Donostia San Sebastián Turismoa Convention Bureau steps up its promoting of the destination at MICE professional meetings and on those markets

In May and June, the Donostia San Sebastián Turismoa (DSST) Convention Bureau took part in different professional actions linked to MICE segment; the aim with to bolster the city’s positioning as a leading destination to hold congresses and conferences, meetings, incentives and corporate events.
These initiatives have enabled San Sebastián’s MICE offering to be showcased on strategic international markets, new partnership opportunities to be generated and the relationship with the sector’s specialist professionals, associations and agencies to be strengthened.

Promotion actions and professional meetings

From 12 to 14 May, San Sebastián was visited by a group of eight MICE agents from the Polish market, who specialise in organising corporate incentive trips. The fam trip was organised by BasqueTour in conjunction with the Spanish Tourist Office in Warsaw.

While they were in Gipuzkoa and San Sebastián, the group was shown different resources and venues linked to the destination’s MICE offering, including DSST partner companies: Begi-Bistan, Sagardoetxea, the Petritegi Cider House, San Telmo Museum, the Miramar Palace, Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra, Hotel Villa Favorita, the Aquarium, Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria, the Ziabogar restaurant, Bodegón Alejandro and the Balenciaga Museum. The programme also included guided tours run by Ana Intxausti and the group stayed at Hotel Zinema7.

On 18 May, in the run-up to the IMEX Frankfurt trade fair, DSST took part in the ICCA Business Global Exchange, a professional meeting organised by ICCA and designed for all the association’s members to share strategic information on recent international congresses and events. Participants had there the opportunity to share knowledge, identify future business opportunities, and develop possible candidates and partnerships.

From 19 to 21 May, Donostia San Sebastián Turismoa was at IMEX Frankfurt, one of the most important MICE trade fairs internationally. For the ninth year running, the San Sebastián delegation was there as part of the Turespaña stand and organised by the Spanish Tourist Office in Frankfurt.

Thanks to the support of the Convention Bureau, two DDST partner companies also took part at the fair: Kursaal Congress Centre and the Miramar Palace, and Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra – Hotel Villa Favorita. During the three days of the fair, the DDST Convention Bureau held around twenty meetings with professionals from the main European markets, as well as from Japan and Korea. The delegation also organised an open presentation and a group presentation along with Bilbao Covention Bureau aimed at Euromic clients.

From 3 to 5 June, the Convention Bureau took part in the Annual Meeting on MICE Tourism and in the Assembly of the Spain Convention Bureau, held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Destinations and professionals of the sector gathered there to share knowledge, analyse trends and continue to work together to drive meeting tourism.

Finally, from 7 to 9 June, DSST was at the Events Club Life Sciences Forum, organised by Europe Congress in Düsseldorf, where it took part alongside the Kursaal Congress Centre. This workshop gathered together over 60 MICE specialists in organising meetings and congresses for the life science industry; it was attended by companies, associations and agencies from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Benelux and Scandinavia.

Boost to MICE tourism

Taking part in these professional actions allows the Donostia San Sebastián Turismoa Convention Bureau to consolidate its contact network, identify new business opportunities and bolster the international positioning of the destination in the MICE segment.

Meeting tourism continues to be a strategic area for the city given its ability to attract talent and expertise, stimulate economic activity and to contribute to the international positioning of the destination, along with making tourism less seasonal.