During the last municipal council, a financial contribution in respect of public service obligations was voted for the benefit of the “Tarbes Expo Pyrénées Congrès” management company. Explanations.
Managed in the form of a management company designated “Tarbes Expo Pyrénées Congrès” since July 1, 2013, the Exhibition Center is attached to the city of Tarbes. Also, during the last municipal council, a financial contribution of €505,300 was voted. “The operating constraints and public service obligations apply in an evolving context, recalls the deliberation. The marketing of spaces is made ever more difficult by an uncompetitive price scale, configured in relation to the costs of the management.” And to point out “the investment effort to be made to maintain the equipment up to standards and make it attractive which weighs on the accounts”.
In the details of the accounts, several events benefited from discounts on the provision of the exhibition center. Among them, the Fight Parc Championship (€114,000 discount), the Petits As (€89,000) or the French shooting championships (€60,000). “We are told that it is essentially an event that did not work this year, asked Hervé Charles. But since 2020, we are putting back between €300 and €400,000 into the pot each year for the Parc des Expos. can understand that covid has made this sector suffer, but hey…”
Questions that the mayor of Tarbes, Gérard Trémège, tried to temper, by comparing the situation of the park to that of the airport. “Communities contribute largely to paying the deficit. But with nearly 600,000 passengers, the return on investment is greater than the cost. The latest study reported €56 million in benefits, a ratio of 1 to 10. the park, there are loss-making events where if we applied the full price, the organizers would flee. However, the economic impact of these events is significant. We do not want the Petits As or the French shooting championships. which attract thousands of people for free are not leaving On the other hand, the Fight Parc cost us too much…” And to conclude: “Besides, there are events which ask for nothing and pay the full price like the. Well-Being Fair this weekend, which was a hit and many entries…”
