Catalunya Meetings & Mobility is the new project promoted by the Catalunya Convention Bureau (CCB), in collaboration with Catalonia Trade & Investment and the support of the Public Office for the Transformation of the Mobility and Automotive Industry.

The aim of this new programme is to promote Catalonia in attracting professional events linked to the automotive and mobility industries to generate a positive socio-economic impact in the country, strengthening the tourism and mobility industries and boosting their growth and transformation.

During the presentation, Albert Castellanos Maduell, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia, highlighted the cross-cutting nature of the project for its symbiosis between MICE and mobility, and for being an example of innovation in terms of public-private collaboration. Likewise, he highlighted “the intention of this Government to innovate and generate a future socio-economic impact by strengthening the country’s industry through disruptive strategies”. The Secretary of Business and Competitiveness also assured that “with this programme, we want to strengthen two powerful economic industries in Catalonia by generating new business opportunities, increasing investments, improving their international positioning and driving their transformation.”

The project responds to the tourism marketing strategy segmented by different industries. With the focus on mobility, the Catalunya Convention Bureau is starting to pursue a more efficient and results-oriented marketing strategy with the aim of improving competitiveness as a destination by taking advantage of the country’s differentiated economic activity.

With Catalunya Meetings & Mobility, the Government of Catalonia seeks to improve its ability to draw in events with a positive impact that are levers for attracting foreign investment projects; strengthen collaborations with companies and external agents to accelerate the transformation of the automotive industry; contribute to a more sustainable tourism with greater added value; and generate more business for the industries involved.

Currently, the plan of action is in the implementation phase and consists of: specific marketing campaigns, presence at sector events, creation of its own promotional material, agenda of its own promotional actions in international markets, promotion of existing events in Catalonia and identification and capture of third-party events.

Catalonia, driver of mobility and MICE

The Catalan tourism industry represents 12% of the region’s GDP and 14% of Social Security affiliations. Specifically, in the field of meeting tourism, thanks to the existence of different competition circuits, test tracks and facilities for high-level connected and autonomous vehicles, Catalonia is one of the world’s leading destinations in capturing professional events related to the mobility industry. And the fact is that the automotive industry is Catalonia’s second largest industry, with companies from the entire mobility value chain and an industry support ecosystem made up of engineering and service companies, technology and R&D centres, clusters, trade fairs, support entities, universities and training centres.

Regarding the field of conventions, meetings and events, Catalonia has ideal conditions for hosting events focused on innovation and the generation of new businesses surrounding mobility, as well as other matters of great interest regarding the connected and autonomous car and the future of an industry with new challenges and needs. The quality and variety of its meeting spaces stands out, due to its extensive experience in organising large international events, as well as the existence of a vibrant ecosystem in the industry where innovative visions are fostered that are already projected in the mobility of the future.