M&I FORUM TOUR DE MICE 2019

Introduction

Lloret de Mar hosts part of the M&I Forum Tour de MICE, a leading international MICE workshop 

Content

One hundred professionals from the European MICE sector took part in the event organised by Worldwide Events in collaboration with the Lloret Convention Bureau, the Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau and the Girona City Convention Bureau & Conference Centre.

With the aim of making a valuable contribution, as a cohesive territory, and on the back of the successful first M&I Forum Masters held in the area in 2018, the Lloret Convention Bureau, together with the Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau and the Girona City Convention Bureau, coordinated the organisation of the M&I Forum Tour, a leading MICE event, in early October 2019.

The organiser, the British company Worldwide Events, chose Lloret de Mar to host the first two days of the MICE M&I Experience Tour, which took place on the Costa Brava from 3 to 6 October 2019.

The event brought together nearly a hundred professionals from the European MICE sector –mainly from the UK, Germany and the Benelux countries–, including high-potential organisers and suppliers who took part in an experience organised by the Worldwide Events company in order to publicise the MICE offering in the Girona region through a cycling activity.

For three days, and split into three groups, participants travelled around Lloret de Mar, Platja d’Aro, Caldes de Malavella and Girona on different cycling routes with different degrees of difficulty and distances chosen according to the level of each group.

On these days, meetings were arranged during the morning, while the cycling stages, meals and social events were organised in different spaces and hotels along the route.

Lloret de Mar hosted the first two days of activities, comprising an introductory cycling route and warm-up on Thursday afternoon, and a welcome dinner at the heritage site of Sant Pere del Bosc. The group stayed at the Gran Hotel Monterrey, where the first session of professional interviews, a working lunch and the start of the first proper cycling stage, heading into the Girona area, took place on Friday morning.

Participants then continued with the activities scheduled across the rest of the area until Sunday afternoon.

Testimonies 

WORLDWIDE EVENTS  – Chris McQue – DIRECTOR OF BUYER RELATIONS

“It’s unusual to get this level of collaboration from any CVB and it’s been an absolute joy to work with all of you in Lloret De Mar. From important aspects such as the headquarters -the Gran Hotel Monterrey- and the magnificent evening in Sant Pere del Bosc, to the fabulous coastal mountain route through Tossa to Platja d’Aro, not to mention the array of important details, it was a real privilege to work with professionals like you, and a team that we can really call friends for life!

I’m speaking on behalf of the entire senior team here at Worldwide Events / M&I Forums, when I say that we’re proud of what we’ve delivered together in the market and look forward to the continued benefits of this investment. The comments made by the participants/delegates on their Girona-Costa Brava experience have been fantastic. And if there’s anything I can do personally to help further the development of business in Lloret de Mar, don’t hesitate to call me.”

Montse Belisario, Director of the Lloret Convention Bureau

“The Lloret Convention Bureau has been working for a long time to host events for Worldwide Events, one of the most important event organisers in the sector. Specifically, the relationship arose thanks to the familiarisation trip we organised three years ago as part of the OGL Meetings project (Olot-Girona-Lloret), which brought one of the company’s staff members to our town, who was impressed with our specialised offering. Last year we were chosen as one of the venues for the M&I Experience MICE Masters, and this time around we’ve worked together again with the Costa Brava Convention Bureau and the Girona City Convention Bureau & Conference Centre as an exemplary territorial partnership that has made it possible for the event to be a great success again.”

Event structure 

On the Costa Brava, cycling is everywhere. The region is home to a large community of professional cyclists who use this city as a training base. Thanks to the great variety of routes in the region, its extraordinary climate and the excellent range of complementary services, the Costa Brava is a paradise for professional cyclists.

The aim was to offer a tour of our coastline to some of the most sought-after buyers in Europe. From dramatic landscapes to picturesque towns, stunning beaches to winding coastal roads, there are hundreds of miles of routes and trails that are ideal for both novice and competitive cyclists, in an extremely safe environment.

Each group consisted of a maximum of 20 cyclists, with at least one qualified guide.

As such, the 70 participants (buyers/sellers) were split into three groups according to their level of cycling expertise and experience.

LEVELS: Leisure – Sporting – Epic

Leisure

Leisure cyclists had the option of riding hybrid or electric bicycles, and rode on various roads and greenways on the Costa Brava (a wide network of trails of incomparable beauty, where they could enjoy a rich and socially inclusive MICE experience.

Sporting

These are athletes with a good fitness level and a desire to learn a new and very popular sport in ideal conditions. They are new or recreational road cyclists or mountain bikers who don’t normally ride more than once a week. They rode along the same trails and roads as the Epic level riders, but with shorter stretches.

Epic

High-level amateur cyclists who ride regularly and look for the perfect opportunity to experience some of the most rewarding routes in Europe, just like the pros.

Event programme 

THURSDAY,  3 October 2019

Arrivals throughout the day

15:00 – 18:00 Welcome, bike preparation and training – Gran Hotel Monterrey

All routes, controls, accompaniments and coordination of public roads were coordinated with the Local Police and the Civil Protection service, both on Thursday when the training sessions took place and on Friday at the time of the official departure of the Lloret stretch, from Lloret de Mar to Platja d’Aro, of the Sporting and Epic groups.

