THE UNIVERSITIES, CENTRES FOR CONGRESSES
Auditoriums, assembly halls, event rooms, vestibules… the universities are becoming increasingly committed to open their spaces beyond their academic community for the organisation of all kinds of events, such as courses, symposiums, congresses or conferences. This tendency, already with a major presence in the English-speaking market, is in constant growth in the state due the boost from the Association of University and University Foundation Conference Offices (OCUE), the network that aims to contribute to the establishment of universities as meeting places and for organising events. Its main goals are to give visibility and boost the academic reputation of the centres and make their assets profitable with added value. In this way the universities can offer, to whoever wants to hold an event in their centre, operating services and coordination of suppliers, consultancy and hiring of professionals in the organisation of conferences (OPC), among others. According to Maria Clarella, President of the OCUE, “Catalonia needs the universities because they are incubators of knowledge, and the universities need Catalonia due to its attractiveness as a destination”. It is thus very beneficial for Catalonia and for the academic community that the universities are centres that attract national and international talent in order to increase the scientific and economic impact.
For more information you can access the web of the OCUE at this link.
