Salesmen, DIY, the Lépine Competition… ten crazy days at the Foire de Paris | M6 | 66 minutes

The Foire de Paris is the biggest trade fair in France with its 226,000 m2 of exhibition space and 600,000 visitors per year. The people providing the DNA of the Paris fair are its salesmen, the kings of the fair who would sell anything and everything with perfect aplomb. We follow Raymond, with his innate sense of persuasion. He has given the sales patter for vacuum attachments and magic brooms. This year, according to him, he’s selling a product that unblocks anything. The Foire de Paris gained its reputation thanks to the Lépine competition, a veritable institution among inventors and DIY enthusiasts. Raoul is one of France’s greatest inventors. He is presenting his latest discovery this year. Opposite him is Gérard, the most solicited man at the fair: he manages the prestigious competition. However, behind the atmosphere of goodwill that reigns along the aisles there lies another reality. There are some among the vendors who have no scruples: they use hard sell techniques on products of poor quality, at exorbitant prices. We recount the misadventures of Sébastien and Laure and we analyse those sales practices. Last year, the police that provide security at the Foire de Paris made 59 arrests: for fighting, drunkenness and theft. We will see that sometimes the frenzy goes beyond that of buying. From backstage at the Lépine competition to the best lines of the salesmen, by way of the finest scams in fitted kitchens, we take a close look at the 10 crazy days of the Foire de Paris, from April 30 to May 11 2014.