Spain for Events 2016

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SPAIN FOR EVENTS

SPAIN FOR EVENTS 2016

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SPANISH CREATIVITY 04

MADRID 10

BARCELONA - CATALONIA 28

COSTA DEL SOL 48

SEVILLE 52

BASQUE COUNTRY 55

VALENCIA 60

ZARAGOZA 64

BALEARIC ISLANDS 66

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CANARY ISLANDS 70

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COVER FEATURE - LAS FALLAS IN VALENCIA: “CUBA-LIBERATO AZORÍN” BY PEDRO VICENTE BAENAS GARCÍA - Editor: eventoplus medios s.l., Barcelona Diputació 256 5º 1ª, 08007 Barcelona España t +34 93 272 09 27 f +34 93 272 09 12 Madrid Glorieta de Quevedo 5º esc. izda 1ª, 28015 Madrid España t +34 91 022 86 86 web www.eventosmag. com News and content: noticias@eventoplus.com Director: Eric Mottard Editor in Chief: Cristina Muñoz Soro Editorial Commitee: Elena Lea, María Lapeña Art Direction and Design: Maria Leone Communication & Events Director: Lynn Wong Communication: Albert Gauchía Events Department: Laura G. Velasco Sales Director: José García Aguarod Advertising: Alex Barbero, Carlos Linares, Agata Puigmal, Carmen Sánchez, Andrés Zavala International: Pilar Lafuente Post-sales: Esperanza Iglesias Sales and RRPP Madrid: Carmen Mallavibarrena, Mónica García Subscription: suscripciones@eventosmag.com Administration: Noemí Ordóñez, Nabila Katira Legal registration: B-37.971-2005 ISSN 1885-4699 - Printed in Spain.

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SPANISH CREATIVITY Back to childhood: “Build a city” with Lego bricks Fighting diabetes on a ring A new perspective to treat an issue as serious as type 2 diabetes: A conference based on the boxing world! Apple Tree Communications created for Novartis a “ring” where primary care professionals were informed about this disease. It was an online and offline affair: a competition consisting of two phases was organised. In the first phase doctors could compete on a platform on tests of knowledge about the disease. The first in the ranking went to the second phase, an event called “the final fight” in Madrid. It included three phases: “Televoting,” “Quizz buttons” and “the final fight” which included the presentation and discussion of a clinical case. Three winning couples could get the opportunity to be trained on diabetes during a stay in the Mount Sinai Diabetes Centre in New York.

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Induma proposes an activity where teams use LEGO bricks to build a big city. This activity is coordinated by Dirk Denoyelle, one of the 12 LEGO certified professionals in the world.

Recently, Induma organised this activity for 190 employees of a company, a mix of engineers and salespeople. The goal: to work 19 values (companionship, environment, etc.) and to showcase them in different neighborhoods of town.

Each team built its own city, taking into account the values to be showcased; for example, if the topic is security, the team must take it into account when building the houses, trees... and using all their creativity. Careful! The city must be well connected and be a place for everyone so teams need to negotiate with each other. At the end of the activity, all neighborhoods must be connected in the centre of the room. The teams saw the common result and submitted the proposal to the other neighborhoods.

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The Human Job, a movie-style team-building to explore Barcelona Italian HR Company Humangest held their convention in Barcelona with the help of agency Eventisimo. The activity took place in the Arts hotel. The 200 participants were divided into 45 teams and set out to explore the city in an activity inspired by the movie The Italian Job. Each team received an iPad with an app that marked the coordinates of where they had to perform the tests, in three main areas: Highlights (Eixample area), Historic Centre (Ciutat Vella area) and Maritime Front.

They moved around each area in a different way: aboard 15 Minis with customised colours and the logo of the activity (as in the movie); 65 bicycles, four electric bikes and on foot. In each area they had to pass six tests, so there was a total of 18 customised activities, each one related to the company values.

On the last day, all participants gathered at the Can Magi country house for a finale teamwork: they learned how to build a a real human tower, a native symbol of cooperation in Catalonia. They managed to create three human towera, which got them to open a safe where the last value of the company was kept.

MINI turns its car into a bowling ball Bloggers, inflluencers, media as well as MINI lovers participated in this original action aimed to communicate the car in a fresh and surprising way, as well as to showcase how agile and easy to handle it is. The action: the MINI Bowling contest, a tournament in which each team had to play bowling, trading the ball for… a MINI car! The event included regional contests, and the final gathering all the winning teams in Madrid.

Live music, catering themed on the 1950’s in the USA (lively waitresses in rollers, hotdogs and burgers, cocktails…). The event closed with a great party with live music on a peculiar stage (on a container!), after what was definitely a unique way of trying a new car.

Loads of powder to showcase the history of the most famous Valencian celebration Spain is the European country with most intangible heritage celebrations by UNESCO. Why not reinforce them? So in Valencia, the agency Publips-Serviceplan organised an event using lots of gunpowder and fireworks, the main ingredients of the famous Fallas celebration, to present their application.

It all started with an idea: the city had to make more noise than ever to defend this application. So on 29th February, the city hall square hosted a celebration with more than 100,000 detonations, using new techniques and controlled by digital systems and featuring a finale that shook the entire city.

The show was broadcast by Periscope (new star in event broadcasting and viralisation).

The show began by playing the beating of a heart using detonations, illustrating the passion that Valencians put in this celebration. Then the show alluded to the importance of fire, recreating colors and sounds effects through a sea of flames.

The importance of music (present in all celebrations) was simulated using detonations following the rhythm of the popular song ‘We will rock you’. Coloured smoke used in the explosions drew flowers and a tribute was made to the colorful Fallas monuments (paper structures which are burned at the end of the celebration).

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An event in a sex shop?

Beefeater and famous chef David Muñoz were looking for an unconventional venue to create a really impactful environment. The solution? A sex shop, including pole dance and striptease cabins (impactful indeed!). They joined forces to break stereotypes in the consumption of gin and tonic, and aimed to transmit the emotions and feelings that a chef puts in their dishes into the coctail glass. The agency La Despensa organised this event.

The project was presented between theatre acts like cabaret and burlesque shows, 360 ° immersive experiences and culinary creativity. The first surprise took place at the bar: a tasting of an original cocktail in a fishbowl-sized glass gin, wasabi and shrimp.

After testing this liquid universe, the guests went to the peepshow area to learn about BeefeaterXo with immersive Oculus glasses. They were later divided into groups of five and seated in red velvet armchairs around the pole dance. David Muñoz appeared to explain his project with Beefeater. In keeping with the venue’s spirit, the press kit was a DVD case designed as a X rated film.

Akiris experiences Mediterranean Winds in Barcelona In this incentive trip for 300 agents of the company Aetna, Spaintacular and Sintonizart jointly organised a show that recreated a journey through mythology and history related to the sea. A natural theme for an event in Barcelona.

The venue was the Barcelona Maritime Museum. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by ‘Christopher Columbus’, who acted as the MC. He walked down a corridor of melodies played by a tuna (traditional street band), before going to a photocall and be photographed with the Pinzon brothers.

Special lighting enhanced the replica of the royal galley of Juan de Austria which presided over the awards ceremony. When the guests approached for dinner, they were accompanied by characters representing lit-up sea-urchins which were coming out of the bottom of the boat, while smoke effects and strobe light offered a striking decoration. A female string orchestra contributed to the ambiance.

At the end of the night, Akuiris appeared in a show set in the aquatic world, with Goddess Tanit, protector of the ancient Mediterranean. Artists with shimmering costumes, large spheres with dancers inside, bright bubbles representing the beauty of the colours under the sea, long waves that came and vanished, jugglers playing with logos of the company, while upstage a mapping and kinetic technology followed the movement of the characters and projected it on the backdrop.

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MICE Experts in Spain We create destination based experiences connected to business results in the form of incentives, conferences, meetings and eventsŠ

WINNER

To learn more about our sevices please visit:

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MADRID The third largest city in the European Union is in good shape when it comes to tourism and events. It broke record in visitor numbers in 2015 (almost 9 million people) and specifically in our industry, where its 22nd position in the ICCA ranking just six years ago was converted to an impressive second and third place in the last two years. Fun, dynamic, with more than 80,000 hotel beds and one of the best night lives in the world, Madrid is gaining ground. It is one of the most open cities in Europe, full of life, it is a city that truly never sleeps, and has been in the last few years bursting with creativity.

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International Gemalto Convention run by Conventia.

A group of 545 people staying at two hotels (the Madrid Marriott Auditorium and the Meli谩 Galgos Hotel). Meetings were held at both hotels, while the leisure activities included dinner at Opium with a performance and a light show, and another exclusive dinner at Cocina de San Ant贸n, one of the new eating places in Madrid.

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Touring Madrid in a Seat 600 In Out Travel & Events are offering groups the chance to travel through Madrid in a charming Seat 600. A driver takes attendees around while all they have to do is sit back and take in the charm of the shops, gastronomy and sites. The tour can be extended with a walk through some of Madrid’s most famous neighbourhoods, such as ‘Las Letras’.

Choose your favourite place in the city and learn all about its history!

Altadis, a railway-themed event in Madrid With an urban aesthetic and graphics inspired by railway and underground networks, Eventisimo was in charge of running this two-day convention for the tobacco company Altadis.

The Rolling Chamartín, an indoor skating rink, was hosted the plenary sessions. The layout of the stage resembled a Roman amphitheatre, where the arena was a catwalk surrounded by two grand stands seating 400 guests. The presentations and videos were presented on two screens located over each grandstand, and the floor was an enormous mapping surface where visual effects were projected as a visual aid during the speeches and to welcome the speakers. Adding to the atmosphere, projections showed motifs inspired by underground lines and train tickets, as well as a performance by a rap duo.

After the meeting, guests were taken to a logistics centre where the convention’s dinner and party were held amidst containers stacked up on train tracks. In a large warehouse, various old trains greeted visitors and the buffet stations took diners on a gastronomical journey through the areas Altadis works in on the peninsula.

Other additions to the party included break dancers, street artists painting graffitis inspired by the company’s concepts, a lively concert by Tina and the Turners, and a DJ session performed on a large scaffold adorned with huge LED screens.

On the second day, a gymkhana took the group to the Madrid underground where, having being split into teams, they recorded sounds of the underground and performances by the street artists that were dotted throughout the network. The kilometres that all the groups covered on the underground were added up and turned into kilos of food that were donated to the Madrid Food Bank. With the sounds recorded by all of the teams, the composer Juan Zelada put together a song which was uploaded on various digital platforms for sale; all the money raised went to an organisation that supports street musicians.

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The Botin Experience

CPhI Worldwide: mega pharmaceutical event The main worldwide trade fair for pharmaceutical ingredients, was also the biggest international event held in Madrid in 2015: 2,500 exhibitors and 36,000 professionals from 153 countries. CPhI Worldwide occupied the whole premises of IFEMA and was split into 20 areas dedicated to diverse fields of pharmaceuticals. An event that combines exhibitions and the 7th CPhI Pre-Connect Congress, which covered the latest trends in this sector.

The event, which started as a simple trade fair, also provided learning opportunities for those attending.

For instance, the Pharma Forum was organised as a kind of Content Village where informative meetings were held; the “Innovation Galleries” also played their part, where the latest breakthroughs were presented by exhibitors; there were also the Pharma Insight Innovation Briefings, brief insight meetings about the innovations identified in cutting-edge topics in the sector; and of course, the CPhI Pharma Awards ceremony.

For the first time, CPhI Worldwide will stay in the same country for two consecutive years. The 2016 edition will take place in Barcelona.

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Botin is in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the world, it is one of Madrid’s institutions. It has been visited by royalty, Hollywood stars and leading politicians since it opened (in 1725!). But what is it like if we don’t just go as ordinary diners, but enjoy a real personalised experience at the hands of the family that runs it? Insider’s Madrid is offering an exclusive ‘Botin Experience’, in which the González family takes groups on a tour of this historic place, uncovering its secrets and recounting some of the best anecdotes about its history. And what better way to end such a tour than by trying some of the ‘Botin classics’, a range of dishes that has to include traditional Castilian-style suckling pig and roast lamb.

From molecular gastronomy to the catering of El Bulli ‘Undiscovered Madrid’ is a multi-faceted event created by Imagen Límite kicking off with workshops in a very special location, the Madrid stock market. This is followed by a cocktail in the most spectacular area of the refurbished Prado art gallery, a moment of exclusive relaxation with private viewings of some of the masterpieces, after it has closed to the public. The event ends with a cocktail dinner in one of the most historic and evocative buildings in the city, the spectacular glass dome of the Palacio de Cibeles. Here the guests enjoy a magical gastronomic experience at the hands of one of Spain’s leading chefs, Paco Roncero (two Michelin stars), who takes diners on a fantasy voyage of discovery into the secrets of molecular gastronomy. This will be followed by an unforgettable dinner served by El Bulli Catering, run by Ferran Adriá, considered the greatest chef in the world. The dinner will also feature a show.

Unique venues for different events There are venues for large events and spaces for intimate presentations, for the most exclusive meetings and for the most ground-breaking conferences.

Madrid Destino offers an extensive selection of venues where business and magic meet.

CAMPO DE LAS NACIONES

MADRID RÍO PARK

Palacio Municipal de Congresos

Caja Mágica Matadero Madrid

CENTER

CASA DE CAMPO PARK

Teatro Español CentroCentro Cibeles Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles Medialab Prado Fernán Gómez. Centro Cultural de la Villa Pasaje de Colón Teatro Circo Price Conde Duque Casa de la Panadería Faro de Moncloa

Pabellón Multiusos Madrid Arena Pabellón Satélite Madrid Arena Pabellón de Cristal Pabellón de Convenciones Teatro Auditorio Escenario Puerta del Ángel-Madrid Río

Contact us: Phone: +34 917 220 400 eventos@madrid-destino.com www.madrid-destino.com

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RedBull Music Academy Bass Camp brings the party to the metro

Turning a basketball court into a theatre with a ballroom Brava Producciones undertook this challenge last September: it turned the Barclaycard Centre’s basketball court into a magnificent theatre with a ballroom, where 6,000 people gathered for the national Mary Kay Cosmetics seminar.

The tricky bit was to convert these sport facilities into a glamorous, practical and safe centre for two days of talks, conferences, acknowledgements and an awards ceremony. The basketball court was split into two parts and became a 300sqm multi-image stage and a 1,300sqm ballroom for VIP events, making it hard to imagine that right on that same floor is where the Spanish national team plays its matches.

Gala Dinner and award ceremony at the very classic Círculo de Bellas Artes venue, with lighting to match the corporate colours, and projections throughout the dinner showing images of the most emblematic corners in the city.

An international convention organised by CWT, some 145 people from different countries were accommodated at the NH Las Ventas hotel, where the meetings took place. Before the gala dinner they went on a private visit to the Thyssen museum, followed by a walking tour along Paseo del Prado to reach the Círculo de Bellas Artes.

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More unconventional venues? This was the case of the last edition of the Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp, an event organised by Last Lap. The energy drink celebrates new trends and talents in electronic music, choosing venues as varied as the Medialab Prado, the Madrid Casino or surprising underground locations.

The main attraction of this Academy Bass Camp was the MC39 party, a night-time tour of the city which started off with a visit to the entrance hall of the metro station Príncipe Pío. The producer Talktome provided the beats whilst those present waited to find out the secret location of the final party.

