Gilbert Trigano

Gilbert TRIGANO was born on July 28, 1920 in Montreuil sous Bois in the Seine department (now Val de Marne). His parents were merchants. His father, Raymond TRIGANO, opened a coffee roasting factory after the first world war, which unfortunately burned down in 1922, causing the family's ruin. In 1935, the Trigano family (Raymond and Edgard, the eldest son) opened their first tarpaulin workshop.
Gilbert spent his childhood with five brothers and sisters. As a teenager, he dreamed of becoming an actor and even wrote texts for some stars.

During the Second World War, he became a member of the Resistance and a communist activist until the liberation. He wrote a few articles in newspapers such as L'Humanité and L'Avant Garde but was censored. Disgusted, he left this milieu and joined the family business.

After having met, by pure chance, Gérard BLITZ in 1950 (Gilbert picked up the phone when Gerard called for tents), he officially joined the club in 1953 where he officiated as treasurer of the Club Méditerranée association.
In 1955, while the Club Méditerranée association and the Club des Villages Magiques were experiencing problems with unpaid bills, he instigated the merger of the two clubs with the transition to a limited company with variable capital. (The company Trigano Pères & Fils rented the tents to the two holiday clubs).

Gilbert TRIGANO took over the management of Club Méditerranée SA in 1963 and became CEO.

At the end of his life, he carried out government functions and from 1983 occupied the post of delegate to the Prime Minister Laurent Fabius where he was in charge of new training courses and was involved in the creation of computer workshops for young people.

Gilbert TRIGANO died during the night of February 3-4, 2001. A long illness, as they say, took his life. He is buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris.

The children

Gilbert is the father of 4 children (Serge, Lydie, Sylvie and Brigitte).
Serge joined the club as a traffic GO in 1963 in Corfu, a village he then returned to in 1970 but as village chief. During the 80s he became director of the American zone before Gilbert handed over the presidency of the Club to him in 1993. He held the presidency until July 17, 1997, the day he was dismissed from his duties.

During the 2000s, he co-founded the company Serge TRIGANO & Sons with his sons Jeremy and Benjamin. Its aim is to operate and market hotel concepts. This is how the first Mama Shetler hotel opened in September 2008, on Rue de Bagnolet in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. Today, Mama Shetler has 6 hotels located in France and abroad (Paris 20th arrondissement, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Los Angeles, Istanbul). Other locations are planned, such as at the Porte de Versailles in Paris.

Lydie also becomes a GO. She sets up Forums in the villages that will allow GMs to meet guest artists in a relaxed atmosphere, attend debates, shows, photo exhibitions, etc. The Splendid troupe, François de CLOSET, and filmmaker Youssef CHAHINE will, among others, pass through these forums.

Sylvie takes over the management of the Club Med “Club Med Affaires” seminar center.