Spain, a leader in corporate and MICE-themed events, has begun to suffer the devastating effects of the Covid-19 crisis. Ninety-five percent of the corporate events planned for 2020 have been cancelled due to preventive measures; and a few have been rescheduled for the last quarter of 2020 and early 2021.

Many Convention Bureaus have had to rethink their activity, given the impossibility of holding events; therefore, the main territories concerned have launched an initiative to make the process of selecting a venue easier. venue when the MICE industry becomes active again.

Thus, the Conventions Bureaus Spanish Convention Bureaus are working together to avoid further cancellations. The initiative is focused on making every effort to relocate, rather than cancel; encouraging the client along these lines. Therefore, they are monitoring all the main venues in the cities to gather as much information as possible in order to be able to advise organizers on issues of capacity, availability and characteristics of the venue. venue.

It must be taken into account that a postponement involves the availability of a series of elements such as venueshotels, suppliers, and complementary services, among others. For this reason it is very important to be extra cautious to avoid capacity or logistical problems.

Other actions being implemented in the Convention Bureaus are teleworking policies to avoid ERTES; the reconversion of some services, such as tourist informers, who are currently short of tourists, are specializing in government aid, to be able to transfer information and offer personal advice to each of their partners so that they know how to access them; and maintain contact with organizers, clients, partners, airlines, in order to reactivate the activity in the fastest and most efficient way.

Some agencies, DMCs, PCOs, hotels and venues are also joining the collaboration to avoid further cancellations, and are being flexible with postponement policies to avoid a reputational crisis, since the recovery of this sector is everyone's task. Therefore, destinations must be positive and take care of their clients, since crises are moments of opportunities, in which creativity is rewarded more than knowledge.

Finally, if as a country we are facing a health crisis, as a country we must also revive the MICE industry.