To do so, they had to catch the metro in the station itself. DJ Pau Roca played records on the train.

The trip ended at the Chamartín metro station where guests entered a tunnel to access the MC39 party. They were treated to a true underground session experience complete with a DJ, lights and projections on the tunnel walls.

A very Spanish flavour Feel like a “Madrileño” for a few days. This was ITB’s idea with 150 international guests. The whole programme was based on local traditions, starting with a bottle of olive oil as the welcome gift and the first dinner, at the Posada de la Villa. Guests enjoyed a demonstration of traditional flamenco dancing with Spanish dressage horses at La Finca Los Jarales. They had an “aperitivo” with ham slicers at the bullring, and tasted sherries and cheese in a wine cellar.

They also learnt to make (and enjoyed) an authentic paella.

In the afternoon they visited one of the city’s most coveted places, the Real Madrid stadium, before dining at the Real Café, which had been reserved for them. This is one of the agency’s favourite places, but they also recommend others that they regularly use, such as the Westin Palace, where they have organised sherry-tastings for up to 400 people, and the Cibeles Terraza, which can be exclusively reserved for dinners.

The next day, guests enjoyed a panoramic tour of the city using GoCars and buses, in shifts, and then a barbecue on the terrace of the Hotel Ayre Colón. Following a visit to El Prado, there was a gala dinner at the Masía de José Luis, with a giant screen to enjoy one of Spain’s other true passions, football. The event finished with a modern flamenco performance, accompanied by a cocktail. And to make the group feel even more like part of the city, they went to play “petanca” (patanque), in a park close to Requena. This was followed by brunch on the terrace of the Café de Oriente, a true historical reference amongst Madrid cafés.

Wine, football and lots of history with Events by tlc Enjoying the culture and essence of Madrid was the objective of an incentive that Events by tlc, offered to 300 representatives of a North American logistics wholesaler.

The event had previously been hold in the Bahamas, Bangkok, Hawaii and aboard cruise ships like the Queen Mary 2, so the “wow” factor was fundamental!

The incentive was organised in such a way that they could enjoy not just the city but also the surrounding area and even other Spanish cities, making the most of the AVE highspeed train which connects them with Madrid in 2-3 hours, with days out that are designed to give each participant some knowledge of the history of Spain. For this reason they went to Toledo, El Escorial, Segovia, Barcelona and Valencia.

One of the most popular activities was the wine sampling routes in the region of Aranjuez, visiting two flagships wine cellars, of the Designation of Origin Wines of Madrid.

Another trip that they loved (in fact it almost never fails... and we recommend it) was the visit to the Real Madrid football stadium. The group enjoyed a private visit of the Santiago Bernabéu Museum, with a glass of champagne on the playing field and dinner in the royal box. After dinner, the Free Style show took place, followed by drinks and dancing in the stadium itself.

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Gastronomy Big Food: gastronomy and design in a single event

Traditions of Madrid • Authentic live flamenco can be experienced at places like Casa Patas. And if the group enjoys it so much they want to take their first steps in the art, the ‘El Horno’ dance centre and the Corral de la Moreira offer introductory flamenco courses.

• Two ‘musts’: from a flamenco “tablao” to the tapas route. The Tablao Corral de la Morería, considered one of the ‘cathedrals of the art of flamenco’, was chosen by Índigo dmc for their groups to enjoy Madrid.

The venue opened in the 1950s with an Arabic atmosphere, and is a winner with foreign groups. They complement these events with visits to the Bernabeu, tours in GoCars ending with tapas at the Los Galayos restaurant in the Plaza Mayor, visits to the Royal Palace and Toledo, and much more.

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The Central de Diseño de Matadero Madrid was turned into a foodie design hub and became a melting pot for chefs, restaurateurs, producers and designers, fostering synergies in terms of cooking ideas, equipment and decoration.

With an indoor market format and free entry, there were 25 cooking spaces presenting their ideas. Partners formed by chefs and architects or designers served great dishes in small formats.

For example, the chef would concoct the morsel while the designer created what it would be served on, designed the setting, arranged the display or – why not – helped prepare the actual tapas. The result: the public go from stand to stand trying some of the most original mouthfuls. So much creativity could not just be relegated to the ‘show cooking’ demonstrations at the stands; throughout the event various culinary performances were given, where throwing together ingredients became quite the spectacle.

The event also had a programme of activities lined up: children got stuck in designing chocolate bars or playing with shapes during a spherification workshop. There was even a workshop on vegetable dyes for the not-solittle-ones and another on how to take the very best food selfies with a smartphone. An appetising experience based on branding, branded content, design, food styling and storytelling.

Wine schools Rebelión de los Mandiles is a wine school in the very heart of Madrid.

In addition to guided tours and wine tasting courses, it is also available for events and private tastings. It has its own wine cellar with space for 70 people seated and 100 standing.

Tapas Hunter An activity that puts attendees’ orientation skills to the test. Their quest is to find the taverns that they have been recommended and enjoy a culinary trip eating some of Madrid’s typical tapas.

Cafés de Madrid A tour around the establishments that are the most popular among reputable writers, painters and intellects sampling a variety of coffees.

Churros & chocolate Learn all about the process behind making Spain’s typical churros and don’t forget to dip them in that tasty chocolate.

Afterwork gathering at the Campari Red Suite Inspired by an afterwork gathering at a friend’s house, the Italian brand opened the doors to its Campari Red Suite in the NH Eurobuilding hotel organised by the agency Shackleton. 150sqm were themed and tainted in the brand’s red tones, with sunset views over Madrid’s skyline.

In the hall, a bellboy all dressed in red guided guests to the suite on the 15th f loor, where a red carpet led the way towards the Campari Red Suite. Once inside, guests were greeted by the curves of the bottle and the balloon glass which Campari is best served in. A photocall was arranged for pictures to be taken framed by the silhouette of a glass. A giant glass was also used as the canvas for an illustrator to portray the atmosphere of the event with a red marker.

A piano bar set the stage not only for the band to play its swing themes and classic Italian tunes, but also for the bartender to perform his Campari Tonic making spectacle. The party continued in another corner of the suite where an illustrator invited guests to pose on a large bed, surrounded by cushions and red details, whilst she created a caricature of the guests framed in a glass.

And in case guests were still in doubt about the theme of the event, there was a dressing room with red garments, mirrors with suggestive hashtags painted with crimson lipstick, a bathroom with ruby coloured dressing gowns and a bathtub full of bottles, making it clear they had entered the world of Campari.

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Highlighted venues • Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. It has been available for events for a long time (Grupo eventoplus held a memorable awards ceremony in 2011 on the pitch), but the novelty now is Eventos VIP, specifically tailored to high-end meeting and incentive clients, which offers both more familiar areas in the stadium as well as special VIP areas.

• Platea Madrid, the old Carlos III cinema has been relaunched, hosting a gourmet space of 5,800sqm split between two floors and two amphitheatres that give a touch of theatre and show to food-related events. It has a capacity for 1,183 people, and is inspired by the aesthetics from the 1940s and 1950s. It has its own kitchen for show cooking and cooking courses, in addition to a private dining room for twelve diners where a Platea chef can make lunches or dinners exclusively for small groups. Events can take place on the stage of the former cinema where gastronomy can be accompanied by aerial dance, performing arts, cabaret, theatre, live music or broadcasts on the gigantic screen.

• The monumental cultural centre of Madrid, the Conde Duque, combines its cultural programme of events with private ones. Madrid Destino offers companies the auditorium, theatre, south patio and the function rooms at the centre for events. The south patio has 2,200sqm, with a capacity for up to 1,500 people, the auditorium holds 250 people and the theatre 260 attendees.

The Palacio Neptuno is formed by three main rooms: an open hall for events, an open terrace and a VIP hall. Venue has a total capacity of up to 600 people.

Las Ventas Madrid, the bullfighting arena, is a stunning historical gem of Madrid, it is now available for corporate events. It offers 2,827sqm and in winter it features a permanent tent.

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The city from an alternative angle and with focus on movies Las Ideas de Wendy brings us two different ways of discovering Madrid: • Alternative Madrid. Enjoy Madrid seen from a different perspective, less touristic, more local and away from the mainstream touristic traffic. You will see the other side of the historical centre of Madrid, learn about its cultural background, history and modern life. The tour will take you through Malasaña, Chueca and Chamberi districts and will expose the depth of local cultural traditions beyond royal dynasties and classical landmarks.

• Almodovar experience. The movie director’s success is a result of his circumstances: he began making films during the transitory period between the death of Franco and the development of the progressive/transgressive cultural movement “la Movida”. Movies have their own built-in language and mythology. The group can follow an itinerary and discover places where he has shot his movies.

Madrid Río, more than one million square metres of event-ready recreational space Madrid might not have a beach, but it has a river. The Manzanares has become the backbone of a new zone of the city known as Madrid Río, a park with more than one million sqm of space ready for a wide range of activities.

But the zone goes beyond outdoor events: the Matadero Madrid Contemporary Art Centre (a former slaughterhouse of the city) offers plenty of indoor options.

Madrid Río came about as part of a new, more welcoming and sustainable vision of the city based on a major urbanism project which put together underground major roads and joined once-separated historical gardens and urban parks. This freed-up space includes 30,000 new trees, 42km of walking trails, 33 sports fields and a mountaineering school.

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Nivea Presentation. In Malasaña in central Madrid, Espacio Mood offers a loft space covering 160sqm.

S P A I N F O R E V E Nwww.seproevents.com TS 2016 21 seproevents@seproevents.com

Eurobuilding hotel, tech temple for events On a technological level, one of the most groundbreaking hotels in Madrid is the NH Collection Eurobuilding with 7,800sqm and 35 meeting rooms. Amongst its most eye-catching proposals is telepresence, which combines video conferences with interactive collaboration, as well as 3D holographic technology.

The technology is available permanently at the hotel as well as in another NH hotel in Berlin. The NH Constanza in Barcelona will be next to put this technology for meetings NH Collection Eurobuilding has the largest LED curved screen TV installed in a hotel in its 300sqm vault. It has four Lab Rooms where guests can experience the hotel’s innovative proposals and try for themselves what can and cannot work for them. Yet to be available will be TV monitors which can be connected with the surroundings, allowing guests to submerge themselves in an authentic sensory experience: from watching a football match or a movie to making a video call or to communicate with reception. There are also night stands that charge mobiles.

Meeting rooms are equipped with `Smart Room System’, where as many as 250 virtual attendees can participate in a given video call. These remote attendees can intervene using their personal handheld devices and interact with both the content being used and the in-situ team.

ESMO achieves 23% more participants in its last edition in Madrid The last congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) brought together 20,000 experts from 131 countries, 23% more than the level of participation achieved in the last edition held in Vienna. Five congress sessions, 265 hours of conferences and sessions, 400 journalists, 2,292 exhibitors... One of the major challenges was technological, where were more than 8,000 users connected to the WiFi at the same time, requiring 600 MB of broadband connection as well as the installation of seven VLAN networks on behalf of IFEMA.

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... highlighted venues • First established in 1993, the Palacio Municipal de Congresos conference centre is a versatile venue which has hosted major events such as the International Nursing Congress, attended by 10,000 delegates.

• The Bodevil theatre, in the vicinity of the business centre of Azca, is an early 20th century theatre. Each area of the theatre (the auditorium of 350sqm, the amphitheatre and the bar area) can be independently used or connected to form a complete area. The height of the ceilings is another of its strengths (7 to 9m).

• Located on the estate where the Aragonese painter lived, the Goya Theatre is a versatile venue next to the Manzanares River. Equipped with smaller rooms such as its VIP space and the anteroom of the Lounge Bar to larger areas such as the Goya Room with a capacity for more than 500 people, the venue can hold events for more than 1,500 people.

• Hotel InterContinental, on the Paseo de la Castellana, has recently renovated its meeting rooms. It offers a total of 15 meeting rooms, six of which have been renovated its total space, adding up to 700sqm. The changes include the sophisticated and neutral décor in shades of grey to create versatile and spacious rooms full of light which can be adapted to any client.

• Novotel Madrid Centre, the largest Novotel in the world, has been completely refurbished in 2015. It is one of the largest venues for meetings and events in Madrid: 790 bedrooms and 2,400sqm for meetings and events split into 23 halls.

• Meliá Castilla is another huge meetings hotel and an historic institution in Madrid, with no less than 903 bedrooms and 77,000sqm of meeting space.

• LaSede. The building of the Madrid Architects Association (COAM) is one result of the spectacular remodelling of the old Piarist Schools of Saint Anthony in the very heart of Madrid. It offers 12,000sqm spread over several different areas, most of which can be rented for events.

The new auditorium was recently opened on the second floor of the building, with capacity for an audience of 120.

Upcoming MICE openings in Madrid • Room Mate plans to open its fifth hotel in Madrid, next year.

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will increase its presence in Spain with the opening of W Madrid in 2018.

• Four Seasons will open on the central Plaza de Canalejas (no date yet) • Pestana on Plaza Mayor (no date yet) • VP Hoteles will open a new hotel on Plaza de España (2017) • Grupo Palladium opens the new Ayre Atocha in May 2016.

Ballantine’s takes over the San Ildefonso market Markets are other unique venues for events in the city. The San Antón and San Miguel markets are already two classics. Ballantine’s chose the San Ildefonso market to offer a visual show with music and its analogue and digital icons. The agency M&C Saatchi was responsible for the decoration, some of the visual aspects included vinyl curtains, a wall made of CDs that created an optical effect with multicoloured lights, vinyl columns with guitar harps or stairs that simulated a never-ending piano.

And in another event, Ovation Spain chose to host dinner at the San Miguel Market, which included Spanish wines and a wide range of tapas, and a flamenco performance on acoustic guitar.

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Cisco Connect brings internet to Kinépolis The Kinépolis movie complex was chosen to receive 1,900 clients and partners for Cisco Connect. The event was linked up with a business programme that was developed in screening room 25 and which brought together different presentations by executives. It also included a technical programme of demonstrations. The third leg of the event was in breakout sessions where the presentations continued under of the platinum sponsors who completed the programme of talks in screening rooms 17, 18 and 19.

Full-throttle team-building Spain’s passion for motor sports is overwhelming... Why not enjoy the city’s excellent motor-sport facilities? Auriga Motor offers adrenaline-drenched team-building experiences, such as the BMW Experience: two and a half hours of test-driving on a specialist circuit, including theoretical training, testing in the paddock and on the track, and an open bar with fleets of BMW Series 1, BMW Series 3 and BMW M vehicles.

The Carlos Sainz Centre has two circuits: go-karting in Madrid and Las Rozas, with team-building experiences on the indoor and outdoor Carlos Sainz tracks. The indoor circuit has 3,000sqm of track full of bends and real-time timekeeping, making the group, dressed in striking driver’s outfits, feel like real racing drivers. The scoreboard next to the finish line displays the results of the races in real time. The track is complemented by large halls in excess of 500sqm and paintball and mini-golf facilities that can be used to enhance the team-building activities.

