We are stronger together
The 17th meeting of the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe held in the Melia Lisboa Oriente hotel in Lisbon on 15th–16th September 2022 proved once again the importance of international co-operation in our complex world.
Being the first of this kind, the alliance is aimed at increasing co-operation between offices in Europe for the maintenance and reinforcement of its strong position as No. 1 for meetings of associations around the world.
In Lisbon, we held intense discussions about open data and the leading role of national convention bureaux in the digital transformation of our sector. Moreover, we conducted a workshop concerning the general social and economic significance of business events and their legacy (permanent impact on destinations).
The persons responsible for conducting the workshop and sharing best practices and the legacy measurement methodology were Evelyne Bardyn from Visit Flanders and Annice Rømer of Copenhagen Legacy Lab – a project functioning within the Copenhagen Convention Bureau.
The meeting in Lisbon was also a great opportunity to meet personally (the PTO had not participated in two previous meetings) and to invite participants to the ICCA Congress in Kraków to ensure optimum attendance at the congress affected by concerns regarding inconveniences due to air transport, the increase of prices, post-Covid restrictions and the situation in Ukraine. The members of the Alliance will not let us down – many of them have already registered and selected a hotel in Kraków.
Upon the invitation of hosts of the meeting – Portugal and the Lisbon Convention Bureau – we could also feel like tourists for a while. HippoTrip is a unique 90-minute tour of Lisbon in a special amphibious vehicle that includes a drive through the city and a cruise on the Tag River. The route of the tour encompasses Lisbon’s most popular places, such as the Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, Estrella Gardens and Placa Comercio.
Members of the Alliance also gave an official welcome to Visit England with Paul Black as its new member. It is good to see our initiative develop and gain popularity. We are stronger together!
As a founding member of the Alliance, the Polish Convention Bureau of the Polish Tourism Organisation takes part in all research projects and in a majority of the Alliance meetings. By participating in activities aimed at the elaboration of common industry standards in Europe, we stress the position of Poland as an attractive region for the organisation of meetings and business events in the international arena. Members of the Alliance include Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Catalonia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (suspended), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Meetings of the National Convention Bureaux are held twice a year (one took place in Warsaw in February 2015). Another meeting of the Alliance will be held in Prague on 27th January 2023.
For more information, see: convention-europe.com
Author: Aneta Książek