Rendez-vous reflections: Monte through a Lens
So that was the 64th edition of the Rendez-Vous de Septembre and by all accounts, a resounding success.
No two people experience the same event in the same way. Our experiences are formed by our own unique make-up; biological, social and cultural. My experience of the event was formed through many different prisms; my gender, age, socio-economic background, my career history and prior knowledge of the RVS. Therefore, my Monte experience was inevitably very different to that of my colleagues
As my first RVS, I flew to Monaco with not a small measure of trepidation. As an extroverted introvert, would I be able to keep pace with the seasoned Monte veterans as I entered three days of networking events leading way into the night? Were my calves up to the promised hills? And as a woman, would I feel safe in the millionaire’s playground that is Monte Carlo?
The last is something that possibly never crosses the mind of male colleagues, but a valid concern nonetheless. Happily it’s not something I needed to worry about in the end, everyone I met was friendly and helpful and luckily I was with some great colleagues who looked out for me throughout.
The not a conference, conference
The RVS is an unusual event. With no central conference venue, detailed programme of events in the day, exhibition stands or central theme, it was easy to feel an odd lack of purpose. Between the journalist meetings, filming and support for clients that were our bread and butter throughout the event, there were times when it felt like people were milling about, slightly aimlessly enjoying the scenery and the hot weather. The contrast between this and BIBA or Airmic is stark – this was a conference but not really.
On speaking to Matt, himself a seasoned veteran with eight ‘Monte’s’ under his belt, it seemed that this year felt more “business-like” than previous iterations. Meetings were intense, the designated areas packed with suits and chinos and an excitable hum, it was clear that some big arrangements were being sealed with a firm handshake and a glass of bubbly.
The infamous SCOR lounge, on the final evening felt a little muted, less wild than I’d been led to believe, and the White party at the Hermitage, hosted by Sirius Point, was a classy (and packed) affair.
Go hard or go home
As it turned out, I did not have the stamina needed to fully embrace the Monte Carlo spirit. Each night I made the climb to my Airbnb in the hills, conscious of the need to be fresh and relatively presentable the next morning and abandoning my colleagues disappointingly early, like Cinderella in sensible sandals.
At the time, I felt that I was making the right choice as a professional, not wanting to appear too wanton in my enjoyment of the free bars, but on reflection, I wonder if it might have got more out of the event if I’d joined the masses, sharing late night laughs and building memories that might bond us for our professional lives.
The future of RVS?
One of the main subjects of discussion was whether the RVS in its current iteration still has a place in the industry calendar. We’re living through a time of enormous global financial challenges, and companies are under pressure to embed green credentials and hit environmental targets.
Monte Carlo is a place of ridiculous wealth. Champagne was free-flowing throughout the event. Cars laid on to ferry people from hotel to hotel and I saw a watermelon priced at 35E in one of the restaurants. It is of course possible to enjoy the RVS without breaking the bank, but what of the optics of it?
It was a question many I spoke to were wrestling with. On one hand, yes it is an expensive, mad place, but on the other, it’s clear that people were successfully securing deals that would protect the assets of thousands of businesses in the long-term.
I think on the whole, people agreed that the event is still relevant, and certainly this year, after two years of the pandemic, there was a real need to get back together and enjoy the face-to-face encounters of years gone by.
Will it maintain the same momentum over the next few years? I think so, our industry is built on the relationships forged at these events, as one client put it “chance encounters lead to chance relationships”, but more than that, our industry loves a tradition - the annual trip to Monte Carlo is in no danger of going bust any time soon.