BMW turns the Cibeles Palace into a ‘blue forest’ to present their latest model The aency Auriga flooded the venue with electric blue as a reference to the electric engine of this model of car as well as to unify the decoration and lighting of the event. As the most ecological sporty vehicle, the ‘forest’ included tree branches that greeted its 300 guests. “There are doors that only a few can open” was the concept of the event. After the presentation, the screen opened and revealed the new i8 accompanied by an electric violinist performance.

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WELCOME TO SPACE IFEMA CONVENTION AND CONGRESS CENTRE

At IFEMA´s Convention and Congress Centre you can rent spaces for international events, conventions, congresses and meetings.

Myriad spaces with infinite possibilities.

www.convencionesycongresos.ifema.es SPAIN FOR EVENTS 2016

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Barcelona With its cosmopolitan and Mediterranean spirit fondness for design and combining Roman ruins with Renaissance architecture, the city, the temple of modernism, has been an international star since the 1992 games, which breathed a new air to Barcelona.

The city hosts the king of all events, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), ibtm world of the meetings industry, large medical and technological events, sports and cultural events such as Formula 1, Sonar and Primavera Sound festivals. The city is ranked fifth in ICCA ranking in the number of congresses it has hosted and is in first place in the number meeting attendees. And meetings account for 40% of the city’s tourism.

Its unique venues include medieval buildings such as the Casa Llotja de Mar or the Royal Shipyards, as well as the modern aesthetic of Mies van der Rohe’s Pavilion and the Catalan Modernist masterpieces such as the Palau de la Música or Casa Batlló. Other unforgettable options are the MNAC or MACBA as well as the famous Liceu theatre. The city keeps adding venues for events like the Montjuïc Castle, which overlooks the city and the sea, and the Hospital de Sant Pau, one of the most important modernist complexes in the world, in addition to creative venues like Betahaus or Valkiria Hub Space.

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Events take over Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is complemented by dozens of parallel events. For Lenovo, Canela PR organised a visit and activities for a group of 22 journalists, and another for 15 influencers and fans: a route with GoCars to get to know the monuments of Gaudí as well as a tour to enjoy tapas in La Pedrera. At night, a cooking workshop was held in the venue Born to Cook.

ibtm world stays in Barcelona until 2020 The show, in its latest edition, broke its own record of pre-scheduled appointments (80,000), with the presence of 4,000 hosted buyers. This growth comes from the fact that exhibitors now can request appointment, and the matching system has been improved. Following the tagline “Connections mean everything”, the show will continue to gather the industry in Barcelona until at least 2020.

The Palau Nacional and the Museu Nacional collections open just for you A Palace with versatile spaces adaptable for exclusive groups from 20 to 2,600 people. From a friendly little auditorium to one of the largest events rooms in Europe.

Š Imagen M.A.S.

Venues surrounded by Art

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Lifestyle organises an original “Heliwine tour” Working with a group of VIPs from China, the agency Lifestyle, created this exclusive package, that teams up with a helicopter company with one of the region’s most prestigious wineries. The unsuspecting VIPs were whisked away from the busy atmosphere of MWC to enjoy a 15-minute skyline tour.

After a tour of the winery, the guests were treated to a show-cooking extravaganza by a famous local chef famed for using only local and season produce with zero carbon footprint. The meal was designed to complement the wines from the winery which has produced the best ecological wines in the world twice in a row (according to the international wine federation). To add a final touch, one of the directors was celebrating his 49th birthday and the agency sourced some 50-year wine from two Chateau in France to mark the occasion: Château Latour and Château Laffite Rothschild from year 1967.

MetLife experiences the essence of Barcelona

Gastronomy for teambuilding Following the craze for gastronomy-based contests like Masterchef, In Out Travel & Events organised a gastronomy session in Valkiria Hub Space for a group of 40. The group was divided into four teams of 10 persons, each with a chef.

The space was also divided in three: one with the necessary ingredients to prepare a risotto, another one for codfish, and finally a place for deserts. They prepared their dishes and the chefs voted for the best creations. And they all enjoyed their own creations!

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It was the first time Mexican MetLife held its convention outside America and they chose Barcelona organised by Conventia. 400 delegates were hosted in the Hilton Diagonal Mar and the AC Barcelona Forum hotel. The event opened with a motivational conference by María Bennett, survivor of the Thailand tsunami, in keeping with the brand’s slogan: ‘make life matters’. The event also included activities to fully experience the destination and its highlights (Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Montjuïc, Gothic quarter) in an original way, for instance discovering the city lead by graffiti artists and a music band. The event also included a visit to Montserrat for a brunch on the monastery’s main terrace. One evening was spent at the Museo Nacional de Arte de Catalunya (MNAC) including falcons and Rumba Catalana artists (a very local and very lively music genre) and the closing dinner took place in Camp Nou, which included a glass of cava in the lockers for the VIPs.

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Gymkhana in the streets of the city White Rabbit, a new room escape in Barcelona Three play areas and one hour to escape. The Thinking Room gives fans of “escapism” a mission: to escape using their deduction skills. They can also play a live game of Cluedo. Each activity has been developed using the theory of multiple skills by psychologist Howard Gardner, who defined various types of intelligence (visual, special, kinetic, logical, mathematic, interpersonal…). A great way to experience the complementarities of skills in a group.

Surprising nooks La Pedrera (Casa Milà): the roof-top terrace of one of Gaudí’s architectural masterpieces impresses visitors for its unique character and magnificent views.

In summer, enjoy a drink on the rooftop while listening to live music.

The Mercat de la Boqueria: for many, this emblematic market is the city’s best, thanks in large part to its rich colours, smells, and vibrant human activity. Don’t miss its insect– selling booth, a surprising delicacy…

Parc Güell: located on top of one of Barcelona’s hills, this park was designed

by Antoni Gaudí. It is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Santa Maria del Mar: the only complete Catalan Gothic church and has an absolutely beautiful interior.

Els Quatre Gats: one of the city’s quintessential examples of Catalan Modernism, this cafe was inspired by Le Chat Noir cabaret in Paris. At one time, it hosted art exhibitions including Picasso’s first two public showings of his art.

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Barcelonize organised a gymkhana for 120 guests of pharma company Smith&Nephew. Divided into 12 groups, each with its own route and equipped with a road book, a camera and a map, each group had to solve enigmas about Barcelona, passing by the main highlights of the city (Boquería market, Ramblas, cathedral…). Part of the group had to solve coded messages, while the other one had to interact with foreign tourists (Russian, Japanese…) and get to know from them how to write a specific sentence in their language. The pauses in cool traditional bars for tapas, also served as places to find specific hidden objects…

Herbalife dazzles in the Palau Sant Jordi More than 17,000 people were cited to the Palau Sant Jordi for a mega convention. The goal: to introduce the company´s new product (CR7 Drive created in collaboration with Cristiano Ronaldo), and train Herbalife EMEA distributors.

An impressive round revolving stage was placed in the centre of the space. The higher winners among the distributors were seated at tables around the stage as recognition of their achievements.

Social networks, for their ability to move the collective energy created at events, were clearly strategic: the company created a “Social Media Command Centre” where posts were sent in real time on Facebook and Twitter. The event had simultaneous translation for 23 languages, plus sign language.

The event also included special effects: a double kabuki drop for the launch of CR7, a wide area lighting connected to a network with ‘Magic Blades’ lighting and bar charts. A special motor was used to lift the equipment 10 metres per minute and computerised engines to synchronise the effects. A large cube was also hung above the stage and acted as a 4-sided screen to ensure visibility of the projections.

Dinners, cocktails and a party on Saturday night were organised as part of the recreational programme. The company also presented a $20,000 check to th NGO Children’s villages.

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Highlighted venues • The Hospital de Sant Pau is the most important Modernist building in Europe, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Palau de Congressos de Catalunya and the Fairmont, Rey Juan Carlos I: with 25,000sqm of meeting space, a 2000-pax auditorium and beautiful gardens for events, this meeting complex is ready to host meetings in style.

• Fira de Barcelona, the trade show grounds are divided into two areas: one next to Plaça Espanya and the other closer to the airport. Together, they boast 365,000sqm of exhibition space and a convention centre. Lodging needs are met by nearby modern hotels.

• The Llotja de Mar, an old commodity exchange, is an historical building from the 14th century. Sitting near the sea, the facility is now exclusively dedicated to business events.

• Hesperia Tower Hotel: this five-star hotel includes a large convention centre and is located between the airport and the city.

• La Roca Village expanded its areas for events with a new building with room for 80 people and a VIP Lounge.

40 minutes from Barcelona, this is the largest of the Value Retail Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages, the luxury outlet shopping in Europe.

The Barcelona aquarium offers a 168-pax auditorium with a huge fish tank as background. The Planeta hall can host up to 150 guests amongst penguins, stingrays and piranhas.

From there guests can get to the 600-sqm terrace.

Fábrica Moritz Barcelona, a new star of the Barcelona venues, is the old beer factory from that brand, right in the city centre. It includes a 270sqm hall and another with 150sqm.

New venue: Mercat Princesa, right in the Born quarter, offers 17 small gastronomic stalls. Located in a 14th-century building, its central patio offers natural light.

Gastronomy is prepared right under the eyes of the guests.

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza just renovated its installations: eight meeting rooms, a 674sqm central area, and the foyer that features the latest technology equipment including LED technology which can manage various sources of images and distribute them on various screens. The meeting host can manage the lights of all meeting rooms and personalize the images of the roofs from a tablet.

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Cupula Events: the largest wooden dome in Europe covers a 2,600sqm round-shaped elegant venue with 27m height, in an old bullfighting arena now turned into a mall.

The imagination of Miró, Gaudí­ and Dalí­ takes over the Poble Espanyol Figures inspired by the imagination of three great artists like Miró, Gaudí­and Dalí­gave colour to the event by company TEREX. The 200 guests started the evening with a welcome cocktail reception in the main square of the Poble Espanyol, before dinner in one of the complex’s restaurants. The most colourful point of the evening was given by the emblematic figures of Catalan culture brought by the agency I La Lluna. Surrealist Daliesque clocks, actresses in Gaudí-inspired dress, impossible dresses inspired by the work of Miró... were all complemented by a group of ‘castellers’ from I La Lluna.

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Activities

Activities

• Shop at the world’s most famous food market— La Boqueria— then cook a suquet de peix (traditional fish soup) under the guidance of a star-awarded chef.

Finally, of course, dig in!

• Organise a dinner in the FC Barcelona stadium: you can rent the team’s bus to get to this legendary pitch where you can enjoy the presence of the one of the club’s players or even play a game against a team made up of former players.

• Go beyond the traditional tours and explore the city with a GoCar. This convertible car (with GPS included) takes you on a relaxed city tour while you follow easy-to-understand audio directions. Or, if you prefer something environmental friendly, try the Trixi. Kuoni DMC organises exciting treasure hunts with these fun vehicles.

• Discover the secrets that Gaudí hid on the terrace of La Pedrera. The architect was also a deeply religious man and he left some symbols which can still be spotted by the trained eye: through the holes in the sculptures, you can see the most important temples of the city.

• Barcelona from above: helicopter tours can be arranged • Try traditional Catalan food in some restaurants that are well over a hundred years old, such as Can Culleretes, the oldest in the city, or 7 Portes. In both of them you can taste escudella i carn d’olla, a stew of mixed meat and vegetables cooked in broth. In this most authentic of all Catalan dishes, the meat is served first, followed separately by the broth.

• Build your own human tower! Team Towers offers this very traditional Catalan activity for groups of up to 500.

• Test a Carver One on a race track! E&TB organises activities in the Can Padró circuit, found near a country house from the 13th century. Driving these vehicles, a sort of combination between a motorcycle and a car, can be a fun option.

• Discover the famous Codorniú Winery in an exclusive guided visit followed by a lunch. During the train tour through the winery and subterranean cellars, the group will be able to admire the architecture of the facility, designed by Catalan Modernist legend Josep Puig i Cadafalch.

• Go green! The Sitges Convention Bureau proposes a reforestation activity in the Garraf Park, which was burned in a 2006 forest fire. This open-air activity combines teamwork with recreational and environmental elements.

• Enjoy the charming town of Sitges and its microclimate of 300 sunny days a year. Why not try an elegant theatre-themed visit to the Palau Maricel, a pleasant Òpera a la fresca (an opera session in a lovely garden) or a visit to the Museu Romàntic?

• Live the traditions of Penedès (a wine region near Barcelona): Amfivia offers activities which include trencadís (Gaudí-style ceramic mosaics), sardana dances, el porró (a traditional drinking implement that requires users to pour wine into their mouth in a narrow stream without touching it their lips... or staining their shirt!), or a castell (Catalan human towers).

In Barcelona

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Outside Barcelona

James Bond Flashmob dinner in Barcelona LifestyleDMC surprised their clients by organising a James Bond Flash Mob Dinner in a 700-yearold masia just 20 minutes outside Barcelona. The unsuspecting clients thought they were showing up for a nice relaxing private dinner. A movie crew, a Ferrari, two 1960´s Rolls Royces, a team of dancers and their own James Bond 007 look alike were hired! The guests arrived to what looked like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster movie set in a clandestine dwelling in deepest Catalunya. They were not amused when they were told that the venue had made an oversight with the booking and as a result they would have to reschedule.

There was a standoff between an irate “Hollywood director” who was now urging security to vacate the venue in anticipation of 007´s arrival and the group leader (he was the only person who knew what was going on). Finally after a heated negotiation, the group of 70 execs from Sweden were allowed “on set” to watch the exclusive filming of the new movie!

Everyone, from the cameraman to the makeup artists, broke into sychnronised dance moves which finished with them all holding up a sign saying welcome to Barcelona in Swedish!!

E lephant

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SPECIAL EVENTS · HAUTE CUISINE · UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE · · WELL LOCATED · BACKGROUND · · CUSTOMIZED SERVICE · Pau Claris 92 · Barcelona · +34 933 340 258

www.elephantbcn.com

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New Year in Barcelona 70,000 people gathered on the Avenida Maria Cristina to celebrate the New Year. It was an event that projected the ‘Barcelona brand’ as a symbol of culture, knowledge, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and welfare.

It was organised by Focus for Turisme de Barcelona and La Fura dels Baus was responsible of part of the show. Facing the fountain of Montjuic, the 45 minutes show combined water, fireworks, human towers and a metal structure. “The Man of the Millennium” that represented the spirit of the city and came to life when the castellers climbed the body of the structure.

Incentive travel Autralian Construction Company events by tlc was selected by an Australian company to organize an incentive trip for one of their top local clients, to Barcelona. They asked for a programme based mainly, on active experiences.

With this in mind, the agency designed & proposed different activities, all of them related with & to Spain as well as its culture, along with the active component the client had requested. It was a reward trip for the companies 40 best clients.

Amongst others those guests experienced a GoCar Barcelona visit, a trip in funky bikes, a safety driving adventure as well as some karting competition and as final and top experience, all guests were invited to drive different GT Cars in Barcelona’s F1 race track.

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French agencies experience a different Barcelona The goal was to convince large French agencies that Barcelona reinvents itself every day. The method: a case of “coopetition” in which several competing DMCs are linked by a common goal, to promote the city and jointly organise this original fam trip.

The agencies took the train from Paris with a reserved space including F&B and entertainment, and could watch on iPads several movies which take place in the city, like Vicky Cristina Barcelona or The Gunman. Upon arrival, they had lunch in Can Martinez, a ‘chiringuinto’ in Montjuic, before being split into five groups to visit based on their selection previously expressed, convention centres, hotels and venues. Personalisation is the name of the game!

