Interview Sònia Serracarbassa
“We are zooming into the future”
Sònia Serracarbassa, director Catalunya Convention Bureau: “Imagine European events as showcases of innovation, sustainability and inclusion. That’s our vision at BEFuture!” Foto: Catalunya Convention Bureau
Sònia Serracarbassa, director Catalunya Convention Bureau: “Imagine European events as showcases of innovation, sustainability and inclusion. That’s our vision at BEFuture!” Foto: Catalunya Convention Bureau
Sònia Serracarbassa is director of the Catalunya Convention Bureau and in the lead for the European project BEFuture. In the interview she speaks about the transformation of Europe’s business events sector and a new business model for events, plans for IMEX 2024 and an invitation for event professionals to join in.
tw tagungswirtschaft: BEFuture stands for Business Events Future. It is a project co-funded by the European Union. What is it about?
Sònia Serracarbassa: BEFuture aims to transform Europe’s business events sector. Our goal is to create a new business model that prioritises digitization, sustainability, inclusion and resilience. By co-designing solutions with the entire business events ecosystem, we aim to make a positive and enduring impact. Imagine European events as showcases of innovation, sustainability and inclusion. That’s the vision of BEFuture!
Why do we need this project?
In a rapidly changing world, the project zooms into the future and encourages the business-events industry to step up and reflect on the needs we have as a sector. We do this by offering spaces for idea creation and also by sharing best practices and providing funding for innovative solutions. This helps the whole BE industry to tackle future challenges with fresh eyes. By leveraging the Tourism Transition Pathways and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we strive to set global standards through co-creation workshops, innovation events and talent development initiatives.
BEFuture – Shaping the Future of Europe’s Business Events sector
BEFuture is a project co-funded by the European Union. It seeks to leverage talent, innovation and technology in support of the transformation of Europe’s MICE tourism sector into a regenerative, resilient and responsible industry. The project will engage the business events ecosystem to co-create a new business model: sustainable and inclusive business events with a positive impact. BEFuture will roll out an acceleration programme supporting at least 80 innovative projects from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Overall, the project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the European MICE sector. Is competitiveness particularly important now?
It depends on what we understand as competitiveness. There are currently world challenges that require collaboration rather than competition. We may need to move beyond a world where we see societal trends not just as a development we need to follow and compete to be the best at, but as a sign for our industry to be truly instrumental in solving current challenges. Societal trends such as digitization and climate change are challenges for our sector, but they are bigger challenges for the world. Values guide us and digitization helps us to achieve them. We identified five values that are key to our industry to remain competitive and master the future.
- Sustainability: minimizing environmental impact in the business events sector.
- Inclusion: creating events that embrace diversity, accessibility and human values.
- Innovation: exploring new technologies, strategies, and trends.
- Collaboration: thriving on open innovation and knowledge exchange.
- Resilience: commitment to a resilient and future-proof industry.
“There are currently world challenges that ask for collaboration rather than competition.”
Sònia Serracarbassa, director of the Catalunya Convention Bureau
The Catalunya Convention Bureau is committed to fostering innovation as well as sustainable and regenerative practices among business events professionals. How come?
As a national Convention Bureau we have the duty to help our sector to become ready for the future and adapt business models to new trends and needs – as other sectors have done too. Sustainability, innovation and digitization are not an option anymore, event professionals need to be aware of their importance and start adopting measures in their businesses. Catalonia is a leader in number of congresses, but we are making efforts to become a destination committed to the environment and promote positive social impact of business events in our territory and its people.
BEFuture is an initiative of the Catalan Tourist Board and the Catalunya Convention Bureau. How was the idea born?
We have a very important tech ecosystem due to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and other technological events. Related to that, we thought that this tech ecosystem should contribute to empower the business events industry to transition into a more sustainable and resilient industry. With this idea in mind, we started working on the project idea.
Then you transformed it into a project co-funded by the European Union?
Yes. My colleague Blanca Cros as head of the European Programmes department came up with the idea to turn it into a European project.
BEFuture is co-funded by the European Union with a budget of 4,175,429 euros. It is the largest EU project in the business events sector, isn’t it?
Yes, the largest in the EU as far as we know.
How did you generate interest in the business events sector in Brussels?
The project idea is good. It has all key elements to become interesting, not only for the European Commission but for potential partners. The EU was interested in BEFuture, because the project idea is solid and the consortium around it is strong and valuable.
The members of the consortium of the BEFuture project are from six European countries. Upper row from the left: Marta Rojas (BLink), Jordi Escribà (BLink), Gemmeke De Jongh (Toerisme Vlaanderen), Francesco Bianchi (Unimib), Philipp Weber (Tipik), Jochem Jansen (NHL Stenden/ETFI), Amber Herrewijn (NHL Stenden/ETFI), Sònia Serracarbassa (Catalan Tourism Board), Heliena Bregand (Linkeus), Marta Aldomà (BLink), Doreen Biskup (VDVO). Lower row from the left: Míriam Pijuan (Catalan Tourism Board), Cristina Bajet (Catalan Tourism Board), Blanca Cros (Catalan Tourism Board), Alessandro Capocchi (Unimib), Bernd Fritzges (VDVO). Photo: BEFuture
There are many EU funding programmes and business events are a cross-cutting issue; BEFuture is integrated within the framework of the tourism transition pathways, green and digital transitions and the SDGs programmes. How did you find the right programme?
