We are delighted to welcome Cyril Brid, Head of Tourism Marketing for the Alsace Tourist Board, to discuss Meet in Alsace’s mission statement on the blog!
Hello Cyril, how would you describe Meet in Alsace and its goal?
Hello! Meet in Alsace is a brand or “signature” shared by the Convention Bureaus in Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse.
The aim is for these three structures to work together on Alsace’s profile as a business tourism area. In this sector, the choice of destination is often based on a town yet Meet in Alsace provides a group offer to showcase the entire Alsace region as a destination. The Alsace Region has signed a destination contract with Atout France (the French Tourism Development Agency) which is also part of the plan to promote Alsace as a land of excellence in business tourism.
Meet in Alsace hopes to show its prospects and clients that although Alsace may be small, it has the potential to be a major destination for corporate events organisation.
How does Meet in Alsace work?
Meet in Alsace works mainly in France and a little in Germany within a 300-500km radius of Alsace. Attending fairs and workshops enables us to meet business tourism professionals (Imex in Frankfurt, Réunir in Paris etc.).
Other activities include creating materials and developing the online advertising plan to showcase what Meet in Alsace is all about.
Meet in Alsace also organises special projects to welcome corporate events organisers and introduce them to the region’s assets.
What are the roles of the different convention bureaus?
Each convention bureau has its own role and contributes to the project. Basically, Strasbourg is in charge of attending fairs on behalf of Meet in Alsace, Mulhouse handles online advertising and Colmar deals with marketing material and welcomes famtrips. And my role is to coordinate all that!
How do you see business tourism?
I’d say that it’s a sector in which clients have a high demand for quality. Not only do they expect fully equipped infrastructures but also cutting edge services and tailor-made support to ensure the experience runs smoothly. It’s also a competitive sector, a battle for quality. It’s a bit like in the leisure tourism sector but with a greater focus on a successful approach.
Last but not least, what is Alsace’s appeal?
Alsace is a region in which leisure tourism is already established. As the figures have already been united and the three convention bureaus are well-structured, it’s easy to extend measures which already exist in the sector to business tourism. Alsace is also a small region: the journey from Colmar