After checking in at the W Barcelona hotel, they enjoyed dinner at the Hidden Factory, a very creative place turned into a ‘poetic brothel’, where they lived a night of ambiguity, sensuality and humor.

On Saturday, they visited unknown neighborhoods (Sarria and Sant Gervasi as urban villages, bohemian Gracia, or authentic Poble Nou), accompanied by staff of the DMC who live in these neighborhoods. Definitely a very personal way to discover the city…

Lunch was held at the One Ocean Club, a yacht on the old port, a relaxing spa and massage moment in Aire de Barcelona. Then there was free time for shopping and to walk around. They ended the day with dinner at the Tickets restaurant of the Adriá brothers and cocktail at l´Eclipse W. On Sunday, meetings with suppliers of the city in the Lando restaurant with a “vermouth”, the great sunday tradition of the city; food in Fabrica Moritz and transfer to Sants train station.

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GIRONA-COSTA BRAVA Does this region have the best food in the world? Having no less than two of the last three best chefs in the world (Ferran Adriá and the Roca brothers), it is hard to dispute Catalonia’s strong culinary tradition. But Girona also boasts a beautiful old town, a Jewish quarter, and embodies perfectly the “mar y montaña” (mix of seaside and mountain). Epitome of this is the joint work done in the meetings sector by Costa Brava, the Girona city, and the Olot with its volcanic landscapes, a varied trio for surprising events, from the seaside to the inland mountains.

GIRONA Girona’s location is a clear asset: next to France and on the high-speed rail from Madrid to Paris, right next to a prime green space (the beautiful Emporda region, something like Spain’s Tuscany), and not to mention its closeness to the famous Costa Brava.

Another of Girona’s attractions is its historical heritage: the Jewish legacy is in its DNA and it is one of the six Spanish cities taking part in the meetings of the Sefarad association, which promotes congress tourism in cities noted for their Jewish past. As well as one of the best preserved Jewish quarters in the world, it has spaces like the Jewish Museum, with a courtyard for events.

As for its hotel infrastructure, Girona has several 4* hotels, mostly in the old city centre, and 5* hotels such as the AC Palau Bellavista. Some of its outstanding venues are the 11th-century Fontana d’Or, with its Romanesque and Gothic architecture and several rooms; the 14th-century convent which is now the Centro Cultural La Mercè; and the Teatro de Sant Domènech, a former church converted into a theatre; the Art Museum and the Casino or the Municipal Theatre.

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ITS JEWISH HERITAGE MAKES IT ONE OF THE SIX SPANISH CITIES TAKING PART IN THE MEETINGS OF THE SEFARAD ASSOCIATION

Girona

Girona’s Jewish Quarter

Cap de Creus

Advertorial

The Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees: lands of contrast Cala Culleró, Cap de Creus.Karel Noppé.Arxiu Imatges PTCBG

Nestled between the French border and Barcelona, the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees region is home to a unique diversity of landscapes within an hour’s drive: over two hundred kilometres of coastline where quiet beaches and small coves alternate with rocky landscapes. The Pyrenees plunge into the sea and nature in all forms holds a surprise around every corner, offering genuinely beautiful landscapes: volcanic, marshes, forests and plains, medieval villages...

This stunning backdrop is paired with a mild Mediterranean climate that makes it the perfect place for combining work and pleasure with experiences that bring people together and have a high emotional impact. The companies from the Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau provide unique and authentic options tailored to the needs of each group: dinner in the crater of a volcano, flying a plane over the sea, exploring nature, discovering the secrets of the great Salvador Dalí or being part of a human castle.

Convention centres

The Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau offers a range of unique venues –from historical buildings to centuries-old estates– that make any event or meeting a unique and unforgettable experience.

A good place to do business

Germans Roca

Sant Pere de Roda

Globus sobre el volcà, Cap de Creus, TBEX

Separated by a mere 35 km, the region is home to three venues that offer a perfect match: » Olot, a town in the heart of a uniquely stunning volcanic zone, features historical sites perfects for meetings in small groups. » Girona is the capital of the province: an ancient city that hides amazing treasures for visitors and is home to the largest conference centre in the region. » The largest concentration of business tourism on the Costa Brava is located in Lloret de Mar, a city with everything needed to host major events, including three modern conference centres within walking distance from the main hotels.

Roses, Torroella de Montgrí, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Platja d’Aro and Palamós also have centrally located conference centres with all the services you need for any type of meetings and events.

Local cuisine is on a meteoric rise, with thirteen restaurants boasting seventeen Michelin stars between them and one, El Celler de Can Roca, is rated the world’s best restaurant.

The Costa Brava Girona Convention Bureau offers over 130 companies specialised in providing a host of business tourism services.

Av. Sant Francesc, 29, 3r. 17001 Girona · Tel. +34 972 208 401 convention@costabrava.org · www.costabravagironacb.com · @costabravacb

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THE COSTA BRAVA AND GIRONA PYRENEES Nestled between the French border and Barcelona, the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees region offers 200km of coastline where quiet beaches and small coves alternate with rocky landscapes that the sea has sculpted to form caves and singular shapes. The Pyrenees plunge into the sea and nature in all forms offers varied landscapes: volcanic, marshes, forests and plains, medieval villages... A lands of contrasts that awaken a full range of emotions and provide surprising experiences.

And now, Girona, Olot and Lloret de Mar have united to offer a varied set of destinations to MICE professionals. Separated within 35km, the region is home to three destinations: Olot, a town in the heart of a volcanic zone, features historical sites perfect for small meetings; Girona is an ancient city that hides treasures and is home to the largest conference centre in the region; and finally Lloret de Mar is a tourism powerhouse, with three conference centres within walking distance from the main hotels.

An interesting example of co-opetition!

Girona plays the Game of Thrones After eight months of planning with 78 suppliers and 170 participants, this team-building initiative organised by Marca Condal was intended to lead attendees on a journey into the world of clans and the battle for power, all with a pinch of fantasy and a sprinkle of creativity.

The entire convention was set in the city of Girona, where part of the series was shot. Participants were accommodated in the city and the chosen setting was, of course, the medieval castle.

To recreate the series, the organisers planned dynamic activities, put up elaborate decorations and wrote scripts for participants to star in. The future of their companies depended on their performance!

The morning session was reserved for corporate meetings.

Afterwards, the participants would get dressed up at the hotel and set out towards the cathedral in their GOT attire to take pictures before heading to the castle.

To begin there were, medieval music, a gastro-themed cocktail and mingling with the doubles of Khalesshi, Jon Snow with his wolves, Ygrid, Khal Drogo and the shortest of the Lannisters, followed by the first test: bets between clans and knights with bronze coins. The teams had to strike a deal and bargain. After that, more tests ensued which were arranged according to the company’s needs: • Film Set: Participants were asked to set up and shoot a scene under the stage manager’s guidance.

• Winterfell Games: They had to compete in sword fights, javelin throwing and a tug-of-war.

• Wall Towers: Building human towers with three levels.

• Archery

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, PENEDES, CAVA COUNTRY Cava with oysters or sushi, 4x4 routes, tastings on a yacht with sommeliers, spas facing the sea, Modernist workshops or ecological furniture in hundred-year-old bodegas…

THIS REGION INCLUDES SOME OF THE LARGEST CELLARS IN THE WORLD, WHICH CAN BE VISITED

The brandy workshop at Bodegas Torres. This activity combines a tour of one of the halls with a workshop where visitors get to make their own brandy and take it home with a customised label.

Puig Hall at Cavas Cordorniu

Penedès offers activities marked by wines and cavas, but it is also worth trying its coastline, museums, its traditional culture with human castle building and its luxury hotels. From routes on Segway, electric bicycles or 4x4 among the vineyards, there is a wide variety of routes to follow on all kinds of wheels, offered by the wineries around their vineyards.

But the Penedès region also has a highly recommendable coastline. Enoveler suggests sailing while tasting wine and cava accompanied by a sommelier, which might be at sunset, or include a lunch or dinner.

A hot-air balloon flight over the region is one of the proposals of Bodega Bohigas. For further enjoyment at altitude, the winery offers outings to the hills of Puig Aguilera to see the vineyards and the forests of the property by jeeps. Along forest tracks, they reach the top of the mountain to have a local breakfast with views of the valley.

Bodegas Torres, with more than 120,000 visitors a year, is one of the most widely visited wineries in Europe. They offer tastings and visits, including their Tunnel of the SeaAn evening stroll around the vineyard escorted by sons, which contemplates the life cycle of the vines from two astronomers to explain the fun facts behind the the perspective of the grape, and a train ride around its stars and their link to grapevines. The stroll ends at Bodega Waultraud, where dinner is served married Waltraud cellar. with wines and live music.

This year, they received the prize for the Most Innovative Tourist Experience at the Wine Tourism Awards thanks to their ability to create unusual experiences: the wine photography tour, the 10 km enocursa race through the vineyards, the brandy making workshop and the blind tapas experience. The judges also pointed out that the starry night experience (a previous award winner) still manages to impress.

This region includes some of the largest cellars in the world, which can be visited. In Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, 30km from Barcelona, Caves Freixenet offers the Salón Real, a 400sqm venue, visits including the enosensorial room and a trip around the cellars, some of the largest in the world, wine-tourism activities mixed with gastronomy (marrying ham, a Catalan cuisine buffet, experimenting with aromas...), culture, art and architecture. They also organise matches and tasting sessions. These cellars have been declared a Monument of National Historic-Artistic Interest.

Wineries are reinventing their offers for events and offering activities beyond the traditional tastings. Cavas Codorníu therefore offers a The Great Cellar workshop in ‘trencadís’, the mosaic made with ceramic fragments typical of Catalan (Celler Gran) at Cavas Codorniu, spanning modernism. Codorníu suggests reinventing ‘trencadís’ with pieces of bottle from 1,000sqm under a the company: after breaking the bottles and letting some adrenalin out, each group Catalan-style cupola paints the pieces of glass with the colours of the company and places them on part of divided into three arched halls. the mosaic. Together they will create the company logo with the pieces.

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TARRAGONA Gladiators, ‘castells’, sea, gastronomy of Ancient Rome, golf… We are talking about Tarragona, whose past is very present in any event. Under the motto ‘Your event will make history’, the city proposes using its historic heritage for a series of initiatives that bring all the flavour of the past to the event. Compact and convenient, most venues for events are found in a small areas near the Palau and the Seminari, and 10 minutes from the main hotels. With warm temperatures all year round, close to the PortAventura attraction park and its convention centre and the triple ‘U’ of Unesco (the city itself, the ‘castells’ and the Mediterranean diet are all World Heritage), it is definitely a destination to take into consideration.

The streets of Tarragona are a huge open-air museum: the circus, amphitheatre, necropolis and aqueduct were all declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO, although Roman traces are also found in the most unsuspected places, such as bars or the Palacio de Congresos with its natural stone walls. In addition, entertainment can be provided with gladiator battles, team-buildings with castellers (human towers), visits to the nearby wineries of the Priorat region or PortAventura, or with the practice of water sports in the nearby Costa Daurada. In terms of venues, the region has some big enough to host major events, like the PortAventura Convention Centre, as well as some very distinctive ones, from the Castell de Tamarit to the Tinglados del Puerto, or the Termes de Montbrió.

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Highlighted venues • PortAventura Convention Centre: Ten minutes away from Tarragona, this convention centre overlooks the sea and golf courses. It is comprised of two vast floors covering a total of 13,290sqm for events, divided up into 18 halls with room for 10 to 4,000 people. The advantage is that the theme park’s hotels are right there, making it a destination in its own right.

• The Tarraco Plaza Arena (TAP): the former bullring has been renovated as a multipurpose space for major events like the 2017 Mediterranean Games. Conserving the neo-Modernist exterior, the inside is amazingly modern. With a surface area of 2,376sqm, the arena can hold 5,800 people, in addition to seating 4,974, and there is a second gallery measuring 1,800sqm. The Tarraco Arena Plaça (TAP) hosted the IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) annual gala dinner, with 1,300 people from 62 different countries.

Restored in 2010, it has seating for 5,000 or double that if you include the bullring enclosure.

• Palacio de Ferias y Congresos: One of the special features in this events hall is the fact that every floor has a natural stone wall, in addition to its huge arches. There are two auditoriums and 12 well equipped halls, with room for up to 1,145 people in the main hall, in addition to a 3,000sqm multi-function room.

• The Fair Ground: Spanning 2,100sqm with room for 1,800 people.

• “El Seminari”, Centro Tarraconense: A venue for meetings with up to 300 people.

• La Boella: A convention centre featuring a hotel with gardens and several halls, including the Grand Hall for 900 people.

• Amphitheatre: An emblematic venue for hosting open air events with room for up to 250 cocktail guests.

• Camp de Mart Auditorium: This outdoor auditorium lies near the Roman walls and can house up to 1,787 people.

• Castillo de Tamarit: Just 10 minutes away from the city centre, the castle has an open hall bathed in natural light with room for 350 people, as well as an area for cocktails and canapés in the pool gardens by the sea.

Coca-Cola invites 600 professionals from Western European business units to PortAventura Coca-Cola wanted to hold a strategy meeting after the creation of a new structure grouping the company with its European bottlers. The aim: to encourage the acceleration and growth of the business.

The program included a plenary session for 650 people, subcommittees, an exhibition area and workshops, plus a casual dinner at the convention centre and a gala dinner at the Restaurant La Cantina PortAventura Park, which recreated the atmosphere of a bullring.

The event featured a football match held in the plenary room itself, to remind of the brand’s support for sports, between a Spanish 2nd division team and the International soccer team of Coca-Cola. The plenary room was converted into a ministadium with green carpeting. Guests could also enjoy rides in the PortAventura park, open exclusively for them.

The event included a lot of visual branding, turning every corner of the convention centre into a very “Coca-Cola” area. The outdoor furniture was made of wooden pallets, and lamps made from bottles of Coca-Cola glass were installed. Cardboard stools completed this very natural and relaxed setup. Gobos were used with the logo, there was a lot of red light, and the event included many images with Coca-Cola style photos, many stickers on the windows of the centre. And of course, drinks dispensers of various kinds were setup.

The UN Games PortAventura has also hosted the 42nd edition of the UN’s Internal Games, involving over 1,500 people. PortAventura was used as the games venue and also the official accommodation villa, housing all the participants. They took part in 13 competition tests spread out over 70 of the facilities in PortAventura and other towns on the Costa Daurada: Salou, Tarragona and Cambrils. The opening ceremony was held in the park’s ‘Mediterranean’ themed area.

Activities • Taking a themed tour to explore the Roman and medieval Tarragona.

• Discovering the city by Segway.

• Revealing the secrets of Roman cuisine at a workshop.

• Taking part in the rehearsals of the city’s human castle teams.

• Visiting the area’s wineries and venturing into the world of wine tasting. Wines belonging to the Tarragona Designation of Origin were already famous in Roman times and were considered the finest in the Empire.

• Practising your swing on an 18-hole golf course.

• Spending the day at the PortAventura theme park, at the Ebro Delta Natural Park or on the beaches of the Costa Daurada.

