Tourist Office of Spain presents at AIBTM 2013
New Virtual Event Center to be launched at conference
The Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago (TOS) will represent Spain at AIBTM 2013 www.aibtm.com, a major global exhibition for the meetings and and events industry, taking place June 11-13th at McCormick Place in Chicago. They will showcase the country as a convention destination through a pavilion with representatives from various parts of Spain and a number of presentations, including the official launch of a new service, the Spain Virtual Event Center.
Director Jorge Rubio Navarro, recentl y named to the Advisory Board of AIBTM, will present on a variety of meeting industry topics, including technology based marketing strategies, “Smart Food for Smart Meetings” with a special focus on Spanish cuisine for large groups, virtual events, content marketing and more.
During the content marketing presentation, Rubio will unveil the office's new Spain Virtual Event Center, an internet-based virtual office which visitors can access around the clock for real time information to plan business events, meetings, conferences, and incentive travel programs. The site features on-demand webcasts, photo galleries, video, and the ability to scroll through Spanish destinations and experiences as well as a convenient way to network with industry professionals, request information or chat in real time with the Tourist Office of Spain. The site was developed by a Madrid-based graphics company, IMASTE-On24, in cooperation with TOS Chicago personnel.
Meeting, convention and incentive travel is especially significant for Spain, where it represents 11% of foreign tourism dollars plus a direct impact on its convention cities of more than $5 million annually.
At the AIBTM Spain pavilion, TURESPAÑA, through the TOS Chicago, is joined by exhibitors from the Seville Convention Bureau, Cititravel Spain and Portugal, Andalucía, Costa del Sol Convention Bureau, Bilbao Tourism and Convention Bureau, Tenerife Convention Bureau, Feria Valencia Convention and Exhibition Center, and PARADORES of Spain. The Madrid and Barcelona Convention Bureaux will also participate in AIBTM with their own stands and co-exhibitors.
******
About the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago
The TOS Chicago is one of 33 worldwide offices of TURESPAÑA, Spain´s government tourism promotion authority based in Madrid, responsible for promoting Spain as a tourism destination to travel trade, press and consumers in the Midwest USA market.
Additionally, it is the branch office in the USA responsible for marketing the business, incentive and meeting tourism product. To that end, the TOS Chicago acts as a liaison between suppliers and DMCs in Spain and the buyer/planner in the USA. A full array of marketing activities are carried out throughout the year, including workshops, familiarization trips, participation in trade shows such as IMEX Las Vegas and AIBTM Chicago, and networking events such as Spain Meeting Point and Tenerife Experience in cooperation with MICE industry associations and CVBs in Spain, organization of the ConexiónSpain Virtual Trade Show, publishing of the MICE sector digital magazine, Meet in Spain www.meetinspainmagazine.com and active presence in their Spain Meeting & Events Community portal at i-meet.com/spain
To learn more about the TOS Chicago’s services and activities, visit our freshly-inaugurated Spain Virtual Event Center www.spainvirtualcenter.com
Patricia Winn
Press and Public Relations Manager
Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago
Email: patricia.wood@tourspain.es
Tags:
