Events and Trade Fairs in France: Planning for Strike Risk
A trade fair or business event in France can bring a year's worth of leads in three days. It can also go wrong fast when train strikes, road blockades or protests hit the dates you booked. This checklist walks you through planning, booking and running an event in France so that strike risk costs you as little as possible, whether you are exhibiting, visiting or organizing.
Key takeaways
- Check announced strike and protest dates before you book travel, freight and hotels, and build in a buffer day.
- Read the organizer's terms and your supplier contracts for cancellation, refund and force majeure wording before you pay.
- Ship booth materials early and keep a lightweight backup kit that one person can carry.
- Have a plan B for meetings and lead capture, such as video calls and a booking page, if visitors cannot travel.
As of late October 2026, France is going through a period of protests and strikes. A nationwide day of action against the cost of living took place on 17 October 2026, yellow vest groups announced actions for 24 and 31 October, a public sector strike against planned spending cuts has been running, and five unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU) called a national day of strikes and demonstrations for 5 November. Flights and trains have largely operated, but strike days can bring cancellations, road closures and closed attractions. Partial curfews were imposed in some areas after 17 October.
France is also one of Europe's busiest destinations for trade fairs and conferences, and strikes are a recurring feature of French working life. The checklist below is built for the current situation but works for any event season. It is general information, not legal or insurance advice: check your own contracts and policies, and follow official sources such as your préfecture, official travel advice and the organizer's updates.
Step 1: Assess the risk for your dates
Start with a simple risk check for the event dates and the two days on either side.
- Announced actions. Look for national strike days, sector strikes (rail, air traffic control, public transport) and protest calls. Union and government announcements usually come some days in advance.
- Location. Venues in large city centers can be more exposed to marches and road closures than those on the edge of town, though transport strikes affect access everywhere.
- Local measures. Check préfecture announcements for curfews, banned demonstration zones or road closures.
- Official travel advice. As of late October 2026, the US State Department lists France at Level 2 ("Exercise increased caution") due to terrorism and civil unrest and advises avoiding demonstrations. The UK FCDO has not advised against travel to France but tells travelers to avoid protest areas and follow local media and authorities. Check for updates before you go.
Pro tip
Set up a simple shared calendar for your event team with the event dates, known strike and protest days and your booking deadlines. Seeing the overlaps in one place makes it much easier to decide when to travel and when to ship.
Step 2: Read the contracts before you pay
Exhibitor contracts, hotel bookings, stand builders and freight forwarders all have their own terms. Strike risk changes how you should read them.
The organizer's exhibitor terms
Look for what happens if the event is canceled, postponed or reduced, and whether strikes, civil unrest or acts of public authorities are listed as force majeure. Many organizers keep part of your fee if they cancel for reasons beyond their control, or offer a credit for the next edition instead of a refund. Note also what happens if you cannot attend: in most cases, exhibitors who stay away still pay.
Supplier contracts
Under French law, force majeure is defined in article 1218 of the Code civil: an event beyond the party's control, not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made, whose effects cannot be avoided by appropriate measures. Strikes and protests qualify only sometimes. A strike announced before you sign may be treated as foreseeable. Under English and US law, force majeure exists only if the contract includes a clause, so read the wording carefully.
Common mistake
Booking non-refundable hotels, flights and stand services after a strike date has already been announced, then expecting force majeure to refund them. Because the disruption was foreseeable when you booked, you may have little protection. If you must book, choose flexible rates for the risky days.
Step 3: Plan travel with a buffer
Travel is where strikes bite hardest. Plan so that one canceled train or flight does not empty your stand.
- Arrive a day early. If set-up is on a known strike day, travel the day before and stay near the venue.
- Split the team. Send staff on different flights or trains so a single cancellation does not stop everyone.
- Book flexible tickets. They cost more, but make rebooking easier on short notice.
- Know your passenger rights. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, flights from the EU, or to the EU on an EU airline, can bring care (meals, hotel) and a choice of refund or rerouting when canceled, plus compensation of €250, €400 or €600 in some cases. Strikes by the airline's own staff usually do not count as "extraordinary circumstances," while air traffic control strikes usually do, so compensation is not paid in that case, but care and refund or rerouting still apply. SNCF and EU rail passenger rights give refunds or rebooking for canceled trains.
- Plan the last mile. Public transport to the venue may run a reduced service. Check walking routes, taxis and ride-hail options, and agree a meeting point.
Step 4: Ship booth materials early and keep a backup kit
Road blockades and port or rail disruption can delay freight. A late pallet can leave you with an empty stand.