CSR event in Tarragona Unit Elements organised a CSR event in Tarragona for 120 Arola employees who literally built a building for NGO Caritas, who will use the building as a food bank in a district with very few resources in Tarragona. The building project has started some weeks before with local builders, who made the more structural part, and the Arola employees painted, hung the shelves, dug and trimmed.

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The Pompidou Art Centre is the first representation of the famous Parisian centre of modern art outside France. It is located in the Cubo building in the port of Málaga and houses pieces of modern and contemporary art.

Costa del Sol Whoever comes to the Costa del Sol thinking that it is merely a destination for spectacular beaches, with its 160km of Mediterranean coastline and luxury ports, is in for a surprise. Málaga has become one of the country’s cultural meccas with an explosion of museums and the recent opening of no fewer than 30 cultural centres for events. The Pompidou (‘El Cubo’), in the port of Málaga and the Museum of Russian Art in the former ‘Tabacalera’ building are the latest to come to the city and two of the best options for events, but Málaga also has the Glass Museum, the Motor Museum, the Revello de Toro Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre and La Térmica.

Not to forget its long-standing culture of nightclubs and the natural heritage and good climate on the Costa del Sol, which make it attractive for outdoor events and adventure team-building. In Málaga you can meet in one of the most spectacular botanical gardens in Europe, but also hold an event while sailing the Alborán Sea, attend a gala dinner amidst vintage vehicles, have a cocktail amidst the works of Picasso or hold a meeting in a historical winery. With this offer, the strength of the destination is undeniable.

City of museums The Russian Art Museum, a centre of the museum in St. Petersburg, has been set up in the building of the former ‘Tabacalera’, or tobacco factory, which coexists with the Motor Museum in a total area of nearly 7,500sqm.

The Motor Museum is one of the 30 cultural spaces that Málaga offers for events. It has a spectacular collection of vintage vehicles and can accommodate a thousand attendees.

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Andalusia offers no less than 569 establishments with facilities for meetings, and one out of every four is in the province of Málaga. The destination has top facilities for large events, with five fairgrounds and exhibition halls: Málaga, Torremolinos, Marbella, Estepona and Ronda. As for hotels, around 90,000 beds turn Málaga into the leading Andalusian province.

Bulerías on the Costa del Sol Exploramás received a brief from a multinational technology firm requesting an experience full of sun, sand and flamenco, so the agency designed a programme for 30 people with those exact ingredients.

The sun and sand were provided by Marbella, where the agency took care of setting up small wooden tablaos as traditionally used in flamenco dancing, to create percussion thanks to the tapping heels of the participants and professional dancers who gave them a sevillanas dance lesson. They also organised a game of beach volleyball.

Wellness experience in Marbella: five activities on the dunes of Artola: crossfit, running, power walking, taichi and yoga.

Highlighted venues • Palacio Duque Heredia: this 19th century palace has a 21,000sqm garden, which is part of the Botanical Garden of Málaga.

• With 3,000sqm of multifunctional rooms, the La Cabane Beach Club in Marbella offers one of the most exclusive buffets on the Costa del Sol, with a wide range of seafood.

• Gran Meliá Don Pepe is an historical reference of hotels on Costa del Sol, now fully renovated with a lifestyle touch as a luxury resort. It offers 12 meeting rooms for up to 350 people. ICCA’s Iberian Chapter organised their 2015 congress between this hotel and the Marbella congress centre.

• Vincci Selección Posada del Patio: new hotel right in the historical centre of Málaga with four meeting romos for up to 270 participants, with natural light.

• Hotel Iberostar Marbella Coral Beach: features two meeting rooms for up to 220 people.

• DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa opens in the Reserva del Higuerón. With views over the bay of Fuengirola, the complex has 177 rooms and suites and stands out for its sports facilities. It also has meeting rooms and a large roof terrace.

• Fuerte Estepona Hotel: 900sqm of halls, all bathed in natural light.

Gran Hotel Miramar is Málaga’s first super luxury five-star hotel. Located in a historic building that once hosted the glamorous balls of times gone by, the hotel boasts 200 rooms, a convention centre for up to 700 people, 15 halls with windows to let in daylight, a swimming pool, a spa zone and five gastronomic areas.

The Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga’s avant-garde architecture brings style to a 60,000sqm facility with room for up to 20,000 people. The region also features the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Marbella which includes a top floor of more than 3,000sqm and a plenary room with 1,600 seats; el Palacio de Congresos de Torremolinos: the main hall is divided into two floors of 3,000 and 2,500sqm. Plus, it has opened the first meeting room for smokers in Spain. Finally the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Estepona combines 21,000sqm of indoor space with a garden, a heliport and an all-purpose pavilion.

Ronda Mountain Resort is a natural area of 200 hectares that includes from luxurious villas to stone houses for up to six people and think tank meeting rooms with spaces for inspiration. The extensive grounds are also a place for team-building activities.

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TeatroGoya has started up a centre in Puerto Banús. It has nine different spaces, seven of which are auditoriums for up to 475 people, as well as an all-purpose area and the Sky Garden, a terrace with views of the sea.

Activities • Seaside activities are a popular request for business incentives, including beach Olympics and sea activities such as water bikes and parasailing.

• Driving 4x4s or convertible cars is a great way to explore the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range and the Valley of the Genal River.

• Traditions of Al Andalus. In Málaga, spas are a millenary tradition. You can take your group for a relaxing afternoon in the Hammam Al Andalus Málaga, a restored historic space which captures the essence of the ancient Arab baths of Al Andalus.

• CWT proposes ‘Andalucía según Picasso’, where they paint a canvas representing the Andalusian magician. Other options are Teambuilding Flamenco, a sevillanas competition with dance teacher included, or Andalusian Percussion, where, in the cradle of flamenco, they learn to play the box drum and castanets.

• Puerto Banús has some of the most ‘IN’ clubs in the Peninsula. Bring your group for an afternoon of shopping around the marina and let them feast their eyes on the beautiful sailboats belonging to the Arab sheiks and Russian magnates, and celebrity-watching.

• Looking for an adrenaline rush? Then pull over at the Ascari Club at the exclusive Race Resort. The track, the longest in the country, can be tackled with a Lotus, BMW, Racial, F3, F1 or even buggies or go-karts. What could be more fun for a group of grown-up “kids”?

• Agency Imagen Límite suggests motor tours in the interior of the region. One option starts in Estepona and traces the Sierra de las Nieves on dirt roads, muddy tracks and dry creek beds. This Adventure Rally also passes through traditional white-walled towns such as the “living museum” of Genalguacil before arriving in Ronda.

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The Hacienda Nadales is an 18th century manor surrounded 25,000sqm of English-style landscaped gardens and tropical species, which also offers a winery where events can be held, mostly wine-related. It has hosted several medical congresses, meetings of professional guilds and cancer galas, amongst other things.

New venues, such as the Vinoteca-Museo Los Patios de las Beatas, are constantly opening in this region. Over 800sqm, it offers a hall for wine-tasting and themed tapas and a 19th century patio…

Fun and relaxation Terra Incentivos made the most of the region for an insurance company. The adventure kicked off in the high-speed train where guests enjoyed surprises, activities and even a little comedy. On the next day, the group took their 4x4 and headed to the mountains for a day of adventure followed by a pampering moment in a spa. Refreshed, they were treated to a traditional “espeteros” dinner by the beach with the grilled fish and danced barefoot on the sand.

The third day, they headed for Mijas where they traded in their 4X4s for... donkeys! Using donkey power, guests arrived at the Wine Museum, where they sampled the best the region has to offer. After enjoying a free afternoon, guests had to rely on their wits to navigate a gymkhana and arrive at a restaurant for a gala dinner, where they enjoyed a thematic night complete with actors, show and a fiesta.

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Seville Aristocratic and streetwise, festive and religious, if you are looking for a city that represents the classic image of Spain, Seville is the one. The city full of colour and passion has offered the dramatic setting for more than 100 operas, including some of the best ever (Carmen, Don Giovani, Fidelio, the marriage of Figaro, the Barber of Seville…), which illustrates its unique spirit. It also offers the most intense atmosphere of spiritual collection during Easter Week, madness such as the April Fair.

And for events, besides the tradition and art patrimony, its venues range from chameleonic and futuristic spaces to exclusive and teasing palaces and its historical centre is one of the most dazzling in Spain. The city has large venues such as Fibes and highly versatile hotels like the Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento, but for small and exclusive events the typical Sevilian manor is ideal to impress guests. For example, the Lebrija Palace Museum (16th century) has halls for up to 150 people with impressive Roman mosaics; and the Casa de los Pinelo, the present headquarters of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Letters, has a hall for 200 people, a courtyard for cocktails and the Apeadero for 150 people.

Seville is one of the greatest pulses of attraction of national and international events due partly to its historical and highly exclusive venues. And proof of this: it hosted on two consecutive years the European Best Event Awards.

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SEVILLE IS THE SETTING FOR MORE THAN 100 OPERAS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BEST EVER

Activities • Sensory tasting sessions on the Guadalquivir. A wine tasting and gourmet gastronomy experience aboard a boat on the river, serenaded by flamenco guitars and violins.

• Kuoni Destination Management organises a pilgrimage through villages in the south of Spain. Upon arrival, the group is greeted by drummers and flamenco dancers. The participants walk through the streets on a pilgrimage during which they make stops to eat, drink and enjoy the landscape. The group is accompanied by a “Rociero”, or traditional choir, as well as a rumba Sevillana band. The activity ends with the group singing altogether at the estate.

• The local wines are as famous as the night atmosphere, making the wine routes essential to soak up the city’s atmosphere, something that was recently done, for example, by a group from Volkswagen México.

• In a genuine Sevilian ‘hacienda’, the participants took on the Flamenco Percussion Workshop, an experience designed by Exploramás based on Andalusian folklore. Spread out in teams, they learned percussion and tried several instruments such as the flamenco cajón and caña, castanets, sticks and bottles.

• Bandolero Tours offers you the opportunity to sample the lifestyle of a 14th-century highwayman in the Sierra Morena.

Highlighted venues • The Palacio de Congresos de Sevilla (FIBES): This brand new venue has a 3,577-seat auditorium, the largest covered in Spain. The building has three separate modules: a covered, 3,000sqm walkway that connects the current construction with the newest incorporations; a multi-purpose building that houses a 2,000sqm restaurant area and a 2,500sqm exhibition zone.

• Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento. This 5-star hotel offers unique beauty, with 295 rooms, Convention Centre and 25 meeting rooms, surrounded by inspiring gardens. For specialised congresses and conventions, product launches, the automobile industry and incentives, this hotel has four large open spaces waiting to be personalised.

Its 5,000sqm for meetings are distributed in five meeting halls, two atriums and a Convention Centre for 1,200.

• For cocktails, La Lonja del Barranco, designed in 1876 by Gustave Eiffel, became a temple of snacks and a gourmet space. More than 1,200sqm and a terrace overlooking the Guadalquivir River, including show cooking workshops and presentations.

• The Guitar House Museum is an 18th-century house located in a monumental area of Seville in the heart of the Santa Cruz district, and houses the flamenco cultural centre which is rented out for private events and has the largest guitar collection in the country and puts on flamenco demonstrations.

• The Chamber of Commerce of Seville, alongside the cathedral, has also opened its doors for business meetings and conventions.

• Real Venta de Antequera, a series of buildings and halls built for the Iberian-American Expo in 1929. Typical Sevillian architecture divided into ten halls with room for 800 guests, plus vast gardens.

• Pabellón de las Tres Culturas, with six halls for 100 to 300 people and a perfect terrace for cocktails.

• Hacienda Azahares, an estate just ten minutes away from the city centre resting on a 127 m ledge. Four halls with room for 100 to 700 guests and a large square for 3,500 people.

• Pabellón de Navegación, reopened in 2012, this venue, which dates back to the 1992 Universal Exposition, sits along the banks of the Guadalquivir River, in the centre of Seville. It offers several large rooms, a wide outdoor space and a tower with spectacular views of the city below.

• Metropol Parasol, somewhere between an impressive sculpture and a “liquid” building, the Metropol Parasol is 150m long and 75m wide and towers 28m above Seville’s city centre. “The mushrooms”, as locals have dubbed the building for its unique shape, has four separate levels. The second level has 3,500sqm of event space, the third has a dramatic restaurant and the fourth has a balcony with panoramic views. To round out this unique combination, there is the Antiquarium, a small museum which holds the archaeological remains discovered during its construction.

• 25km from the city is the Finca Mirandilla, a truly authentic property. A field venue for events seeking to enjoy the bullfighting festival which organises everything from horse shows to capeas, visits to the breeding areas and traditional ‘rociero’ choirs.

• Box Sevilla, formerly the Canada Hall at Expo ‘92, now fully revamped with an auditorium for 500 people.

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Unit Elements set up a two-day training event at the Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento Hotel for 750 employees from dealers selling the new Touran. The size of the halls was a decisive factor in the choice of venue, as was being close to a driving track and being able to get vehicles inside the halls. The event started with a corporate presentation including videomapping to present the vehicle’s key novelties, after which attendees were split into different rooms for the training sessions. In the evening, the group travelled by boat to the city centre and set out on a tapas tour around Seville’s finest venues, and ended with a party at the Lonja del Barranco marketplace. On the following day, they headed to the Monteblanco circuit to pursue the practical side of their training.

2,800 people at FIBES

Seville, the events capital of Europe

The Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos Fibes has hosted its fifth annual Spanish Ophthalmology Society convention. A full on training programme for 2,200 ophthalmologists and 200 other sector professionals. Various training formats were used, including conferences, courses, discussion groups and more, to present the sector’s scientific breakthroughs, innovations in 3D technology and new surgical devices.

This is the second time Seville has hosted the awards to celebrate Europe’s major events: The European Best Event Awards – EUBEA 2015. The crème de la crème of the MICE sector gathered at the Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento Hotel. But the event is no mere awards ceremony – it includes educational sessions, project presentations by various agencies in front of a panel of judges, and networking opportunities, in addition to the gala itself.

The world of Havana Cigars in Seville Grupo Abbsolute brought the history of the acclaimed Havana cigars to the city. The event was held in La Casa Pilatos in the form of workshops and master classes to learn all about making cigars.

Attendees were shown how to roll their own Havana cigar with the help of experts all the way from Cuba. There was also a session about marrying cigars with cocktails, and workshops on Havana Club rum, Charles Heidsieck champagne and Ximénez-Spínola brandy.

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Euromic gathers in Seville Spanish Heritage, the Spanish member of this international association of DMCs, organised the the general meeting of the association with a true incentive-style meeting which featured visits to Seville´s top sights and venues, including a private visit of the Royal Alcazar, a tapas dinner at Robles Placentines, a gala dinner at spectacular Casa de Salinas, a team-building activity in the streets of Seville (powered by Padcelona), as well as a farewell red & black dinner at the Alfonso XIII.

A striking proposal: Crusoe Treasure suggests discovering a particular underground bodega in the Bay of Plentzia and to combine tasting with a day’s sailing. It is a unique set-up with its barrels, bottles and hulls 20m underwater. Guests will sail to this underwater bodega, trying wines on board and discover (by underwater camera) this singular project comprising an artificial reef of more than a thousand species.

basque country Lighthouses, cliffs, old smugglers’ hideaways, an aquarium, prehistoric caves, romantic restoration of old boats, marinas, traditional fishermen’s houses, txakoli wine and much more!

