IDEACTIF, C'EST 7 CARAVANES SUR LE TOUR 2006, INTERVIEW de A. PEYROLES

13.07.2006

INTERVIEW OF ARNAUD PEYROLES MANAGER OF IDEACTIF AGENCY

IDEACTIF ( www.ideactif.fr ) is a French agency created in 1992 and specialized in communication and event organization. IDEACTIF HAS A 15 Millions Euro Turnover and 55 employees. Their professional skills are mainly : consultant agency for communication to people, sports or cultural events organization, direct marketing and Multimedia (Web Agency)

Since 2001 IDEACTIF is conceiving and managing some caravans for the Tour de France.

P.O. : Mr PEYROLES would you please detail how is made a caravan for the Tour de France ?

ArnaudPeyroles - At the end of the year, more or less when the next year Tour de France is revealed, the Tour de France sponsor make their calls. We then work on the theme on the product they want to promote always taking into account the public into account. We have some creativity meetings, we make drawings to arrive to a story board. The sponsors mainly choose the concept according those story boards.

P.O. : And then ?

A.P. - Then we really conceive the vehicles, the decoration and go for realization- production. Usually all should be finished by May or beginning of June.

NESTLE EXTREME ICE CREAM Caravan is only for Women ! 4 Light trucks like this one exhibit the flavors of the ice-creams. Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Do you make all or do you use sub-contractors for the realization ?

A.P. - We make the vehicles on our platform. It is a 14000 m² one with 3000 m² built. Punctually some sub-contractors may be used.

P.O. : How many people work on the conception of a big caravan like Nestlé-Aquarel (the Tour de France official Water supplier) ?
A.P. - Nestlé Aquarel is not a new one but globally we have 15 permanents working on such a caravan. All along the creation and realization, taking into account sub-contractors there should be 50-60 people involved.

If you are burnt by the sun along the road, Aquarel Fireman will spray you with fresh water !
Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Are you free to choose the type of vehicle ?

A.P. - For the caravan yes. The brand and models are sometimes assigned for the VIP vehicles.

P.O. : Are there any constraints which prevent you from making the caravan you are imagining ? The security ?

A.P. - Since we are in the budget, not really. The security is clearly our first goal but as far as it is integrated from the start it is not really a constraint. We can even have like for Aquarel unauthorized vehicles if we are able to change it quickly into an authorized one for transfer on open-road (not the Tour road). For the security first is to be sure that the drivers are seated comfortably and have a very good vision in front of them and around. Then the security is also for animators, they are now all attached with harness, and should not be grabbed by spectators. At least and also very important is the security of spectators.

For example, distributed samples should be studied not to be dangerous and given or launched in a proper way.

Nesquik caravan is a real big one. Should be one of the favorite of you kids !
Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Are you also managing the samples and gifts ?

A.P. - Sometimes yes, if the sponsor does not have any already.

P.O. : Are you responsible for the hotel, cloths aso ?

A.P. - Usually yes.

The caisse d'épargne Squirrel cars. If you think that animators under the fancy dress are hot you?re right but they are refreshed by air ventilation used to inflate the animal ! Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Nestlé Aquarel (the Tour de France official Water supplier) is the biggest caravan you were managing til now, how many people will be part of it during the Tour ?

A.P. - On the Tour Aquarel is separated in 3 parts. There are the Upstream vehicles - before the caravan they distribute the ?Eaufficiel? which is a daily paper published during the Tour. Then we have the caravan with the 4 big bottles, the little one (the Kart) and some other distributing vehicles. The third pole is on the departure and the arrival where light vehicles are used for distribution. More or less 50 people are working there

P.O. : What is the proportion of new animators ?

A.P. - Usually we have 50 % of new people and 50 % of experienced ones. Managers are from the agency and are very experienced people. You may often find people having 10 Tour behind them.

The « vache qui rit » podium light truck. A good example of the new concept IDEACTIF brang on the Tour in the last years.
Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Are there many troubles with the mechanics ?

A.P. - We usually try to use non-common vehicles and we don?t have a lot of validation before the start. Obviously we have some troubles but it is part of the caravan life. Before the start or after the stage arrival we always perform the cleaning and the maintenance of the vehicles. Sometimes we need to find a substitution part during the night anywhere it could be ! We have in our team some specialists used to repair quickly anything. Some of them are for example working for Grand-Tourism or for Rallye racing team. People in the different caravans help each other and we also always find people with the right tool on the side of the road !

London taxi of The LONDON City caravan made by IDEACTIF ? If any part breaks IDEACTIF technicians are ready to cross the channel during the night to find it ! Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

Before the stage the technical team finishes the assembly of Aquarel Giant bottles. They need to remove some parts to be able to drive on the opened road before and after the stage ! Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : Since 2001 which caravan are you the most proud of ? and the less one ?

A.P. - There is not really a good one and a bad one. The important one has clearly been Nestlé Aquarel. It was the way to enter the Tour de France and the Tour is important because it opens you a lot of doors. IDEACTIF has found with Aquarel the way to fulfill all its wishes. We introduce the mobile scenes and the spectacles which were not really present in the caravan. In fact we gather all our skills and bring them on the Tour. The big deal was to promote brands with entertainment and pleasure for us and for the spectators.

NESTLE AQUAREL VANS are distributing the ?Eaufficiel?, the caravane newspaper. Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

P.O. : And for 2006 ?

A.P. - This year we have 7 caravans : Nesquik (Chocolate), Nestlé Ice-Cream (Extrême), London City (London will be the Tour departure Town next year), Columbia for the movie ?Les Rebelles de la forêt? and as last year Nestlé Aquarel, La Vache qui rit (Cheese) and Caisse d?Epargne (French bank). But I?ll let you discover them.

Note : the interview was done on June 2006, the30 just before the Tour Grand Départ in Strasbourg.

A small view of the amazing "Les Rebelles de la forêt" movie promotional podium ! Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

All big caravans have their animation podium here is the new one from Nesquik ! Photo : P. ORSINI 2006

Thank you to M. Arnaud PEYROLES for its time and its kindness and to the IDEACTIF press agency (Agence Auvray & Associes).