Conclusions of the ‘Sustainable, Safe and Healthy Valencia’ event
What we managed to achieve during the conference. First clue: we are pioneers in sustainable tourism.
Second clue: the MICE industry joined forces to give meeting tourism a boost
“The event looks promising”. This was one of the phrases we overheard in our foyer before the kick-off of the ‘Sustainable, Safe and Healthy Valencia’ event, organised by the Valencia Conference Centre in conjunction with the Valencia Convention Bureau, under the umbrella of Visit Valencia.
The institutions and the majority of the MICE industry invested a lot of time and energy in the day’s events. The conference was shaped by the excellent progress made by Valencia and the Conference Centre in terms of sustainability. Valencia is a pioneer in verifying and certifying the carbon footprint of its tourism activities and the Conference Centre is the first organisation to be awarded the Sustainable Tourism Smart Label and AENOR certification.
The second part of the event focused on the meetings industry, which has been building momentum since the beginning of the pandemic in order to tackle the future with optimism.
In reference to this momentum, especially in face-to-face and hybrid events, the Director of AECOC, José María Bonmatí, emphasised that “face-to-face events are a fundamental part of our mission and we need forums for the sector to share and exchange knowledge and understanding.” And he recalled the major challenge of moving the 35th AECOC Consumer Congress from Barcelona to Valencia in just two weeks. “It was only possible thanks to our team, which worked hand in hand with the team at the Valencia Conference Centre to deliver a 100% safe event.”
For the Organisation Secretary of the UGT trade union, Rafael Espartero, who also advocated the need for face-to-face events (the 43rd UGT Federal Congress will be held at the Conference Centre from 18 to 20 May, with 800 in-person attendees), “this congress is the culmination of more than 180 congresses all over the country. It is the first time in the history of the UGT that the event has not been held in Madrid. We chose Valencia, mainly because of the excellent reputation of the Valencia Conference Centre.”
Corinna Heilman, the Programme Director of the World Design Capital Valencia 2022, with whom we have just signed a partnership agreement, also highlighted the MICE industry as the professional sector that looks for allies outside Spain and finds solutions in record time.”
And for Paco Borao, the Director of the Valencia Marathon, “these events position Valencia as a safe destination to do sport, as was the case with the 2020 Marathon’.
For further information, check out this press release.
