Colony gears up for conference custom

Market development by Brian Richards

Colony gears up for conference custom

New division targets business growth

With its hotel upgrading phase complete and the new ‘Meeting Place of Continents’ banner in place, Gibraltar is poised to make a big impression on the international conference market.

The hotel improvements, supported by £5 million worth of government loans, were finished earlier this year and the colony’s conference sector given a big push at the European Incentive and Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in Geneva in May.

Fully equipped conference halls are now in use in Gibraltar’s three leading hotels – the Rock, the Eliott and the Caleta.

But with the help of the new conference and incentive division of the Gibraltar Tourist Board (formerly the Gibraltar Conference Bureau) a variety of other venues exists for marketing activities. They include St Michael’s Cave on the Upper Rock; the open-air theatre in the Botanical Gardens; the Garrison Library; Gibraltar Finance Centre and the Mount, the former Royal Navy residence. Conference manager Tracey Poggio said: “Since becoming part of the tourist board, we’ve changed tack from a hands-on approach, where we organised the conferences, to more of a generic sell.

“We now have an in-house facility in London for product training and have a calendar of sessions to which we can invite agencies.”

Tourist board educational presentations on Gibraltar’s conference market are scheduled for October 25, January 24, April 25 and June 14 at the Gibraltar Tourist Board’s London office.

Poggio said: “The three main hotels have sunk a lot of resources into the conference market and now have their own UK sales teams, so there is no longer a need for us to organise events for them.”

Gibraltar hosted the Campaign for Real Travel Agents conference last summer, showcasing the Rock’s facilities to more than 100 independent UK retailers. It will be hard to progress much more though without a five-star property to attract high-yield business.

Poggio said: “A five-star hotel is very much needed. There would be no problem filling it and the hotel would complement our existing venues.”

Meanwhile, marketing initiatives will focus on attracting conference business in January and February, traditionally quiet months for Gibraltar’s hotels, while developing spring and autumn business.

Looking up: Gibraltar is seeking a five-star property to help drive the conference and incentive market forward

The Caleta: the property has added conference halls

factfile

the rock

getting there: GB Airways operates daily from Gatwick (twice daily on Saturdays); Monarch flies daily from Luton.

Time difference: GMT +1 hour.

climate: Gibraltar has an average 320 days of sunshine annually. Average temperature ranges from 15C in January to 29C in August.

cost of living: cheaper than the UK. Sample prices include a tourist meal at £5-£7 a head, a good meal of local cuisine at £15 a head and a bottle of good wine at £7.

language: English, though Gibraltarians are bilingual in English and Spanish.

Food: a mix of English, Spanish and Mediterranean. A Gibraltar popular dish is torta de aserga (spinach pie) made from eggs, spinach, cheese, garlic,breadcrumbs and pastry.

currency: sterling, though Spanish pesetas are widely accepted.

sample product: Cadogan offers a Gibraltar/Tangier twin centre, with four nights at Bristol in Gibraltar plus three nights in the five-star El Minzah in Tangier, from £496 with transfers.