About the name CEB

Congrès et Expositions de Bordeaux (CEB) has been through a number of name-changes over the years, reflecting the development of its activities. Since its beginnings in 1916, the company has always been firmly rooted in the Aquitaine region and a key player in the local economy.

Some milestones in the company’s history

• May 1916:The Mayor of Bordeaux, Charles Gruet, keen to see regular fairs and exhibitions held in the area again, sets up an organising committee and a group of prominent local figures, including M . Callen, Deputy Chairman of the regional council, and Daniel Guestier, President of the Chamber of Commerce. The Comité de la Foire de Bordeaux is formed, with coal importer Edouard Moulinié as Chairman.

• 13 July 1918: The Committee takes the decisive step of forming a company with a Board of Directors and Edouard Moulinié as its first Chairman.

• May 1934: For the first time, the Bordeaux Fair is officially opened by a French President, Albert Lebrun. Vincent Auriol followed suit in 1948 and Jacques Chirac in 2001.

• 1969: Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Mayor of Bordeaux and Chairman of the National Assembly, opens Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre.
  “This is both a completion and a beginning”, he declares at the opening ceremony. The Comité des Expositions de Bordeaux assumes responsibility for managing the Centre.

• 8 April 1972: At its annual general meeting, the Comité de la Foire becomes the Comité des Foires et Expositions Internationales to encompass its exhibition-related activities following the opening of Bordeaux-Lac Exhibition Centre three years earlier.

• 1973: The agricultural show becomes part of the Bordeaux International Fair for the first time. The participation of the farming community grows steadily and eventually becomes the Aquitaine Agriculture Show.

• 1981: The Bordeaux International Fair remains the spearhead of the Committee’s activities though it accounts for a smaller proportion of its revenue (falling from 95% in 1969 to 45% in 1986). The Committee changes its name to the Comité des Expositions de Bordeaux.

• 20 December 1999: Following a call for tenders, Bordeaux city council awards the contract to operate the Bordeaux-Lac Conference Centre and Hangar 14 to Bordeaux Evènements Congrès, a legally established subsidiary of the Comité des Expositions de Bordeaux.

• 30 April 2002: The Comité des Expositions de Bordeaux merges with its subsidiary Bordeaux Evènements Congrès and becomes Congrès et Expositions de Bordeaux (CEB).
  This final name change ushers in a new corporate approach led by François de La Giroday, the sixteenth Chairman of the CEB Board.

• 2003: The new Bordeaux Conference Centre, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte in collaboration with the Bordeaux architect Jean-Marie Mazières, opens its doors after three years’ work. This light-filled glass building is distinguished by its smart design combining versatility, technology and functionality with harmonious architectural lines.

• January 2008: CEB is granted AFAQ AFNOR ISO 9001 2000 certification for all its activities and venues.