In terms of training, there were three groups, corresponding to the three levels of road cycling expertise and experience.

Leisure

15:00     Transfer to the Santa Cristina Chapel heritage site, where the training took place, accompanied by a healthy snack and a lively atmosphere with music provided by a Catalan rumba duet.

16:15 Cycling route. Santa Cristina Chapel – Fenals Beach – Gran Lloret Beach – Gran Hotel Monterrey

17:00 Arrival at the hotel.

Sporting

16:00 Departure from the Gran Hotel Monterrey (Bike Zone) to cycle the route to Tossa de Mar.

17:00 Transfer from Tossa de Mar back to the Gran Hotel Monterrey.

17:30 Arrival at the hotel

Epic

15:00 Departure from the Gran Hotel Monterrey (Bike Zone) to cycle the route to Tossa de Mar and back cycling also to the Gran Hotel Monterrey.

17:00 Arrival at the Hotel.

19:15 – 19:30 Transfer to the gourmet restaurant of Sant Pere del Bosc, housed in the Indiano-style building designed by the famous architect Puig i Cadafalch in the late 19^th century.

19:30 – 20.00 Welcome: Cuba meets Costa Brava, including the workshop and tasting of the Daiquiri Floridita (Indiano legacy of Lloret de Mar), followed by the presentation of the Lloret Convention Bureau inside the church.

20:15 – 23.00 Dinner in cocktail format and performance by a Catalan rumba group on the panoramic terrace of the venue.

The venue was given a period décor and featured actors dressed up as Americanos (Lloret townsfolk who returned home after making their fortune in the Americas) and the town’s Indiano giant figures. The staging was unique.

23:15 – 23:30 Transfers back to the Gran Hotel Monterrey.

FRIDAY,  4 October 2019

08:30 – 9:00 Accreditations Gran Hotel Monterrey

09:00 – 10:45 Seven x B2B meetings x 15 minutes

10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 Six x 15 minutes B2B meetings

12:30 – 13:30 Healthy lunch

14:00 – 18:00 Cycling Tours – 3 routes/3 levels

18:00 – 18:30 Food stop

19:30 – 19:45 Transfer from Hotel San Jorge to Hostal de la Gavina

20:00 – 22:30 Networking dinner at La Taverna del Mar

22:30 + Transfer back to Hotel San Jorge (half of the group)

Accommodation was split between Hostal de La Gavina (transfer on foot) and Hotel San Jorge.

SATURDAY,  5 October 2019

08:15 – 08:30 Transfer from Hostal de la Gavina to Park Hotel San Jorge

08:45 – 09:00 Accreditations

09:00 – 10:45 Seven x B2B meetings x 15 minutes

10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 Six x B2B meetings x 15 minutes

12:30 – 13:30 Healthy lunch

14:00 – 18:00 Cycling route

18:00 – 18:30 Food-stop

19:30 – 22:30 Dinner awards ceremony at Hotel Camiral

22:30 – 00:30+ After party

Accommodation at Hotel Camiral

SUNDAY,  6 October 2019

09:00 – 11:30 Optional: Rita cycling to Girona

11:30 – 14:00 Optional: Discover the main attractions of the old town of the city of Girona with a tapas route

14:00 + Departures – end of the event.

Nota: Vídeo i fotos de Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau 

The result

We can safely say that the celebration of the international WS M&I Forum Tour de Mice  in Lloret de Mar and around the counties of Girona was a great success, a SECOND GREAT SUCCESS FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF THE M&I Masters Forum held the previous year. An important factor in this success is the strong cycling tradition in the area.

The counties of Girona have a great cycling tradition and have all the services and infrastructures necessary to enjoy the sport in optimal conditions. The area regularly hosts stages and training sessions of professional cycling teams such as Mitchelton-Scott (Australia) or the EF Education Firs-Drapac (USA), and is the place of permanent residence and training of elite cyclists such as David Millar or Rober Gesink, of Team Lotto NL-Jumbo, and Rory Sutherland, of UAE Team Emirates, to name just a few.

In 2017, Sea Otter chose Girona to bring its event to Europe. The two editions have been a great success for the organisers, companies and collaborating institutions in terms of participation and economic results. The 2020 edition of the world cycling event will be held once again in Girona.

When proposing the candidacy of the Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau to host the MICE 2019 Tour in the region, Worldwide Events assessed the quality and capacity of the accommodation and services offering in the area, and the positioning of cycling as a sport, with hundreds of kilometres of optimal routes.

It should also be highlighted that the good result and success of the event are largely due to the collaboration between the different public and private entities involved, which stand out for their ability to join forces in order to position the Girona – Costa Brava area optimally as a MICE destination.

The entities involved were  the Lloret Convention Bureau, the Costa Brava-Girona Convention Bureau of the Costa Brava-Girona Tourist Board, the Girona City Convention Bureau & Conference Centre, Gran Hotel Monterrey Hotels, Park Hotel San Jorge, Hostal de la Gavina and Hotel Camiral at PGA Catalunya Resort, the inbound tourism agency FIL Mediterranean Travel Designers, the cycling route agency Eat Sleep Cycle, and the cycling equipment companies TACTIC and CHPT3.