Sardinia Lands in Barcelona Ready for a New MICE Future

The Italian region celebrated the exclusive SardegnaXperience after work event in an iconic modernist building in Barcelona to make its positioning clear to the IBTM public.

'Regione Sardegna' has put the icing on its participation in the IBTM fair with a networking event held at El Palauet Barcelona. The modernist building, an iconic place located in the very heart of the Catalan capital, has served as the stage for more than 70 representatives of institutions and companies linked to the MICE sector to meet with the purpose of building synergies and create new projects. The Italian Island, one of the places in Europe that best controlled the pandemic, is presented as an ideal territory for the development of all kinds of meetings and conventions. It also offers an idyllic climate and unbeatable gastronomy, which attendees have been able to taste thanks to the arts of Sardinian chef Pierluigi Fais.

Coming directly from Cagliari for the occasion, the manager of the Josto restaurant - designated as a future Michelin star - has been one of the fundamental pillars of SardegnaXperience, a sensory journey designed to bring the charms of the Sardinian traditions closer to the public in Barcelona. Along with gastronomic products of outstanding quality - cold cuts and cheeses or craft beers imported expressly for the occasion - the participants in the event have had the opportunity to taste two renowned brands of local gin - Gentù and Boigin -, various types of honey and receive, in addition, a hand treatment made with Conti Vecchi salts. And all this, while Daniela Biancu, from Can Sardi restaurant in Barcelona, prepared live in front of the surprised public the most typical type of stuffed pasta in Sardinia: the culurgione.

After this first part of the event, the moment has come for the institutional presentation of “Sardegna” as an ideal destination for MICE tourism. A speech full of ambition and not without pragmatism carried out by Giuseppe Calvis – deputy chief of the Sardinia Tourism Board – and conducted by the presenter, Livia Paretti, Inmedia’s partner. The autonomous region faces the return of congress tourism with optimism and desire that its rich nature, its beaches, and its mountains, once again become the scene of meetings and events that know how to combine work and leisure.

Despite the sanitary measures of the time in which we have had to live – including the requirement of the COVID passport at the entrance of the enclosure – the act has developed with total normality, serving to expose, in a more relaxed environment typical of the afterwork, the proposals that Regione Sardegna has presented this week at its IBTM stand. The region's willingness to differentiate itself from other proposals is confirmed by the fact that it participates in the fair with its own large stand, located next to that of the official body of tourism representation of Italy, the ENIT.

Furthermore, Sardinia can be seen as an “island – bubble”, where everyone who enters must follow strict sanitary controls that guarantee a stay free of surprises in the magnificent facilities that it has. Known for its beaches and secluded coves, as well as for the important network of trails and tracks suitable for mountain biking in the interior mountains, Sardinia is also one of the most culturally rich destinations in the Mediterranean, with a special emphasis on the Nuragic culture, a prehistoric civilization whose tower-shaped vestiges are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lively cultural life of the island, which includes internationally renowned jazz festivals, as well as its varied gastronomic offer, guarantees the necessary quality relaxation time after an intense day of work, a convention, or during an incentive trip.

To speak of Sardinia is to speak of a single island and, at the same time, of five different regions, perfectly communicated with other countries through three airports and four ports. For example, many Spanish airports, such as Barcelona or Valencia, have direct flights to Cagliari, the island's capital, and to Olbia, access point to the Costa Smeralda and the marine parks of Tavolara and La Maddalena. Sardinia's participation in the Barcelona fair has been a success, awakening the interest of a large number of people who have shown themselves willing to make the island the next place for their company convention.