2024 will be remembered as the year Paris set the world alight. From spectacular ceremonies on the Seine to catwalks set up on the Place de la Concorde, French event organizers demonstrated their absolute mastery of large gatherings. But what happens when the curtain falls on such excitement? 2025 gives us the answer: the sector is facing what we call post-Olympic syndrome.
Post-Olympics: an analysis of a contraction
The figures speak for themselves. After an Olympic year that boosted French agencies, 2025 looks set to be a quieter year, marked by a significant decline in event activity. Vincent Chamouleau, senior research fellow at Xerfi, describes 2025 as a “highly uncertain” year, with the start of the year marked by a sharp slowdown.
This contraction comes as no surprise. It was predictable, almost inevitable. After mobilizing colossal resources, deploying unprecedented means, and creating experiences on a national scale, the market was bound to readjust. But far from being inevitable, this transition period reveals a strategic opportunity for players who know how to seize it, like us.
From the spectacular to the essential: the luxury of privacy
Faced with the economic situation and the worrying geopolitical context, consolidation in the sector continues, with a focus on luxury and international markets. This apparent decline actually masks a profound change: the shift from a volume-based approach to a concentrated quest for excellence.
We are seeing a return to the fundamentals of high-end events. Gone are the days of large gatherings designed to impress with sheer numbers. Make way for intimate, ultra-curated experiences where every detail counts. This evolution is not a step backwards, but a step towards sophistication. Luxury brands have understood this: in a world saturated with stimuli, exclusivity no longer lies in gigantism, but in the rarity of the experience offered.
Tight budgets: catalysts for creativity
The financial reality of 2025 demands a new level of discipline. Event budgets are being scrutinized with increased rigor. Every dollar invested must generate a measurable impact. Far from stifling creativity, this constraint actually stimulates it.
We are witnessing the emergence of “creative sobriety”: doing better with less. This approach requires superior technical and conceptual mastery. It is no longer a question of multiplying effects, but of concentrating them where they produce the maximum emotion. Scenography becomes surgical, with each element designed for its contribution to the overall experience.
This period reveals the true experts in the sector. Those who know how to create the extraordinary without excess. Those who understand that a memorable event is not measured by the budget committed, but by the intensity of the experience.
Paris after the Games: a reinvented territory
The Olympic Games left behind a valuable legacy that goes beyond infrastructure: they redefined our relationship with Parisian spaces. Iconic venues proved their ability to undergo radical transformations. The Grand Palais, Versailles, and the Seine itself became globally recognized testing grounds.
This demonstration opens up unprecedented opportunities for premium events. Paris is no longer just a collection of heritage sites to be reverently respected: it is a living, malleable territory, capable of embracing boldness while preserving its identity. For those of us who often create ephemeral worlds, this is a major creative liberation.
Our response: excellence under pressure
Faced with post-Olympic syndrome, we have chosen quality over quantity. Our positioning is becoming stronger: creating events that are memorable for their uniqueness, not their excessiveness.
This period has prompted us to refine our methodology. Each project becomes a balancing act between creative ambition and budgetary realism. We are developing an approach that we call “emotional architecture”: identifying the key moments of an event and its message, and focusing all our creative energy on them.
The scenography becomes more focused, more impactful. Technical choices become strategic. Lighting sculpts the space with increased precision. Sound design creates immersive atmospheres without overload. Each element justifies its presence by its contribution to the final emotion.
The luxury of the essentials
In 2025, more than 52% of event professionals in France saw their turnover increase compared to 2024. This data may seem contradictory to the slowdown mentioned above, but it reveals an essential truth: it is those players who have been able to adapt, refine their positioning, and deliver superior value who are thriving.
Post-Olympic syndrome is not a crisis, it is a clarification. It separates those who create spectacular events from those who create unforgettable experiences. It distinguishes those who have built their success on volume from those who truly master the art of the ephemeral.
2025 is not a year of decline. It is a year of returning to basics. And in high-end events, basics have always been our area of excellence.
_ Audace Parisienne
