Michael Cleva, deputy CEO of the Palais des Congres de Versailles has been put in charge of the sales department at the Palais des Congres de Paris following the appointment of Isabel Bardinet as head of the Meetings and Congress division of the European Society of Cardiology. Michael Cleva, 39, will combine the roles of sales and development director at the Palais des Congres de Paris and deputy CEO of the Palais des Congres de Versailles.

Since completing a postgraduate degree in money and finance at the University of Nanterre, Michael has spent his entire career in the exhibition and conference sector. After initially working as an industrial exhibitions manager within the sales and marketing department at Exposium, he joined the health division of the Sales Department at the Palais des Congres de Paris in 1994, where he remained until 2001. Since his appointment, Michael has worked with Isabel Bardinet on a regular basis in her capacity as CEO of Socfu and Colloquium, which is a client of the Palais des Congres.

In 2001, he was appointed deputy CEO of the Palais des Congres de Versailles, which was managed by the development company of the Palais des Congres de Paris. Once again, Michael teamed up with Isabel Bardinet, who was then the Development Manager at the Palais des Congres de Paris. They were entrusted jointly with the task of establishing a partnership between four of the most prestigious exhibition centers in the Paris region on behalf of the exhibition and conference organization, Leading Venues of Paris, which brings together the Palais des Congres in Paris and Versailles, as well as the Paris-Nord Villepinte and Le Bourget exhibition centers. These sites work in close collaboration with the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry in order to jointly promote the region as the world capital of business tourism.

Isabel Bardinet leaves behind a very healthy long-term order book for the Palais des Congres de Paris. She has been appointed as the conference manager at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), which organizes the largest of all the specialist conferences in Europe. The former and current directors will continue to fulfill their commitments to both their teams and clients based on a foundation of partnership, success and regional promotion, while offering the same standards of excellence and service quality.