Mythical La Nuit des Clans: the story of the man who imagined it all
Designer and mastermind of the La Nuit des Clans editions for Clan Campbell, Pierre Portevin recounts how the event was born, the arrival of the international clans, the Belgian Technofondus Clan led by Étienne Russo, the creation of the invitation card and the decision to stop at the high point.
CDMEveryone has somewhat appropriated this story; you can find all kinds of versions. I wanted the real story from you. Were you the one who conceived and staged all three editions?
I carried the original idea and oversaw all three editions from start to finish. The idea germinated through contact with Frédéric Beigbeder and Ricard's strategic planning team, and I was the one who set it in motion. They nicknamed me the Boutros-Boutros-Ghali of the Clans: my role was to talk with each clan, present the project to most of them, and make sure everyone got along, which was not always simple.
CDMWhat was Patrice Etienne's background?
Patrice had set up a company called Sonologie. He produced highly creative parties, hip before the word existed, and it was good fun. I knew him well: he came to my bar, L'Oie Unique, back when I had that bistro, we saw each other now and then and went out together a lot, in the evening, at night.
CDMBefore that, you were a DJ at the Arlequin?
I worked at the Circus, at the Arlequin, and I did two summers at the Mirano as a pair. It was when Jean-Claude was away. By the time of La Nuit des Clans I was already a marketing and strategy consultant: I could combine strategic skills with a genuine connection to nightlife. I talked to just about everyone, and I had a very clear idea of what makes a night venture succeed or fail.
CDMAnd the texts of the folder?
The texts, I wrote part of them with Ariel Wizman.
CDMIt is a pity that it never started again.
I actually think stopping it was a success. We really thought the thing through with an exceptional client, the marketing vice-president of Pernod Ricard, Jean-Paul Ricard, brilliant, and a marketing group head, Stéphane Roche, equally exceptional. We had an incredible team for all that. We asked ourselves who wanted us to carry on, and we told ourselves it was perhaps better to stop. Stopping is what turns it into a legend.
CDMYou are French, yet the story is a Belgian one?
I am French by nationality, but I lived most of my life in Belgium. After several years in Argentina and Spain, I came back to France to run a Young & Rubicam subsidiary in the South, in Nice. That is where I started working for Ricard: they talked to me about their positioning in nightlife, and the idea took shape. In the meantime I had moved back to Belgium, where I was working. And there I was, conceiving it all; I was the mastermind of the whole thing. I brought Patrice Etienne into the adventure because he was in Paris at the time.
CDMThe Belgians only came once, didn't they?
The Belgians only came once, didn't they? I was there with Étienne Russo. The invitation carries a title that plays with the series of editions. Every year we had to find something new and push a little further. I suggested making it international: we brought in clans from Spain, Italy, Belgium and Scotland. I had contacted Étienne Russo for Belgium. The Technofondus.
CDMWho designed the invitation artwork, which is beautiful?
I worked with Patrick Avella: the invitation was created by Patrick Avella and Yves Rotach. We even had the Clan Campbell logo redrawn for the back cover, so that it would be an illustration rather than a photograph. Something sophisticated. The paper was top quality too, expensive paper, everything done by hand. The fact that no credits appear is the weak point of the thing, but that is how it worked: the people to put forward were the clan chiefs, not the graphic designers.
CDMWhy did you decide to stop the adventure?
The last one was really complicated, with safety issues. We were in a warehouse Patrice had found: a nineteenth-century locomotive factory, disused and turned into a depot. The safety standards were not fully met. Someone in the team had insisted that we got along well with the fire brigades of every municipality and that they would help us, but after the Furiani disaster in 1992 everyone was extremely cautious. The fire brigade refused the authorisation, and we nearly had to cancel the party.
CDMDo you still have archives from that period?
I still have things, but it is no longer really my thing. Back then I negotiated with media, I met Jean-François Bizot, who ran Actuel: we did a sixteen-page feature, I believe, in the magazine. It must all be in boxes somewhere, I would have to look. I did give interviews at the time, just to reclaim authorship, because supposedly everyone made La Nuit des Clans.
Telephone interview conducted by Carl De Moncharline with Pierre Portevin on 15 September 2026, with both participants in Brussels. Condensed transcription, edited with the help of Plaud AI and checked to remain faithful to what was said. Photographs: private collection, photo credits: DR.