for the company when it is selected by Jean Marco and Jean Fajadet’s assistant – Martine Racaud – to organise their 3rd edition of the Complex Coronary Angioplasty Course at the Banque Populaire in Toulouse. This course unites 300 participants in 1991. It will later become EuroPCR and in turn give life to the PCR brand and is thus the beginning of the fabulous bond between Europa and the international community of interventional cardiologists.

This year sees the opening of an office in Marseille, and the creation of Europa Organisation Méditerranée. Amongst others, events are organised for the Marseille Chamber of Commerce and the SIFUD (Société Internationale Francophone d’Urodynamique).

Opening of the Paris office with Anne le Berre (today Project Manager), soon joined by Philippe Lublin (still Managing Director of the Paris branch). Europa Paris will move offices four times before settling at the current address on Avenue Poincaré.

We are about 20 staff members. We buy out Albine Conseil, a professional congress agency which organises, amongst others, the JESFC (Journées Européennes de la Société Française de Cardiologie).

Internet and new technologies are booming. 100% certain that congresses will remain vital for scientific communities, Europa successfully steers it way through the digital revolution and creates congrhealth.com, which becomes Europa Digital & Publishing in 2012.

It is the launch of the platform PCRonline.com, which now counts 67,000 members.

Marc and Florence Doncieux decide to sell Europa to GL Events group. This collaboration lasts 4 years and then….

In 2007, the founders reacquire Europa and regain their independence! Our company has 20 years of existence, we are 60 staff, and we generate a turnover of €30m.

In 2010 Europa continues to grow and now counts over 80 staff. It is time to develop internationally, with the creation of Europa Organisation Asia. Our Singapore branch spreads our PCO know-how to the Asia-Pacific region.

Europa’s recruitments and development are at top speed, and as office space is not expandable, the Toulouse staff move into the current premises at 19 allées Jean Jaurès.

Organising hotel accommodation for participants is a major factor in congress management and it is a complex and demanding chore. To gain independence and provide a better service to its delegates, Europa creates Europa Booking & Services, our integrated booking agency dedicated to our customers.

The number of staff has doubled in 7 years. We are now 140. Further to a partnership with an agency in Johannesburg arises Europa Organisation Africa. We pool our know-how and develop a new synergy in South Africa.

Being accommodated throughout the year by owners and managers of congress centres gives us a good idea: create our very own venue for professionals. We create the Meeting Lab in our old company premises on Rue Saint Pantaléon in Toulouse.

Today’s challenges: show increasingly more flexibility, responsiveness, and optimise in-house procedures while maintaining the high standards and level of service which are at the core of our identity. In 2016 we buy Insight Outside, an extremely dynamic and talented company in Grenoble which shares our values.

Europa Organisation has become a group; we are once again Europa Group. What was an ambition in 1987 has now truly materialised. Our activities are united around 7 interrelated professions and all aim at the development and promotion of knowledge for medical and scientific communities.

The 25-year-old medical publishing group Philia joins us in June.  We are proud and delighted to welcome their 83 staff to our family.

We are now 260 and we generate a turnover of €90m.

What will tomorrow bring…?!