The Basque Country (locally known as Euskadi), boasts 250 km of coastline with tidal wetlands, beaches, estuaries and quaint fishing villages, as well as the two key cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián, with an array of options for events and incentive trips. This is a privileged destination for water sports and boasts a renowned wealth of gastronomical delights, including unmissable cooking workshops and gastro trails.

DMC Euskadi Reception suggests turning the group into shepherds in Urkiola National Park.

Patxi will show them how to milk the sheep, they will accompany his border collie to walk the flock, and learn how to make traditional ointments with the local herbs. To finish, there will be a tasting of Idiazabal designation of origin cheeses.

Discover Valle Salado Salty Valley) and get the chance to learn how salt is transformed into brine.

Summer is the time when Añana Salt is produced and collected, and visitors also get to dip their hands and feet into the Salt Spa. The winter alternative is to sample a variety of types of Añana Salt during a guided tasting session to arouse the senses.

Sagardoetxea, Basque Cider Museum: The Basques pay their tribute to cider in the form of a fascinating ritual known as txotx . During the txotx season, from January to April, cider cellars open up their doors to allow visitors to sample their new brew straight from the barrel before bottling.

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, San SebastiAn Probably the most famous bay in Spain, and definitely a very charming city right on the Cantabrian coast, this glamorous destination is the place with the most Michelin stars per square mile in the world and home to hundreds of ‘pintxo’ bars. However, its renowned gastronomy secured this city status as European Capital of Culture for 2016.

Being the capital city of culture has been the perfect excuse for San Sebastián to provide new incentive options and revamp emblematic venues and hotels, such as the San Telmo Museum. This 16th century Dominican monastery houses a church and cloister hosting dinner events for up to 670 people. And the Vitoria Eugenia Theatre, one of the city’s most emblematic buildings, recently refurbished, has a main hall where events are held to provide a different perspective on theatre.

Furthermore, the stage together with the raised orchestra pit make for an exclusive area for banquets with up to 200 guests, who get to see the theatre through the eyes of the performer.

Another venue is the Basque Culinary Centre in natural surroundings, which houses the first Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences and has an auditorium for 200 people and other spaces.

In 2015, San Sebastian Food opened a brand new cooking school within the Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel. The SSF Beronia Cooking School will offer a roster of delicious, innovative, and enjoyable cooking courses in a state-of-the-art cooking environment.

City of events

The capital offers incentive activities connected to its great annual cultural events, such as the famous Cinema festival or its Jazzaldia gastronomy. But gastronomy rules here: in the Aula de Cocina or kitchen classroom, three Michelin star chefs reveal their secrets in interactive sessions; in the ‘Pintxos’ workshop, the group can create and try their own preparations.

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Peine del Viento en San Sebastián

Cinema weekend Every September, alongside one of its most emblematic annual events, the cinema festival, the city proposes the “A cinema weekend” incentive program which offers small groups the chance to enjoy the glamour of walking along the red carpet, attending the opening gala from a privileged place and enjoying the first performance on the big screen along with international stars.

‘Marrying’ golf and regattas Fifteen minutes away from San Sebastián, in Hondarribia, a number of local DMCs carry out a whole host of ocean-themed incentive trips. The options range from wine tasting regattas on boats with room for 20 to 150 guests, to rowing boat outings and gastronomy lessons taught by professionals who take their kitchen stoves out on the high seas. One of the most popular choices are the combined Sail & Golf contests that mix the two sports.

Mitsubishi convention in San Sebastián Auriga organised the Mitsubishi convention for dealers in San Sebastián. The event included a meal prepared by chef Eneko Atxa, who boasts three Michelin stars, as well as a pintxos trail, a driving test, a visit to the Balenciaga Museum, a cookery workshop, a visit to the Chillida Museum, and a surprise dinner on the stage at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre.

Real Sociedad short breaks The famous football team is the perfect opportunity for San Sebastián Tourism, which launched ‘Real Sociedad Short Breaks’. The package includes entry to the VIP zone at the match, a two-night hotel stay with breakfast, and the tourist card which provides free or discounted access to cultural products or services.

Highlighted venues

GU (San Sebastián)

Basque Pelota and fishing tradition

Basquetour brings us an activity christened “Sea & Cider”.

The experience takes place in San Sebastián, where participants get to relive the adventure of whale hunting, discover what it has to do with cider and try the gastronomical delights linked to it. Participants will visit the Aquarium, sail on a boat around the bay and have a meal at a cider bar in Astigarraga. Another choice is the “Cheese & Cider” tour, which includes visiting the Sagardoetxe Cider Museum in Astigarraga with some cider sampling, and visiting a cheese house followed by cheese and cider sampling.

Another option outside Bilbao are the new incentive trips around Bermeo and Elantxobe. In addition to visiting these two lovely towns, the trip includes an exhibition of the Basque pelota sport on the court itself, a boat ride from Bermeo to Elantxobe and a visit to a preserve company to taste their preserves and some txakoli wine.

• Tabakalera, located in the building that used to house the tobacco factory reopened in late 2015. In the heart of the city, this vast classic-style building can be arranged in a variety of layouts to hold events with up to 1,000 guests.

• GU is a new venue inside one of San Sebastián’s most emblematic buildings: the Royal Yacht Club, erected in 1928. GU contains a separate cocktail bar, a screening hall, reserved areas and a breath-taking glass lookout area affording the most magnificent views across the bay. The whole venue can be hired with room for up to 300 people.

• Kursaal Convention Centre: this spectacular building is formed by two translucent glass cubes and overlooks the Cantabrian sea. It has an auditorium for 1,800 people.

• The Balenciaga Museum offers presentation spaces and guided visits which shed light on the golden age of haute couture. The atrium can handle a cocktail for 1,000 people or 850 seated guests. And the entrance hall is perfect for receptions of 400 people while the attic of the Aldamar building can host 40 people.

• Victoria Eugenia Theatre: one of the most emblematic buildings in San Sebastián, it opened in 1912 and was transformed in 2007 into a scenic venue complete with the most modern equipment. It can hold 910 people and has rooms for events for up to 195 people.

• The Aquarium: In addition to a 164-people auditorium, it includes an area where 100 people can enjoy a cocktail surrounded by interesting wildlife. And now dinners catered by the restaurant Bokado can be arranged with views of spectacular sharks! Its restaurant has a capacity of 80 people seated banquet style or 120 for a cocktail reception.

• The classical Hotel Londres y de Inglaterra (4*) completed the refurbishment of rooms and lounges, and Hotel NH Aranzazu (4*) has refurbished its 180 rooms. Located 300m from La Concha, it has six lounges for events with natural light and a capacity for 400 people.

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Bilbao No one has ever taken advantage of an opportunity as Bilbao did back in 1997 with the opening of the Guggenheim which revolutionised the city including the recovery of the estuary and a face lift to make it friendlier. An economic, urbanistic and environmental change that brought about the rebirth of this industrial city.

It has gone from an industrial pole to a cosmopolitan city that boiling over with culture all while maintaining its dynamism and parliamentary tradition. This baggage has left it not only with its 4,000 hotel rooms, but also a series renovated venues such as the Euskalduna Palace, the Bilbao Exhibition Centre, the Iberdrola Tower, the Guggenheim, the Arriaga Theatre and the Alhondiga. Well-connected with a very strong personality and reputable culinary fame, it’s a great city for luxury gastronomic incentive trips.

LIGHTING

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The centrally-located Palacio de Congresos y de la Música Euskalduna which is the largest in the country with 58,200sqm and named the Best Convention Centre in the World in 2003, symbolises the last ship built at the old Euskalduna Shipyard. With 2,164 seats, the auditorium is complemented by the Theatre Hall with 613 seats, an exhibition area and one of the most well-known restaurants in the Basque Country with catering.

On the other hand, the Bilbao Exhibition Centre offers 150,000sqm with an 18,000sqm convention centre, halls for 2,500 people and a multi-purpose area called “Luxua”. Floor 24 in the Iberdrola Tower stands out with 1,000sqm of multi-purpose space 111 m high in the air.

Other options include the modern Alhondiga, the hundred-year-old Arriaga Theatre, the Campos Elíseos Theatre which was built in 1901 and recently reformed, the Ilgner building which is a unique industrial site or the University of Deusto which allows for gatherings in closed cloisters in the auditorium.

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Getting to work around the stoves is probably the best option for a team brainstorm, particularly if your brand is linked to food. For a new project team of 26 professionals of Findus, 360on organised a team building at a cookery school: Findus’ ‘Salted&Sweet’.

In groups, they were given three hours to create a full menu under the supervision of the school’s professionals. After introducing their ‘restaurant’ to the rest of the team, presenting their dishes and eating up, they spent the afternoon on the school’s premises during the more formal working session.

Bia Urban Regeneration Forum 500 professionals from the international architecture, engineering, design and urban planning scene gathered in Bilbao for the BIA Urban Regeneration Forum, an event which also involved various complementary events for the general public.

The aim was to share experiences in urban planning based on Bilbao’s transformation, to promote Basque and Navarran architects, to bolster synergies among players involved in local architecture and to bring it closer to the people of Bilbao.

Guided tours of the city, a competition for refurbishment projects by young architects, screenings of European urban-themed films, and children’s workshops were some of the activities that rounded off this huge event. The Guggenheim Museum hosted the closing gala dinner.

Highlighted venues • Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC): with a total of 18,000sqm and a usable surface of 5,500sqm divided in three areas, this facility has room for up to 2,500 people.

• Alhondiga Bilbao: this modernist wine warehouse was declared a “Cultural Property”. Now, it is celebrating 100 years of existence after the restoration of its facade and interior, including new areas built under the supervision of Philippe Starck.

• Euskalduna Conference Centre: it unveiled a 2,200sqm new space extending into the interior esplanade. This structure will give a brand new look to the cityscape while capitalising on existing pedestrian access and loading areas, improving the facility’s connectivity. The new space will sit under a large metallic covering which will shelter different halls which can be converted into a space for over 400 people.

• The Torre Iberdrolal is a reference point for sustainable businesses and it is open to events: the Business Centre has five halls totalling 320sqm. The 24th floor has an open space of 1,000sqm with 100m height and offers spectacular views.

• The Campos Elíseos Theatre, which dates to 1901, was restored in 2011. Featuring the latest technology in its various meeting rooms, this modernist building is also protected as a building of architectural and cultural significance.

Activities • Boat trip along the estuary. Euskadi Reception brings us the chance to contemplate Bilbao and its skyline from the estuary, all the way to the mouth of the river, crossed by Euskadi’s famous Bridge of Biscay, a World Heritage Site. If the bridge looks impressive from below, wait until you get inside its metal structure and climb up to its pedestrian walkway, affording fantastic views over the mouth of the River Nervion. The visit is rounded off with some pintxo tasting washed down with txakoli wine.

• Discovering Bilbao by bike. What was once a grey and polluted industrial city just a few decades ago has now become a city with great services, a cosmopolitan vibe, a lively atmosphere and an international benchmark. This two-hour tour along bike lanes and special cycling areas explores the city’s history and introduces visitors to a local tradition: pintxo-pote. The tour includes a ticket to the Guggenheim Museum.

• Surroundings. The dmc STI proposes tours of the city with special attention to its architecture and structures such as the Bizkaia Suspension Bridge (declared Heritage of Mankind by the UNESCO), as well as excursions in the surrounding area, amongst others to the peninsula of Sant Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo fishing port, following the Mundaka estuary to the small marina which is the centre of the Urdaibai Reserve.

• The gastronomy Mecca. Whether with popular tapas routes or at high-society restaurants (many Michelin stars have been awarded in the region), you must take advantage of its gastronomic fame and give in to the local proposals.

• Luxury cars at an old fortress. Bilbao Paso a Paso proposes a visit to the Loizaba Tower in the Concejuelo Castle, a fortress that hides a collection of classical cars.

Guggenheim Museum offers a unique environment for meetings. It has three areas for events: the atrium, the auditorium and the hall. Booking the venue requires being a corporate member of the museum.

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Valencia You were probably impressed when Valencia came into our industry as a new star a few years ago, with large car launches, Formula 1 racing, the America’s Cup and some amazing infrastructure such as a huge trade fair ground and the grand City of Arts and Sciences, amongst others… But this excessive city embodied both the Spanish excesses of the boom and the terrible bust that followed. And like Spain, it is now back in full swing. Excessive it is: where else in the world will you find a city with inhabitants dedicating months to build huge and carefully elaborated figures—Las Fallas—to satirically represent reality and then burn them all in a single night of madness? Valencia is cheerful and special, and definitely worth considering for colourful events.

La Rambleta is a fusion of art, entertainment and gastronomy in different settings, including an auditorium with 650 seats, a terrace and the SUMA restaurant (with 1 Michelin Star)

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Vodafone, Bayer, Heineken and Roche are some of the brands that have chosen Masía Xanandreu for their events. This 19th century orange grove estate is surrounded by beautiful gardens and boasts its own kitchen and a number of halls of up to 1,400sqm.

More than 5,000 attendees at the International Optical Telecommunications Convention The five-day convention attracted more than 5,000 professionals from all over the world to attend what is considered to be Europe’s most prestigious conference in the field of technology, slides and optical communication systems, with over 300 exhibitors. The format was a combination of conferences with full on training sessions and an exhibition at Feria Valencia. One of the novelties was a Ram Session that was held at the end of each day, which involved a gymkhana around the premises, encouraging networking among attendees.

The Spanish Society of Oncology and Radiotherapy (SEOR) also chose the city of Valencia to host its 18th National Congress at Feria Valencia, with 900 attendees.

Early 2016 saw the inauguration of the new facilities at the Oceanogràfic. Opened in 2003, the Oceanographic Museum is the largest marine centre of Europe. The Mar Rojo Auditorium, with an oval-shaped amphitheatre format, features a huge aquarium as its backdrop representing life in the waters of the Red Sea. There is also an outdoor terrace at the front covering 400sqm.

Creativity, lavishness and spectacular venues all converge in this Mediterranean city. In addition to attractions such as the Museum of Arts and Science, the annual Fallas festivities and a programme packed with sporting and cultural events, Valencia is also one of Spain’s top destinations for major healthcare and motor vehicle events.

Fuelled by the 2006-2008 boom, the city has built stunning venues.

The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, the Hemisfèric, the Umbracle, the Ágora and the Oceanogràfic have numerous indoor and outdoor areas. And some venues of the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia offer an impressive location for events.

One of the most attractive and innovative incorporations for events is to dine among sharks, at the Oceanographic Museum. The stars of the aquarium are sharks and stingrays; guests have the privilege to observe these creatures first hand during any event held there. This double structure is connected by a 30 metre, transparent acrylic tunnel, thus facilitating a full view of submarine fauna. Likewise, the 585sqm interior area has an 80-seat capacity, or 150 for cocktail.

This hall is surrounded by two large panoramic aquaria, each measuring 24m long, which represent the ecosystem in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean sea.

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Activities Oriflame: working and playing hard in Valencia The Swedish multinational entrusted Eventísimo with the organisation of its event with 1,500 attendees from over 35 different nationalities. Attendees were accommodated in seven hotels in Valencia, all near to the City of Arts and Sciences for ease of transport.

