Contents
Key points
- A sales seminar is there to align, equip and motivate the sales teams.
- Keep most of the time for work: that is also what makes it a business expense.
- Provence lets you combine work and reward, less than 3 hours from Paris by TGV high-speed train.
The objectives of a sales seminar
- Launch the year: results, targets, action plan by segment.
- Train: new offers, sales pitches, negotiation, tools.
- Share good practice between regions or teams.
- Recognise successes: awards ceremony, testimonials.
A sample two-day agenda
| Time | Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Arrival, plenary session: results and targets | Practical workshops: offers, customer cases, role plays |
| Afternoon | Workshops by segment or by region | Individual action plans, commitments, conclusion |
| Evening | Awards ceremony and dinner | Departure |
Other formats: offsite agendas.
The rules to follow
According to BOSS, seminars and incentive trips count as business expenses when the costs are justified and the trip is organised around a work programme, which the employer must be able to produce. A trip that is mainly leisure, on the other hand, is part of pay and subject to social security contributions. The cost of business receptions that an employee attends at the employer’s request may also be reimbursed as business expenses.
Have your chartered accountant confirm how your seminar should be treated.
Where to hold it in Provence
- For a large group arriving by train: Marseille or Avignon.
- For a regional team: Aix-en-Provence, close to the TGV station and the airport.
- As a reward: the seaside, a château or a golf resort.
Describe your sales seminar: we pass your request on, free of charge, to three suitable venues at most.
Sources and method
Information checked on 11 November 2026.
- Frais professionnels (§ 1490 à 1520 et § 1910) — BOSS : seminars, incentive trips, business receptions
Frequently asked questions
When should you hold a sales seminar?
At the start of the financial year to launch the targets (the “kick-off”), or when work resumes in September to give the second half of the year fresh momentum. Avoid year-end closing periods and school holidays if your teams have children.
Does a sales seminar with leisure activities still count as a business expense?
According to BOSS, the official French social security bulletin, if the trip is predominantly professional, no benefit in kind is recognised, even for the leisure part. This is not the case when employees have worked for less than half of the time spent on site. A written work programme is essential.
