“The current exceptional circumstances call for exceptional initiatives”
The Valencia Conference Centre’s budget for 2021 will be €3,736,715, a figure which has been approved by the organisation’s Board of Directors. In addition, the Board has endorsed the venue’s Action Plan for the coming year.
In order to ensure safety at the venue, a specific COVID-19 action protocol was drawn up, enabling ten events to be staged during the pandemic. Recent events have included the congresses of the Spanish Manufacturers’ and Distributors’ Association, an organisation which has nearly 30,000 member companies. The Conference Centre has presented an ambitious action plan for the coming year, which will be conditioned by an exceptional year, and marked by the current economic and health situation.
Today, the Valencia Conference Centre’s Board of Directors has approved the Action Plan and budget for 2021. This roadmap is part of the new 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, which takes into account the current scenario and its possible evolution, but is based on the Centre’s mission and vision which firmly positions it as a reference venue in hosting international conferences and conventions whose aim is to further the economic development of Valencia.
The most salient objectives proposed in this strategy are mainly aimed at the sustainable increase of the volume of business and the maintenance of sustainable and efficient infrastructures, while also maximising the levels of satisfaction of customers. Accordingly, the Centre has mapped out various lines of action to strengthen its international business activities and to promote the use of cutting-edge technology to adapt to current trends and respond more swiftly to new challenges.
In addition, in its role as a venue that is committed to its environment, the Centre has proposed initiatives that contribute to improving the community and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most outstanding aspects of its in-house social commitment is the drafting and implementation of an Equality Plan. This Plan presents a set of measures to guarantee equal treatment and opportunities between women and men in all areas of the Centre.
In the words of Sylvia Andrés, the Centre’s Managing Director, “the current exceptional circumstances also call for exceptional initiatives, which is why we have drawn up an action plan that is more ambitious than ever. The strategy we have devised aims to continue promoting the Conference Centre as the economic driving force of our city, with a responsible management model that will help us to move forward and look to the future with optimism, within the framework of caution required by the current situation.”
About the Conference Centre’s business activities
At present, 66% of the events that were scheduled in the Centre’s portfolio for 2020 have been maintained, with most of them moving to 2021 or 2022.
In order to ensure safety at the venue, a specific COVID-19 action protocol was drawn up, taking into account the guidelines and recommendations of the main MICE associations and the health authorities. This has made it possible to successfully host 10 events during the pandemic, some of which were attended by up to 700 people. In addition, thanks to the venue’s cutting-edge technology, the range of services have been increased with the staging of hybrid events, which increase accessibility and facilitate participation. The excellent levels of satisfaction obtained by organisations such as AECOC, which recently held its 22nd Fruit and Vegetable Congress at the Centre, have led them to choose the venue once again to host the 35th AECOC Consumer Congress on 28th October.