The event took off with a Welcome Dinner in the Jardines del Turia park, where a recreation of Seville’s famous “Feria de Abril” was arranged in an area of 5,000sqm. There was even a scale model of the gateway to this popular fair made of wood and hundreds of light bulbs. Through the gate stood the various huts, and opposite the huts were four stages for performances: flamenco groups, traditional choirs and several Spanish dance shows.

There were also a variety of Spanish craft workshops for attendees to try their fan painting skills or go for a master class on flamenco taconeo and castanets. The caterers supplied some of the delicacies that are traditionally served at Andalusian fairs – as well as the more local paella, of course! There were horsemen offering horse rides and the ground was even laid with albero, the typical sandy earth that covers the floor in genuine Andalusian fairs.

Valencia’s events hall, known as the Palacio de Congresos Norman Foster, has hosted Country Meetings for salespeople.

The Business Conference was the main professional highlight of the event and was held at the Palau de les Arts in the City of Arts and Sciences. Its modern stage was equipped with 16 huge screens combining LED technology and projections.

As is usually the case at these events, the programme included leisure time combined with exercise. The wellness activity was held out of doors in the Jardines del Turia park, involving a mass Zumba lesson where exercise, music and entertainment joined forces to tone the body and relax the mind.

The icing on the cake was the Gala Dinner on the water at the City of Arts and Sciences. The stage was raised up over the South Lake, where the water features and lighting designed for the scene added to the spectacle. The night’s entertainment involved various ocean-themed shows. When the time came to announce the winner of the best salesperson award, three powered paragliders swooped through the sky with the winner’s name printed out. Showers of sparks rained down from the gliders’ feet. Meanwhile, the big screens over the lake showed live images of the winner.

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• Bike Tour along the Turia River: Valencia has a river that has been turned into a park. On bike, you can follow the river to its delta, where the City of Arts and Science is located.

• Citrus tasting: from orange picking to cocktail lessons, the groups were taught how to make the orange-juice-based Agua de Valencia cocktail or desserts using oranges, as this is the area’s typical fruit.

• Fallas Team: Dreams&Adventures offers visitors the chance to learn the art of building Fallas in workshops given by master falleros.

The aim is to build one of the traditional Valencian figures known as Ninots and to compete for it to be the only Ninot that does not get burnt to the ground on the great day of the Cremà. Out of all the teams taking part, only one Ninot can win and the choice will depend on the figure’s originality and quality • Paella Cooking Show in la Albufera: with a walk through a nature reserve, a visit to rice paddies and a class where participants learn how to make Valencia’s star dish—la paella—at a traditional Valencian house.

• Sampling Tour at the Central Market: one of the city’s most interesting culinary activities is a visit to the Central Market, where guests can experience a tasting of local products or a tour through the various stands.

Highlighted venues • The City of Arts and Science: it is the flagship of the city’s renovation. It includes auditoriums, an aquarium, and the Palace of Arts, all located along almost two kilometers, following the Turia Riverbed and with a 350,000 square meter surface area.

• The “Golden Triangle”: this area is made up of the central market, the Llotja de Mercaders and the church of Santos Juanes, and is one of the most beautiful areas of the city.

• The Valencia Conference Centre: designed by Norman Foster, it can host 4,000 guests, with 1,480 in the main hall. It is a “green star” of Spain, and was fitted with solar panels on its 8,200sqm roof in 2008.

• Feria Valencia: this trade show venue has expanded and offers 231,000sqm. It also features an impactful convention centre with a 5,000-person capacity.

• Tapineria Market: a creative marketplace in Valencia’s historic quarter covering 500sqm divided into two pedestrian squares, with three venues available for events and two gastro areas.

• De Wall: right in the historic quarter, by the Valldigna gateway (one of the doors through the Arabic walls), this Gothic construction has undergone a series of refurbishments but still preserves some of its original structural elements, with halls for 20 to 100 people, as well as a terrace area for hire.

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ZARAGOZA

Palacio de Congresos Auditorium

Logistics and location are two of Zaragoza’s key advantages, as a traditional crossroads between Madrid and Barcelona set against the spectacular backdrop of the Monegros desert. This provincial capital is the fifth largest city in Spain and is logically proud of its local traditions.

All this is complimented by the fact that this 2,000-year-old city has been coloured by nearly all the cultures that dominated the Iberian Peninsula over that period. Each one left its own unique mark on the city’s rich architecture and culture and has resulted in the perfect backdrop for the modern architecture of Expo 2008, located on the banks of the great Ebro River.

Interestingly in recent years, the city has set its sights on drawing in Chinese audiences by hosting a number of seminars and press trips and by teaching local hotels and venues how to adapt to their Asian guests’ requirements. With this in mind, it has organised conferences with 200 experts to discuss how to offer the best possible services for this target audience, as well as arranging a number of excursions to reach out to and attract this audience. Travel agency managers, Chinese embassy representatives and specialised journalists are among the guests who have been invited to discover the city’s appeal for the Chinese audience.

Congress city Zaragoza’s location and accessibility (on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed train line as well as its international airport) give it an edge for events. In 2015 Zaragoza hosted 462 events attended by over 104,000 delegates, leading to a financial impact of €42.5 million. Worthy of special mention are the medical events, with some of last years including: the SEMERGEN Congress, the 2nd International Congress of the Chapter on Endovascular Surgery and the 11th National Surgical Nursing Congress.

Others that come to Zaragoza every year are Expocanina and Congreso Web.

On-Road Experiences by Nissan to present the new NP 300 Navara For three weeks in February, the Japanese firm invited 1,000 employees from Nissan Iberia, sales reps from all over their commercial network and dealers. Dicom Events arranged the various events for the presentation. The agency transformed part of the Lolita Restaurant in La Almunia de Doña Godina into a designer loft recreating what the house of an owner of the NP300 Navara might look like. Three areas were designed: a living room, a garage and a dining room, each full of details to immerse guests in the essence of the brand. The loft combined work and leisure elements, just as the vehicle does. A large conference room (housing 160 people) completed the indoor area, where training lessons and workshops were imparted, and what better way to test attendees’ practical skills than with a 4x4 trail? By choosing Zaragoza, Nissan sought to pay tribute to an area that hosts one of the world’s most emblematic off-road races: Lower Aragon.

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The 39th edition of the International Agricultural Machinery Show took place in February at the fair ground. This was the most visited and most international edition yet, with 227,000 visitors from over 50 countries. The exhibition area covered more than 150,000sqm, including indoor halls, the outdoor area and the demonstration area, welcomed 1,357 exhibiting firms.

Highlighted venues

Activities

• The Pabellón Puente (Pavilion Bridge) links the whole Expo area with the Almozara. It will be used for exhibitions.

• The Spanish Pavilion, with a structure that looks like a forest, is sustainable and will be the future home of the national centre for climate change.

• The Aragon Pavilion resembles a wicker basket. This building created over three structural cores is now a ministry of the local government.

• The Expo Palace of Congresses has been naturally transformed into the Congress Hall of the city.

• The Torre del Agua (Water Tower), 76m high, channels the water of the Expo site, creating a circuit in which various activities can be performed. It will be used as a museum.

• The Zaragoza Aquarium has an auditorium for 120 people, an exhibition room and a terrace overlooking the Ebro River and the Pilar Basilica.

• Hotel Palafox has a business centre for up to 800 people, plus a conference room with 375 seats.

• Fine Wines and Vineyards: winery museum with place for 80 people.

• Plaza de Toros: one of the oldest in Spain. It has an adjacent building to the arena of about 475sqm and has capacity for more than 10,000 people.

• The Stone Monastery, with 12th century halls and garden areas.

The plenary hall, which was once the monks’ dining room, has room for over 150 people. Outdoor activities and a thermal spa are available. anuncio ingles 2016.pdf 1 23/3/16 11:25

• The Parque del Agua (Water Park) offers adventure sports: rafting, golf, bike and water-laser games.

• Enjoy the 5,000sqm of beach by the Ebro river, with silica sand, a swimming pool in the river and a 1,000sqm terrace for cocktails.

• A walk in the clouds: travel by cable car with a unique view over the Ebro river and the Expo. A Kodak moment…

• Running through the middle of the city is the Aguas Bravas canal, which can be used for rafting, kayaking, paddle surfing and hydrospeed racing.

• Sailing down the Ebro in a canoe or inflatable raft with EbroNautas. Up to 100 canoers at a time and 70 people on inflatable rafts, or as many as 150 in combined activities.

• Zaragoza Servicios organises team-building initiatives such as the Casino Gourmet, Crazy indoor/outdoor Olympics, themed murder mysteries and more.

The event recreates a casino with a variety of games tables: wine, cheese, ham, etc. Each player has their own games route and a bag of tokens for betting at the different tables, where their senses will be put to the test.

Every table has a gastro-croupier who will give a brief explanation of the products before the players taste them and make their bets as to the product’s origin, source and most distinctive traits.

Palacio de Congresos de Zaragoza �e best option.

Be Welcome!

Palacio de Congresos is located in the most emblematic and modern area in Zaragoza.

The city enjoys a strategic situation within the Peninsula, conveniently situated between Madrid and Barcelona.

The venue joins architectural design, funcionality and versatility, offering the possibility to hold both small and large-scale audience events.

www.palaciocongresoszaragoza.es

+ 34 976 976 441

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Balearic Islands Ibiza

You know if for its stardom, its excesses, its absolute glam, its status as the meeting point of the worldwide jet set in summer and where DJs make a name for themselves. No small feat for the small island…. Its chillout lounges by the sea and unrivalled nightlife are still its main attractions. But Ibiza also houses a number of fabulous venues for daytime events and has an increasingly longer season, which allows events to be held outside of the summer months. Ibiza is maturing and its appeal is growing, partly thanks to a rise in the number of flights and to the willingness of the local authorities to help organisers with the logistics, which includes cordoning off roadways for the island’s popular vehicle shows and so on. Not to mention the huge variety of hotels and restaurants.

And with its new congress centre (with a 437-seat auditorium and 14 halls), the destination is opening up to mid-sized congresses.

The Island offer a wide variety of activities for events For instance, Nautical Activities offers an interactive course on meteorology and radio communication at the Meteo & Radio station, followed by a trip out on a sailing boat.

Meanwhile, Ibiza Hippy Rally has visitors zooming around Ibiza’s hippiest locations in a vintage Citroen 2CV. Each team is kitted out with one of these two-horsepower vehicles, hippy outfits and a backpack full of gear, including a Nikon camera and a pedometer, ready to set out on the course and explore the island. At Ibiza Food & Cooking, visitors will learn how to cook up a traditional Borrida de Rajada, a very popular dish in Ibiza and Formentera, as well as concocting Mallorcan and Ibizan “herbes”, which is a spirit which contains up to thirty different herbs.

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Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza

Events venues • Sol Beach House Hotel: a new 4* by the Palacio de Congresos. The hotel features a large room with adjustable panels to create three separate halls for meetings with up to 110 people. The hotel also reveals certain touches and features of the Desigual brand, as well as two pools with Balinese beds.

• THB Los Molinos Hotel: just a few yards from the centre of Ibiza, with three meeting rooms for up to 140 people.

• Grand Palladium White Island: a new 5* on the beach of Playa d’en Bossa, with 600sqm of meeting rooms.

• La Torre del Canónigo: located in Dalt Vila, this 14th century tower was built on the walls of the old Roman acropolis and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From quad trails to limousine rides ITB DMC took a group from the Na Xamena Hotel to Sant Antoni, where a group quad bike outing awaited them in pairs. The two-hour tour showed riders around the more rustic and least known part of the island. The ride ended with a visit to the Las Dalias hippy market and a barbecue in a typical Ibizan mansion.

Another activity was drinks at the Cavalli restaurant that was hired just for them. Much to their surprise, they were then collected in Hummer limos with champagne and music on-board, and taken to the Lio Club. There, two photographers were waiting to dazzle them with photos as they climbed out of their vehicles in true paparazzi style.

One of the major new additions to the island is the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, which boasts four restaurants, a 600sqm conference hall and a terrace overlooking the sea. It is already positioned as a leading venue for events related to nightlife and music. It hosted for instance the IMS (International Music Summit).

Building on this success, some 500 people gathered at the hotel for the 2nd International Nightlife Congress, a forum of worldwide prestige involving experts in nightlife. The venue also hosted the first Golden Moon Awards for the best entertainment entrepreneurs and clubs, during which the Ushuaïa Beach Club was chosen as the world’s best club.

The event will be held on alternate years: even numbers in Las Vegas, odd numbers in Ibiza.

La5ª was in charge of setting the scene and coordinating the presentation of the new Seat. Over 180 attendees gathered on the island last June to find out all about the latest Seat Ibiza. The atmosphere conveyed the essence of the new model, where music played a star role – not just because of the choice of venue, but also in that an exclusive concert was given after dinner

by Deparamo on the Hard Rock stage.

The programme concluded the next day with a “relaxing session”, followed by lunch at the new Atzaró Beach Club.

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Es Revellar, a 600-year-old “art resort” estate spans over 76,000sqm, is a private art centre with a variety of exhibition spaces both in and out of doors.

The estate comprises twelve buildings, including a Romanesque cloister with a chapel and porticoed courtyard, a natural stone gallery, a Mediterranean garden and a palm tree oasis. The venue hosts events of all kinds, from banquets for 400 guests to meetings for 200 attendants.

Majorca When it comes to incentive trips, the island offers a vibrant selection of activities matched by its rich and vibrant variety of scenery.

This island combines charming cities, rugged mountains and beautiful beaches. All this is packed into a space where the longest trip in a straight line takes about an hour. With its new Exhibition & Conference Centre and new venues, Majorca has plenty of fresh options.

The biggest of the Balearic Islands may sound to you like a destination overrun with tourism.

There’s no denying that its airport (the third most important in Spain) is the gateway for more than 20 million travellers every year, happy to enjoy one of the most pleasant places in Europe.

But the island is large enough to surprise you with unexpected quiet places, both inland and on its stunning shores, and its increasingly offers of activities and venues for meetings.

Whatever way you’d like to experience Majorca, it’s an island with lots of personality, ancient history as well as its own language, cuisine and distinct identity. Majorca truly is a meeting point of cultures and civilisations.

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Majorca, kicking off the American Express Meetings & Events The kick-off was conceived as the “event for events organisers”. The programme was intended to showcase ideas for meeting planners to draw on for their projects, implementing Double Dutch technology to optimise the attendees’ experience, foster communication and make the event more interactive. Day one began with a kayak trip around the caves on the north of the island. Day two involved a team meeting and dinner at Casa Bellas.

A team-building activity on one of the days had attendees building water rafts out of wood, floats and ropes, which they then sailed on. To finish with, a chill out dinner was held on the beach with a fire poi show, where the dress code was everybody wearing white.

Travel Advisors experiences Majorca amongst friends The association of independent travel and MICE agencies gathers annually with its members and its providers, for a networking and educational event aptly called “friends’ gathering”, an interesting initiative of coopetition and of involvement of the providers as a key component for these agencies’ continued success. The latest edition took place in Majorca. The educational sessions were held in the elegant Baluard Museu d´Art Modern i Contemporani and the night dinner took place in the stunning Galdent venue, a cave now prepared to host events for up to 3,000 attendees. The event ended with a day of pure leisure “amongst friends”: 25 jeeps took them to experience the island, including the Calvià cathedral, an aperitive with traditional food in a hotel in the natural reserve of Puig de Galatzó, amongst others. They also learned to prepare the traditional herbal liquors from Majorca.

