This Month we get to know better the Zaragoza Convention Bureau
What was your motivation to join ICCA?
Zaragoza Convention Bureau has based its Action & Marketing Plan 2024 on three main ideas, according to the strategic lines of the city and Zaragoza Tourism: more sustainability, more internationalization and more innovation. Within the promotion at international level, the incorporation to ICCA is essential to emphasize the promotion of Zaragoza in this area and make it a more recognized destination outside our borders, as well as to exchange impressions with other cities. Also to contribute our experience as host of important European and world events, since our city has the necessary infrastructure and services for any professional meeting, whatever their characteristics.
Tell us your story. How did Zaragoza Convention Bureau get started?
Zaragoza Convention Bureau was born in 1994, and in 2024 we will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Everything began to take shape in 1992, on December 3 of that year the Technical Conference on Congress Tourism was held, where what is now ZCB was conceived as a result of the interest that existed at the beginning of the 90’s in Zaragoza as a Congress destination. At that time there were no conference halls in the city and we currently have two.
What sets Zaragoza Convention Bureau apart?
Zaragoza is an unbeatable city of events both nationally and internationally for its excellent communications (just over 1h on AVE from Madrid and Barcelona), its two congress centers and many unique buildings, its excellent hotel offer and local cuisine, as well as the network of service companies that cover the precise services in any event. Our city is defined by its good location, heritage value, welcoming character, quality of life, competitive prices, inclusive and multicultural concept, safety, sustainability, sport and talent, and its main asset, its people.
As for Zaragoza Convention Bureau, it is an example of public-private collaboration. In addition, it has four pillars: ZCB Partners (companies directly related to the organization of events), ZCB Hosts (professionals who have organized congresses or meetings in the city), ZCB Corporate (companies not involved in organizing events) and ZCB Associative (associations, clusters, faculties, professional associations and scientific, research and subject-specific societies). ZCB Congress brings together more than 400 contacts between people and companies, to establish synergies and be a more united and stronger destination.
What is your favourite success story from your organisation?
Zaragoza Congresos has a wide menu of services for event organizers in the city, that includes a candidacy dossier and a powerful and visual presentation. But if anything has stood out is in the commitment to sustainability. Already in 2012, to commemorate his eighteen-year career, a very representative motto "Innovating in sustainability" was chosen and the image of a tree as the main element of the act. In addition, a Good Practice Manual was developed for actors involved in organising events. Later, the partner companies participated in the planting of a symbolic tree, which became forest a few months later.
In addition, Zaragoza Congresos became the first national convention bureau to implement the Eventsost KEY platform, a tool that allows to develop sustainability plans for applications and design customized sustainability strategies for the events of its partners according to sustainability criteria and with the greatest commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations.
What can we expect to see from Zaragoza Convention Bureau in the future?
Zaragoza Convention Bureau will work on three concepts: more innovation, more internationalization, and more sustainability. Around these three objectives will focus national and international promotion by 2024 in the MICE sector, aimed at boosting and increasing the number of events held in the city and trying to make them more sustainable. Zaragoza looks forward to the future, focused on the path of progress, economic development, and improvement of the quality of life, betting on new productive sectors linked to the circular economy, renewable energies and technological innovation.
Which trends do you see in the Association Meetings?
The sector is moving in shorter timeframes, so better responses need to be given in a shorter time. Therefore, we must be more agile, and we must work a lot on innovation, have a greater capacity to adapt and highlight those aspects that make us different.
What is an industry challenge your organisation is facing currently?
Respond to new trends with a high level of professionalism, continue working on the promotion of Zaragoza as a MICE destination, and achieve the maximum performance within our budget.