Business, conference and convention tourism
The Patronat de Turisme incorporates the Girona Convention Bureau
MARCH 2014
Girona Provincial Council, the Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona and the Girona Chamber of Commerce have set up the Girona Events Promotion Association, a not-for-profit association, in order to ensure the continuity of the Girona Convention Bureau and to give a fresh boost to business, conference and convention tourism in the Girona area, using the functional structure of the most senior tourism promotion body of the counties of Girona.
The integration of the Girona Convention Bureau within the Patronat de Turisme adds value to the promotional body and strengthens its leadership as the organisation leading the promotion and publicising of the attractions and tourism offer of the Costa Brava and the Pirineu de Girona. With the incorporation of the Girona Convention Bureau, the Patronat de Turisme is also expanding the portfolio of structured products offered to visitors by the destination.
The Girona Convention Bureau will have a broader structure, more resources and double the budget it had in the previous financial year, 161,000, in order to carry out its promotional and marketing activity from 2013.
The 2013 action plan focuses on the marketing and organisation of meetings between professionals
The Girona Convention Bureau will implement an intense programme of initiatives over the course of 2013 with the goal of positioning the Girona area as a meeting tourism destination on a Catalan, Spanish and international level. This programme includes promotional initiatives aimed at the professional sector, marketing support initiatives and communication and dissemination initiatives.
As regards initiatives aimed at professionals, it is taking part in in two specialised tourism fairs (IMEX in Frankfurt, in May, and EIBTM in Barcelona, in December) and organising two workshops. At least five familiarisation and press trips to the Girona area are also scheduled for companies, agencies and organisers of conferences, meetings and incentive trips from Spain, the south of France and Great Britain.
On the occasion of the arrival of the TGV in Girona, co-marketing and destination presentations have been scheduled in cities along the high-speed rail line with the collaboration of RENFE and SCNF. There will also be a greater number of promotional initiatives organised in conjunction with the Catalunya Convention Bureau, Spain Convention Bureau and Meetings in Sefarad.
In respect of marketing support, the Girona Convention Bureau will schedule a series of personalised commercial visits for intermediaries (conference and event organisers), as well as for managers who handle the business and incentive travel needs of large companies. This initiative is mainly aimed at the Catalan, Spanish and southern French markets.
As for the communication and dissemination initiatives that are carried out to raise the profile of the product and improve the positioning of the brand, one of the most important is the launch of the digital publication Sales Congress Guide 2013, the publication of the titles in the basic catalogue of the Girona Convention Bureau and of the catalogue with programmes of incentive experiences, along with the roll-out of an advertising campaign in digital and non-digital media in Spain and France. The focus in this financial year will be on the relaunch of the Girona Convention Bureau website, which will be incorporated in the website of the tourism offer of the Costa Brava and Pirineu de Girona: www.costabrava.org.
Last of all, public relations activities will be carried out through the Girona Convention Bureau at the 26th National PCO Conference in Spain and at the MICE Spain Convention Bureau Forum, among other events.
