2013 European Blues Challenge and General Assembly
Reflecting the requests from several countries for the rotation of these important events and to discover other environments and new opportunities, Toulouse in France will host our next annual event. We now have the pleasure to confirm that the city of Toulouse and the France Blues organization will jointly organize the event supported by the unanimous decision of the EBU Board. The events will take place on 8-9 March 2013 so please mark your calendars already now.
There were several supporting issues contributing to this decision:
- 4th city in France, with a healthy economy and many young students
- Easy access, with 83 destinations from and to Toulouse-Blagnac airport and with a shuttle connection to downtown every 20 minutes
- Numerous decent hotels (1* to 4*), with 27 of them within a walking distance from the planned location of the GA and the open market
- Presence of a local collaborating blues society, founded a year ago and having c. 300 members
- Highly motivated and supportive local official authorities
The General Assembly and the open market will be held at “Espaces Vanel”, at the upper floor of the public media library in a brand new conference/meeting facility with a downtown location overlooking the beautiful city. It is a unique setting in Toulouse for hosting all kinds of professional events: conferences, conventions, annual meetings, workshops, tradeshows, galas, etc. Its location is ideal to maximize the attendance to events, and it is easily accessible by all public transportation.
The European Blues Challenge will take place at “Le Bikini”, also in the heart of the city. It is a famous concert hall, known for its acoustics and classical music concerts but also used actively for jazz, theater, etc. It is located within a walking distance from most of the downtown hotels and from the GA and open market. The capacity of La Halle Aux Grains is up to 2000 seats.
More detailed information soon!