Tourism. Yesmilano, the Convention Bureau of the City of Milan is born
Milan, 15 December 2020 – In a year marked by the pandemic, Milan responds with actions to support the relaunch of the destination for business tourism, presenting national and international operators with a project that the city has been waiting for and asking for for years: the city's official Convention Bureau.
The Convention Bureau is a tool of primary importance for all cities that aim to host events in the MICE world - Meetings incentives conferences exhibitions. Its main purpose is to promote the area as a destination for those who want to hold business events, conferences, corporate meetings, conventions, 'incentive' stays, associative and institutional events with a strong international appeal, and support for the entire production chain of events.
In a context in which a reduction in international visitors is expected by 26% in 2021, and 11% in 2022, compared to 2019 (source Oxford economics 2020), the promotion of the territory becomes central to coordinating efforts of all subjects, guide strategic choices and offer integrated services for access to the city. But it is also an opportunity to direct the positioning of the city, with the aim of welcoming sustainable tourism with a high spending capacity.
The main characteristic of a Convention Bureau is the ability to create a system, presenting the city as a unicum capable of offering 360-degree responses and services. Milano&partners, the city's promotion agency, in its first year of activity has gathered the interest and participation of the most important subjects in the tourism sector, such as SEA and Fondazione Fiera Milano, with the task of relaunching the territory in the world with the brand Yesmilano. In particular, Fiera Milano Congressi has decided to merge the Eventing structure into Milano&partners, which for twelve years has played the role of Convention Bureau for the territory, with the aim of creating a strong synergy with all the players in the supply chain and acting with an institutional role in favor of the territory.
Milan is preparing to host major events that will put the city under the world spotlight in the coming years, above all the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics. And it has demonstrated its ability to host major events that have left a positive mark in recent years, from the international convention of Lions up to top level sporting events such as the Champions League final, the ATP next gen tournament, but also conference events such as ERS and the World Congress of Dermatology. According to an estimate, the expenditure in the territory of each international visitor is equal to 346 euros for each day of stay (source ASERI, 2020).
With the tourism and events industry undergoing a global restructuring, Milan aims to consolidate its positioning in Europe as the main gateway to Italian lifestyle, as well as promoting a vision of sustainable and inclusive urban development. The goal is to bring Milan among the top ten cities of the ICCA ranking, the global ranking of cities that host MICE events, by 2023.
A further factor that has a significant impact on the MICE world is the exponential growth of digital events, which will continue to establish themselves and establish their own market share. Milan is laying important foundations to become a laboratory and a cutting-edge city in the European panorama, from investments in test cities for the development of 5G to fiber coverage of the entire city territory.
Milano&partners, the promotion agency of the City of Milan, is promoted by the Municipality of Milan and the Chamber of Commerce of Milan Monza Brianza Lodi together with SEA, Fondazione Fiera Milano, Fiera Milano Congressi, ATM, Pirelli, TIM, Borsa Italiana, Confcommercio Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza, Italian Investment Fund.
Updated: 22/03/2021