El Falcao for events This classic yacht was commissioned by the Belgian royal family and is now available for events organisers in Majorca, with its 30m in length and classic design. Built in 1967, the yacht was long considered one of the finest in the world, lavishly equipped and carefully designed for smooth sailing thanks to its Rolls Royce engines – so much so that you can actually leave a coin standing on its edge while the engines are running. There are four areas on-board with room for 50 people in total: the stern hall, the captain’s inner hall, the prow terrace with tables and sofas, and the flybridge terrace with tables, large sofas and chairs.

Activities • The agency iVents organises team building activities in jeeps or drop-top convertibles where guests can explore the most beautiful corners of the island.

• Board a private boat at the Port de Sóller and take your group to discover the hidden coves of the area.

• Majorca is also very attractive for equestrian tourism, a perfect option for nature lovers who want to enjoy beautiful rural and coastal environments on horseback.

• See craftsmen work in the Passeig de l’Artesanía de Palma in Sa Gerreria, one of Majorca’s oldest neighbourhoods.

The traditional handicrafts were recuperated from medieval trades and are now showcased in 15 workshops.

Menorca, Formentera Menorca created its own convention bureau and offers some interesting venues, such as the 19th century Fortalesa d’Isabel II and La Mola. Other options include Ses Pedreres de s’Hostal and Lítica, two old rock quarries converted into natural and cultural spaces that include impressive stone landscapes, labyrinths and gardens. And don’t forget the Cova d’en Xoroi, a discotheque-cave in Cala’n that literally hangs from a cliff.

And don’t forget Formentera, the smallest and quietest of the four.

This little island is perfect for exploring during a one-day cycling tour from Ibiza. Go Formentera offers activities to fully enjoy it: abseiling with speleology combining vertical descents down the Mola cliffs and the exploration of caves heard of in old legends.

After a group training in abseiling, climbing and speleology techniques, descend the vertical walls to move on into the caves.

Another option is to descend from a cliff in the Es Capa area to be “rescued” in the water by a sailboat where you can enjoy an appetizer and then discover the most beautiful spots along the coast while observing the sunset. To end the day, why not have dinner on the beach in Illetas with spectacular views and the sound of the waves in the back?

Ibiza

Formentera

Creative events

Event management

Incentives

Teambuilding

Designing experiences

Ibiza & Formentera creative emotions & unforgettable events

S P A I N F O R E Vwww.global-star-events.com ENTS 2016 69 info@global-star-events.com Ibiza, Ctra. Santa Eularia km 3,3, 07840 Santa Eularia del Río, Oficina:(+34) 971 338 137

CANARY ISLANDS Sipping cocktails atop Mount Teide under one of the world’s starriest skies, a spectacular aquarium as an events venue, or an ‘Indiana’ dinner out in the open air of La Palma – these are some of the treats that the Canary Islands have in store for visitors. The history of its seven islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) is alive with tales of aboriginal tribes, colonists, pirates and Christopher Columbus. They also boast fabulous venues, a wide range of accommodation options (it is also a tourism powerhouse), stunning landscapes and a network of roadways that make them the perfect setting for vehicle launches. Also noteworthy are the islands’ sustainable development strategies – El Hierro, for instance, is the world’s first 100% energy sustainable island. Only problem: the delicate situation in parts of the world makes these islands a really popular destination – getting the hotel for your group may be the toughest challenge in planning your event!

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria has seen the events market take off thanks to its great connections to Europe as well as other factors that give it an advantage: the maximum distance to travel never exceeds 80 km, meaning incentive trips can be organised to experience several climates from desert dunes to volcanic craters or even ice-covered peaks in just one day. An exceptional place for golf and nautical-based incentive trips, the climate has converted it into a top destination for winter meetings with sports and outdoor activities but also for congresses aiming to add a relaxed setting to the workdays. This island located just 200 km from Africa boasts three convention centres and unique venues such as the inside of a cave, colonial country estates surrounded by banana plantations or even the “Gabinete Literario” cultural building. Also worth taking advantage of is its rich past including aborigines, colonists, pirates and Columbus’ voyages, all of which provide for the organization of themed incentive trips.

One of the most noteworthy venues in Gran Canaria is the Poema del Mar Aquarium, one of Europe’s most impressive aquaria, housing 300 different species of animals. It also boasts beautiful gardens and several events areas.

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Activities • Look for a treasure in the Vegueta neighbourhood: Various teams will have to answer questions and meet challenges related to the city of Las Palmas, its monuments, its cuisine and its personalities. Oh, did we mention the thrill of finding a treasure?

• ‘Beach Olympics’ on the Maspalomas Dunes: A group of visitors from a Norwegian company came to spend five days in the Canaries in search of a whole host of outdoor activities. The location chosen by Ineventing was the stunning sand dunes of Maspalomas.

At the foot of the lighthouse, a series of team beach activities were arranged for the group. And you can even plan a (definitely) group meeting in this unique outdoor setting…

• Town to town: this adventure involves navigating a car through the island and trying to discover various checkpoints along the way, based on a scenario. At these locations, participants will discover various aspects of the island’s living history, including cultural heritage or local crafts. After the specific points are found, guests will have to complete a quiz about the island.

Alfredo Kraus Auditorium

Gran Canaria Absolute Meeting Organised by the island’s convention bureau, this annual event explores Gran Canaria thanks to a series of activities.

One is the ‘Maspalomas Circuit’, a group activity in which contestants face car-themed challenges such as changing a tyre and driving a race car around a track. Another is ‘Absolute sailing’, a regatta along the south coast of the island. Rounding off the event is a gastronomic workshop and, with wellness being all the rage, a meditation workshop.

4x4, archery, cycling… and even a Hollywood style gala!

This is the second year in a row that InSuite Eventos has organised this trip for a food company. Some 200 participants spent four days experiencing what the island has to offer.

They started with a Jeep Tour around the rocky landscapes and along the dizzying mountain roads inland. Many of the participants were surprised to discover Gran Canaria’s golden sand dunes. The team-building work continued with more activities such as archery, orientation games, memory tests, wood cutting, obstacle courses, hanging bridges, bike trails, and one added difficulty: some of the activities took place at night! After all the action, dinner was served in the breathtaking setting of the rocky Fataga ravine, with a traditional Canarian music group providing the ambience.

The following night involved an Oscar-style gala, where attendees lived the movie star experience. The dress code had attendees in their glad rags with a jolly 20s theme, and walking the red carpet to the lively sound of the jazz band. The winners of the team-building trials pulled up in classic cars to collect their prizes.

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Highlighted venues • Alfredo Kraus Auditorium: located in front of the capital city’s Las Canteras beach, it combines striking architecture and a great location to provide a unique coastal environment. The best: the backstage opens with a view to the sea, definitely a surprise in the middle of your meeting. It totals 25 meeting rooms with a capacity for more than 4,600 delegates.

• Gran Canaria Congress Centre: located in Las Palmas, it offers garden spaces and a diverse range of halls for events, totalling more than 7,500sqm.

• Maspalomas Congress Centre: a modern building in the south of the island, it offers 24 conference rooms with electronic screens and mobile stages.

• Hacienda de Anzo: this old colonial mansion is suitable for small events. The La Cueva room is located in a natural cave that has been adapted to accommodate 250 people.

• Expomeloneras: The venue for this event is located in Meloneras, in the south of Gran Canaria, with a surface area of 14,000sqm.

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Tenerife The island is linked to the outside world thanks to two international airports which fly direct from 157 airports in 27 different countries.The main historical attractions are concentrated in the north of the island and Santa Cruz welcomes a large number of the congresses to the island. It offers elegant hotels for groups such as the renovated Grand Mencey and event facilities with views of the city and sea in addition to the Tenerife Auditorium. Just a few km from Santa Cruz is La Laguna, the university and old quarter of which have been named World Heritage Sites, and somewhat further to the west is El Puerto de la Cruz which is the centre of the entire northern coast and generally of volcanic and black sand origins.

Touring Lanzarote CWT organised a journey for a group of 38 people to discover the island. The trip began with a visit to the Timanfaya volcano.

On the next day, the group was divided into teams of four people for the activity named “Northern Lanzarote at your own speed”.

The teams were given a kit bag (containing a road map, a digital camera, a map of the island, mineral water and other bits) and were put into cars to visit several points in the north of the island (Jameos del Agua, Mirador del Río and the César Manrique Foundation). Upon arrival at each point, a guide told them a bit about the area and each group was allowed to explore under their own steam.

And when you stay on an island, a water activity is a must.

At the marina, they were given a theory lesson on safety, manoeuvrability and wind patterns before setting out on a regatta aboard a J18 – easy to handle, docile and noble, yet at the same time thrilling in a competition.

The island’s must-sees? The Teide National Park and San Cristobal de La Laguna, not to mention sailing excursions and whale watching.

However, the true novelty is the chance to sip on a cocktail atop the summit of Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak. A stylish way to enjoy Tenerife’s two star attractions: stunning skies and volcanic landscapes.

The evening begins with a private group ascent up to Mount Teide’s highest station, where visitors can indulge in a glass of Canarian wine as they watch the red sunset bathe the volcanic landscape of the Teide National Park in a crimson glow. From that vantage point, the view spans the entire island and reaches all the way to La Gomera, La Palma, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. Following the magical sunset, the groups returns to the base station by cable car to savour a typical Canarian meal. Then, once night has fallen, they can choose to take part in a star-gazing experience. Expert guides unveil all the secrets of the sky and its constellations in a remote location free from light pollution, aided by professional telescopes.

Tenerife’s range of water activities is rich and varied: windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, sailing regattas and boat trips to the cliffs of Los Gigantes (towering 600m high), scuba diving lessons and underwater excursions.

Routes Africa Fair in Tenerife Tenerife plays host to Routes Africa 2016, which is considered one of the most important connection events worldwide, gathering the major international airline companies who have an interest in the African continent.

Beach & Surf; lifestyle events in Lanzarote The Israeli subsidiary of the Jameson whisky brand launched a campaign involving 120 owners of clubs, bars and nightclubs to portray the image of a lifestyle that is refreshing, youthful and carefree... And what way of life could be crazier and more beach-focussed than surfing? Ineventing organised the ‘J ameson Canary Islands Wave’ surfing championships. Catering stands were set up on the beach of Famara, together with entertainment shows, DJs, chill out areas, beach volley courts, bowling greens and more. Corporate branding was printed on wetsuits, towels, glasses, flags, cushions, etc. On day one, participants were given surf lessons, first on the beach and then in the water. The whole day was all about team-building, adrenaline and lots of fun. On day two, the best surfers in the group were chosen by their colleagues and the instructors to test their skills in the competition final. There was music to liven it up and four professionals on the jury.

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Highlighted venues • Bodegas Monje: In El Sauzal at 500m above sea level, this family-run winery has a group area with room for 100 people seated and an additional 50 for a cocktail reception.

• Gran Meliá Resort Palacio de Isora: A five-star hotel that has been awarded Best Resort in Spain in the Condé Nast Traveller awards in 2012.

• Finca La Gañania: this lovely rustic property has room for groups of up to 300 people, 30km from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its gardens offer views of the north coast of the island and the El Teide Volcano.

• Tenerife Auditorium “Adán Martín”: located in Santa Cruz, it is housed in an avant-garde building with a seating capacity of 1,600 people.

• Puerto de la Cruz Congress Centre, surrounded by 100,000sqm of subtropical gardens in Parque Taoro.

• Tenerife’s International Show and Convention Centre, in the island’s capital. The main hall is an open space covering 12,000sqm, and there is also a 3,800sqm hall, a function room for 334 people, and a series of smaller rooms.

• Gran Bahía del Duque Resort: This Victorian-style 5* hotel lies just minutes away from the El Bobo beach, with 356 rooms.

• A Hard Rock Hotel is set to open in late 2016 in the coastal area known as Costa de Adeje. Its halls can house up to 500 people, and the sky lounge on the 17th floor will make a wonderful cocktail venue overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

• ‘Indiana’ Meals. The Palma Princess Hotel which boasts 625 rooms and six conference halls – is famous for its ‘Indiana’-themed meals. Indiana is the name given to Spanish emigrants who set sail towards American lands in search for a better life and then returned with their riches. Visiting groups are donned with ‘Indiana’ hats and are welcomed to the sound of Cuban music and cocktails prior to enjoying a themed meal. To round off the evening, there will be cane rum and a fun fiesta.

The Hard Rock Hotel will have themed restaurants and an outdoor concert area for open-air musical experiences.

The Beach Club will be perfect for private gala dinners.

Activities • Dive into a micro marine reserve supported by the Sustainable Ocean Association and PADI’s Project Aware. There, visitors can experience the beauty of the seabeds and participate in conservation projects.

• Dreams & Adventures reveals all the thrills of the area surrounding the Güímar Pyramids by allowing visitors to explore the site in the way that Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl did, when he discovered that the early ancestors were already intercontinental travellers. Visiting groups will come across a series of items that will lead them to measure various constructions, compare figures and objects and ultimately come to a final conclusion that they will have to present to the rest of the group.

• Sky and Volcanos: Discover Experience offers guests the opportunity to enjoy a nocturnal hike to look at the night sky with professional telescopes.

• Bioclimatic lodging: the Renewable Energy Technology Institute offers 24 bioclimatic lodging units that are energy self-sufficient. Incentive trips can also be complimented by 100% organic catering or educational activities such as accompanying a fisherman in his daily catch.

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The World Wind Workshop in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery explores Fuerteventura El Hierro: the world’s first 100% energy-sufficient island The key ingredients here are wind and water. Thanks to the opening of the Gorona wind-water station, the island’s 100,000 inhabitants will be able to supply themselves with renewable energy. Environmental sustainability will reach its height in 2020, when all of the islands vehicles will be electric.

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An unconventional pharma event... Breaking the moulds, 25 plastic surgeons got stuck into a series of science sessions in the mornings, followed by kitesurfing activities in the afternoons, during a three-day experience in Fuerteventura organised by the EventSandMor agency. First up was the training part: each surgeon contributed by sharing personal experiences about the best and worst situations they face on a daily basis and how to deal with them. The sessions were unpretentious – the idea was not to impress with an array of audiovisual presentations, but to focus on the content. Next came the group activities and networking opportunities: a welcome cocktail, lunch, dinner and, of course, sports activities. The afternoons were all about kitesurfing. Beginners were introduced to the sport while the more experienced kitesurfers let themselves go and relaxed.

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Conventions don´t have to be conventional A business trip to Madrid seems less like hard work than most.

Sunny weather, conveniently located conference venues and gourmet lunches are just some of the bonuses for when you visit on business.

A er a busy day, Madrid’s famous museums and elegant stores are a great way to recharge before sampling the vibrant nightlife.

Relax over tapas in an outdoor café or dance until dawn. Whatever you do, Madrid is the business. info.mcb@esmadrid.com (+34) 91 758 55 28 www.esmadrid.com/mcb

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