Imagine holding your professional event, symposium, seminar or conference in a former Dominican convent where prominent citizens have been gathering for over 700 years… Why choose the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes, a leading city and capital of Brittany? Here are seven reasons that are sure to convince you.
1. Only 90 minutes from Paris, connected to Europe’s major capitals
Just 90 minutes to Paris by high-speed train (TGV), with 29 trains daily, and 2½ hours from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rennes is connected to the heart of Europe. Its airport offers direct flights to the biggest French and European cities, including London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome and Dublin.
The Breton capital also boasts a privileged location, at under an hour from Nantes, Saint-Malo and the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
2. A magical place to give your event a new dimension
Boasting two auditoriums, one seating 1000 people with dual acoustics (conference and concert) and the other seating 400, housed in the former church, the Couvent des Jacobins also offers 4,000m² of exhibition space, 25 committee rooms seating 40 to 400 dotted around the historic building and its modern extension.
Its original architecture, unique in Europe, is a source of inspiration ensuring each event is unforgettable.
The large terrace with panoramic views, its Jardin du Cloître garden and its ambulatory are conducive to serenity between two working sessions. Fully private, these exceptional areas bring real added value to your business meeting, exhibition or cocktail party.
3. More than 4 000 hotel rooms in the city
Rennes offers a comprehensive range of accommodation, with 4,000 rooms, 2,100 of which are in the city centre, a stone’s throw from the Couvent.
All hotel quality standards are available with over 800 4-star rooms and over 1,500 in three-star hotels. The Couvent des Jacobins is a chance to offer your guests a unique urban experience in a human-sized city.
4. A conference centre right in the heart of the city
Just five minutes from the station by metro, in the heart of a large pedestrianised area of the old town, the Couvent des Jacobins is just a short walk from the unmissable places in Rennes.
In less than five minutes, you can walk to the opera house, the city hall, the Parc du Thabor gardens and the Parlement de Bretagne with its large square, the city’s heritage sites which also host cultural events throughout the year.
The diversity of the shops, cultural sites, restaurants and bistros around the conference centre charm visitors from all corners of the world, in search of Breton authenticity.
5. One-of-kind: a historic and innovative conference centre
The spaces in the Couvent des Jacobins are equipped with the latest technologies. From acoustics to visuals, and boasting a fibre optic connection, soundproofing and ultra-high-performance video broadcasting equipment, everything has been provided to guarantee an unparalleled experience.
The modular rooms have been designed to enhance every event, however original it may be. They can be adapted to different meeting sizes and set-ups thanks to their mobile partitions, modular screens, and retractable stages and seating.
All in all, the modernity of the venue results in an optimisation of flows from one room to another. Movement around the building takes place naturally, simply by following the interactive signs.
6. Built in a leading city in all categories
Rennes is not just one of the best places to live, it is also one of the most innovative. French Tech certified, the Breton capital demonstrates ingenuity in a host of fields.
A pioneer in cutting-edge technology, its expertise expands to gastronomy, art, automotive industry, agri-food, sustainable development, new modes of transport, medicine and research.
It’s also an excellent city in which to study, start a business and work, with a long-standing tradition as an outward-looking and welcoming city.
7. A unique place for you to write the next chapter in its history
From the 14th to the 21st century, the Couvent des Jacobins has had many different lives and functions. A place of pilgrimage and religious influence, a symbol of political power where Anne of Brittany came to celebrate her engagement to King Charles VIII, it was also a burial place for Brittany’s elite as demonstrated by the trove of exceptional archaeological discoveries made during the preventive excavations. Notably, the discovery of the remarkably preserved body of Louise de Quengo.
In the 20th century, the Couvent also served to house the army and various associations that held sporting and cultural activities here. With its restoration, the Couvent has once again taken up its ancient role of a crossroads dedicated to meeting and exchange.
Today it is unlike any other place in France. Its elegant and authentic cloistral setting allows you to make the place your own from the moment you set foot inside. It opens the door to a world of possibilities for events and offers each participant the chance to write their own chapter in the history of this building, seven centuries after the first stone was laid.