You can find the right programme or adapt an idea to the programme offering. The European Projects and International Relations Unit of the Catalan Tourist Board is aware of different funding opportunities and we found that the idea would be suitable for the Sustainable growth and building resilience in tourism – empowering support to SMEs to carry out the twin transition (SMP-COSME-2022-TOURSME). We adapted the idea to fit the funding criteria and the partner’s capacities and expertise.
How did you apply successfully for such a large project?
With the project idea in mind and the funding opportunity identified, we started working on a proposal based on how innovation and technology might help the business events industry become more responsible and regenerative. The proposal should take into account the ecosystem surrounding business events, the identification of future trends, training and capacity building for the sector and finally funding for SMEs in order to implement such measures.
“Sustainability, innovation and digitization are not an option anymore, business events professionals need to be aware of their importance and start adopting measures in their businesses.”
Sònia Serracarbassa, director of the Catalunya Convention Bureau
It is a large project, coordinated by the Catalan Tourism Board. What does this mean for you?
This means for us to connect with different ecosystems such as sustainability and technology and resilience at local and international level: Lead the way of future exploration as a destination. Be a reference in terms of innovation and digital transformation as a destination. Provide support to the business events industry in the acceleration and transition of their businesses. Become a more conscious destination in terms of sustainability and resilience. Create an event industry with positive impact in the territory, its people and businesses.
That's a big task for a small team of four people – how do you manage it?
By fostering collective intelligence and working in a team and allocating the different tasks according to our expertise and experience. But especially, by working hand in hand with our consortium members, who come from different countries and do a great job. We are BEFuture coordinators, but the project is distributed in work packages coordinated by different partners. We have the chance to rely on a very proactive and professional consortium that takes the project very seriously and works hard to achieve the goals and milestones.
Your consortium members are from six European countries Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. How did you choose them?
We could say these are the countries with more expertise in the business events industry in Europe. What makes BEFuture unique is that the consortium is composed of a combination of convention bureaus, business support organisations, universities, and the communication agency Tipik in Belgium.
The partners of BEFuture
1. Destination Management Organisations:
a. Catalan Tourism Board – Catalunya Convention Bureau, Spain
b. Visit Flanders Convention Bureau, Belgium
2. Business Support Organisations:
a. BLink Barcelona Strategic Projects, Spain
b. Linkeus (Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Convention Bureau), France
c. Verband der Veranstaltungsorganisatoren (VDVO), Germany
3. Universities and Training Organisations:
a. NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (EFTI), The Netherlands
b. University Milano Bicocca, Italy
Can the other 21 countries of the European Union get involved?
They are involved via the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe where we are members and with whom we have a special relationship. We create a connection with other members through our LinkedIn account and our online platform: https://www.be-future.eu/
The project started in September 2023 and will end after 30 months in April 2026. Do you have a roadmap?
We have four goals and different activities to achieve them: Goal 1: Create and promote an open innovation MICE ecosystem. Goal 2: Identify and define new scenarios for the future of Europe’s business events. Goal 3: Build skills and capacity to support Europe’s next generational events. Goal 4: Accelerate the transformation of the European business events value chain.
The four goals of BEFuture
Goal 1: Create and promote an open innovation MICE ecosystem.
- Ongoing – development of Europe’s business events (BE) Strategic Stakeholder map
- Ongoing – creation of an Open Innovation European BE ecosystem
Goal 2: Identify and define new scenarios for the future of Europe’s business events.
- September – November 2023: Organisation of international multidisciplinary think tank workshops
- March 2024: Identification of state of the art and best practices in sustainability, digitization, legacy and innovation.
- September 2024: Publication of the white paper “New scenarios and business models for the future of business events”
Goal 3: Build skills and capacity to support Europe’s next generational events.
- 2024 – 2025: Implementation of a Talent Development Programme
- November 2024: Organisation of an international Innovation Forum and 5 local innovation hubs (Dates TBD)
Goal 4: Accelerate the transformation of the European business events value chain.
- November 2024 – November 2025: Launch and implementation of the BEFuture Acceleration Programme
- Funding of around 80 innovative projects with a budget of 20,000 to 30,000 euros each
You kicked off BEFuture project in September with a first workshop and held a second workshop in November during the trade show IBTM World 2023 in Barcelona. How was the reaction?
BEFuture has been very much appreciated by the European business events industry. We are working closely with the main industry associations. In the workshop, we worked on business events future scenarios. Each group had professionals from different countries and industries, including academics, business events professionals, sustainability experts, and tech professionals.
Join the workshops at IMEX 2024 in Frankfurt
Photo: BEFuture
- 14 May at 13:00 hrs “Futurize: Are You Ready to Confront Tomorrow's Uncertainties and Revolutionize your Business Model?”
- 15 May at 13:00 hrs “Unleashed: Igniting Revolutionary Ideas in Business events Future-Oriented Innovation Challenge”
- 16 May at 12:00 hrs “Demo Day: Best practice presentation”
Event professionals who would like to contribute, who do they turn to?
On our online platform, there is a section called BEFuture Ecosystem, there you can subscribe to our newsletter or ask to be part of the BEFuture strategic stakeholder map. We also have a Linkedin channel, where we publish all our news.
How do you ensure that outcome of BEFuture is not theoretical, but practical having an impact on the business events sector?
First, by inviting the whole business events ecosystem and other industries that might contribute to the transformation of our industry, nurturing the relationship with them and involving them in all BEFuture activities throughout the project. Second, by putting in place our acceleration programme and ensuring that the participating companies have the correct mentoring and follow-up to succeed the programme.