- Ask your freight forwarder or stand builder for the latest safe delivery date, then aim earlier.
- Use the venue's or organizer's official logistics partner where possible: they usually know local access rules and have warehouse space.
- Track shipments and keep the delivery contact numbers on everyone's phone.
- Prepare a backup kit that fits in a suitcase: a roll-up banner, printed leaflets or a QR code card, samples, a tablet with your demo and chargers.
- Consider renting furniture, screens and displays locally rather than shipping them.
Step 5: Protect your meetings and leads
The real return from a fair is the meetings and leads, not the stand itself. Protect them even if attendance drops.
- Book meetings in advance and give each contact a video call link as a fallback.
- Confirm the day before by email or message, and offer to move the meeting if transport is disrupted.
- Use a booking page so visitors who could not travel can still book a call with your team that week.
- Capture leads digitally with a form or app rather than paper alone, so nothing is lost if the event is cut short.
- Plan follow-up for the week after, including a short recorded demo for people who missed you.
Hypothetical example
Imagine "Kova Design," a small Finnish lighting brand, exhibiting at a Paris trade fair the week of a national strike day. It sends its pallet a week early through the organizer's logistics partner, flies two staff in on different days and books flexible hotel rooms within walking distance of the venue. When regional trains are canceled on day two, it moves six meetings to video calls and later reports that it kept most of its planned conversations. All names and details are made up.
Step 6: Check insurance and staff safety
Insurance for events and travel varies widely, so ask specific questions rather than assuming you are covered.
| Risk | Question to ask | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Event canceled or shortened | Does my event or cancellation cover include strikes and civil unrest? | Your insurer or broker, the organizer |
| Stand materials damaged or stolen | Are goods in transit and at the venue covered, and with what deductible? | Your insurer, freight forwarder |
| Staff travel disruption | Does business travel insurance cover extra hotel nights and rebooking? | Your travel insurer |
| Liability at the stand | Does my policy cover public liability at events abroad? | Your insurer, the organizer's requirements |
For staff safety, brief everyone before they travel: avoid demonstrations, follow local media and authorities, share a contact chain and agree what to do if a curfew or road closure affects the hotel or venue. French employers have a general obligation to protect employees' health and safety, and employers elsewhere have similar duties, so treat the safety briefing as part of the event plan, not an extra.
If you are organizing an event
Organizers carry more risk because attendees, speakers and suppliers all depend on them.
- Write a clear strike and unrest policy into ticket and sponsor terms, covering refunds, credits and postponement.
- Choose venues with good access by more than one mode of transport.
- Keep a hybrid option ready: streaming equipment, remote speaker links and a digital program.
- Prepare message templates for attendees and sponsors explaining changes and what to expect.
- Set decision deadlines, such as 72 and 24 hours before, for go, postpone or switch to online.
Your trade fair strike risk checklist
- Check announced strike and protest dates for the event and two days either side
- Read exhibitor, hotel and supplier terms for cancellation and force majeure
- Book flexible travel and arrive a day early, splitting the team
- Ship materials early through the official logistics partner
- Pack a suitcase backup kit with banner, leaflets and demo
- Add video links to every booked meeting and set up a booking page
- Confirm insurance cover for cancellation, goods and travel
- Brief staff on safety, contacts and what to do in a curfew
Frequently asked questions
Will I get my exhibitor fee back if the fair is canceled because of strikes?
It depends on the organizer's terms. Some refund in part, some offer credit for the next edition and some keep the fee when cancellation is caused by events beyond their control. Read the terms before you pay and ask the organizer directly.
Should I cancel my trip to a fair in France because of protests?
Not necessarily. As of late October 2026, flights and trains have largely operated, and the UK FCDO has not advised against travel. Check official travel advice and the organizer's updates close to the date, plan a buffer day and avoid demonstrations.
Can I claim compensation if my flight to the fair is canceled?
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, you may be entitled to compensation, care and a refund or rerouting, depending on the flight and the cause. Strikes by the airline's own staff usually allow compensation; air traffic control strikes usually do not, but care and refund or rerouting still apply.
Related reading
The bottom line
Strikes and protests do not have to ruin your event in France. Check the dates early, read the contracts before you pay, travel with a buffer, ship materials early and keep a backup kit. Most of all, protect your meetings and leads with video fallbacks and digital lead capture, so the investment pays off even if some visitors cannot make it.
Keep an eye on official sources, the organizer's updates and your insurer's guidance in the days before the event, and make go or no-go decisions at set deadlines rather than in a rush.
