This time last year, we event planners were at the height of the workshop, trade fair and presentation season, networking with our colleagues from the sector and generating new ideas to continue surprising attendees at meetings, congresses and incentive trips.
For several weeks now, organisers, businesses from the sector and destination managers have all been working hard to come up with proposals that can be adapted to future needs.
We all have our sights set on the target of our efforts: companies that want to reconnect with their customers, work teams that need to get back together and become more cohesive, associations and institutions that are reprogramming activities to adapt them to the new scenario, or simply postponing them till the time when they can be held.
What can the MICE sector offer them? Here are some ideas for genuine and sustainable activities that cater for self-protection and social distancing.
Discover…
We miss being able to travel and come into contact with different realities. The Costa Brava Girona destination is close to home and soaked in the history that has marked its stunning scenery.
Art and culture are the common threads running through some of our options, which are highly suitable for small and medium groups.
Pritzker Prize winner amidst volcanoes: RCR Arquitectes, the group awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2017, opens the doors of its Universe of Shared Creativity. This innovative initiative organised by Fil Mediterranean Travel Designers includes lunch at a two-star Michelin restaurant.
A gourmet food paired with literature: The Costa Brava’s landscape, cuisine and genuine character are a constant in Josep Pla’s work. Restaurant Sala de l’Isaac invites you to immerse yourselves in the universal Empordà writer’s imaginary world with a route in Calella de Palafrugell, paired with a literary lunch.
Other options are inspired by traditional activities connected with exceptional landscapes, as is the case of Ricycle, an experience organised by Ocitània which involves riding through the beautiful rice fields surrounding the medieval village of Pals on a burricleta electric bike and taking part in activities connected with growing and cooking rice.
Challenge…
After being apart for so long, the time has come to pool your skills in amazing surroundings.
For groups in search of action and thrills in the heart of nature, Aventura Girona has prepared Rocks, Stones and Sea, a chance to climb the only via ferrata in Europe to be located literally right next to the sea, in Cala del Molí.
There will also be the chance to regain contact with the team in a more relaxed way, with activities like Mindfulness in the Heart of Nature, organised by Mindful Natura to boost your wellbeing and explore new ways of meeting up.
Taste…
The culinary scene in the Costa Brava & Girona Pyrenees is a means of conveying fascinating hidden stories that transform a tasting into an unforgettable shared experience.
The Domus Sent Soví culinary experimentation centre has created The World of Ratafia experience, which reveals all the Catalan liqueur’s secrets through activities that can be held outdoors or in the culinary centre’s spacious rooms: a botanical walk, a tasting led by members of the Ratafia Association and a workshop showcasing recipes made with ratafia.
With Create Your Own Wine you can make a wine to reflect the personality of your project, by combining three single-variety wines. This activity is offered by some of the DO Empordà wineries, under the guidance of a professional winemaker, and can be held outdoors in vineyards and in natural settings.
In the best conditions
Costa Brava Girona is a local destination with the ideal characteristics for creating genuine and sustainable activities that are compatible with self-protection and social distancing measures.
First of all, the region offers a wide range of very different landscapes, from mountain locations to breathtaking coastal scenery, in a very short distance.
Besides this, over a third of the province is designated as Protected Natural Area, with a huge variety of countryside away from crowds and pollution.
The concern for the environment among the province’s tourist sector is clearly reflected in the number of companies with sustainability certifications, in the broad range of CSR group activities and in the star role of local produce in restaurants and hotels.
The Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau is composed of over 140 companies and institutions from the tourist sector, including accommodation, congress centres and exceptional venues, services, activity companies, event planners and agencies and the local Convention Bureaux: Girona City Convention Bureau, Lloret de Mar Convention Bureau and Reunions Entre Volcans in the Garrotxa region.
The cohesion among the companies, entities and professionals from the MICE sector in Costa Brava Girona, backed up by a lengthy tradition of professional outreach customer service, enables us to respond successfully to event planners’ new requirements.
