General information
Dates, venue, travel, registration, accommodation: the essentials for a smooth visit to the Palais des Congrès in Paris.
Dates and venue
The Paris Dermatology Days 2016 took place from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 December 2016 at the Palais des Congrès de Paris, 2 place de la Porte Maillot, 75017 Paris. Sitting between the 17th arrondissement and the business district of Porte Maillot, the venue brings together all session rooms, the partners’ exhibition and catering areas across several levels, so you can move from an FMC course to a satellite symposium without leaving the building.
Getting there
The Palais des Congrès is one of the best-connected venues in the capital:
- Metro: line 1, Porte Maillot station — the exit leads straight into the congress centre;
- RER: line C, Neuilly – Porte Maillot station, a few minutes’ walk away;
- Bus: several routes serve Porte Maillot and avenue de la Grande Armée;
- By car: via the ring road (périphérique), Porte Maillot exit, with parking at the venue and in the surrounding district;
- From the airports: RER B then line 1 for Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle; Orlyval and RER B for Orly.
Given the morning rush at the entrance, allow an extra fifteen to twenty minutes on the first day to collect your badge.
Registration and badge
Registration was handled online in advance, with an early-bird rate, a dedicated offer for residents and allied health professionals, and the possibility of registering on site throughout the event. Once your registration was recorded, your named badge awaited you at the reception desk: it is the key to the session rooms, the exhibition and the recorded sessions. Keep it safe — you will need it to download your FMC certificate after the congress.
On site
As always, the congress offered a wide range of services: an information and reception desk, cloakrooms, Wi-Fi in the common areas, catering and coffee areas at the heart of the exhibition, and the partners’ stands to explore between sessions. The venue’s staff assist visitors with reduced mobility; the main rooms are reachable step-free from the common circulation areas.
Where to stay
The Porte Maillot district and neighbouring arrondissements offer a very wide choice of hotels, from budget to first class. The best advice remains to book early: December is a busy season in Paris. The congress secretariat can point participants to partner accommodation options, particularly useful for attendees travelling from the regions or from abroad — they made up 38 per cent of participants in 2016.
Planning your route
A congress this dense deserves preparation. The scientific programme allowed filtering by day, theme and speaker; mapping out sessions in advance avoids discovering on the morning itself that two courses clash. The most methodical participants also noted e-posters to consult during the calmer stretches between sessions.
A question about opening hours, rooms or your registration? The secretariat is available all year: contact details are on the Contacts page.