< PreviousUNWIND AFTER A BUSY DAY AT A CONFERENCE OR MEETING © Musette.Bike #PARTNERSHIP WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 20 DESTINATION BUSINESS TRAVELLERS ARE CYCLING ALONG ALGARVE’S SCENIC ROUTES Wellbeing is becoming a major concern for event attendees all over the world and cycling is, for many travellers, an everyday necessity. The region has almost perfect conditions for cycling enthusiasts, with its mild weather all year round, scenic and quiet roads and high‑quality local equipment providers, as well as an answer for all sorts of challenges. Visitors can choose between four difficulty levels and several kinds of cycling segments, including touring and BTT for all ages. Check them out here. Some pass along deserted beaches, and others take visitors to inner Algarve, a place less busy, but with many different landscapes to find, while pedalling. Algarve’s many routes are a great way to unwind after a busy day at a conference or meeting and local companies are already tapping into the potential of business travel for their activity. © Musette For Jerom Pannier, the owner and founder of Musette Bike and Algarve Cycling Holidays, the events and congress sector is old news. “We now have a large enough fleet to accommodate large groups with bicycles. We are also mobile enough to transport our bicycles to different hotels in the Algarve”, he stated. The company is used to working with large groups, putting together bike rides for a group of 150 people, recently. It typically offers self‑guided and guided bike tours for half or full days. Algarve Bike Holidays has also been profiting from the MICE sector boom. Account manager Kiki Batchelor says this type of clients has been looking for guided bike tours that last three or four hours. “We offer a wide variety of cycling holidays and have several agents in Europe and North America” that sell the company’s experiences, according to the manager. At Portugal A2Z the events and congresses sector still hasn’t gained much expression, but the company worked on “small bike rides” for some visitors, according to Luís Coelho, manager. Bikesul, on the other hand, has some experience in cycling as an activity that complements the MICE sector. Ricardo Rodrigues, managing partner, indicates that this segment accounts for 20% of the company’s business. Bikesul rents bikes for big sporting or other events and offers guided tours and various activities that include a bike ride. Some of these players have specific offers that fit the MICE sector’s demand. © A2Z #PARTNERSHIP WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 22 DESTINATION “We have a new concept, ‘The Bike & Dine’”, says Jerom Pannier, something to “combine the sport with amusement”. The company takes its clients on a “bike ride to a unique location where they get to indulge in a wine tasting with some flavours from the region (cheese table) or a BBQ, supported by a real chef”, according the owner of Musette Bike and Algarve Cycling Holidays. Pannier believes that “every manager nowadays has a very expensive bicycle in the garage and commutes or participates in large challenges in his spare time”, meaning that “race bike events for team building or congress activities are included”. For this biking businessman “inserting a nice cycling tour between discussions opens the lungs but also the mind for the next discussion”. Bikesul’s Ricardo Rodrigues believes the ultimate goal for cycling companies working in the business travel segment must be offering “a complemental experience to the event, that allows participants to have contact with cycling, work out and enjoy a fun and relaxing activity”, that also has the advantage of helping busy travellers and team building attendees get to know the region. For those who prefer to bring their own bikes, Faro airport has a bike station. Business travellers can also count on bike‑friendly hotels like Aldeia da Pedralva; Cabanas Park Resort; Golden Clube Cabanas, Real Bellavista Hotel & SPA; Monchique Resort & Spa; Casa Modesta; Praia Verde Boutique Hotel; The Prime Energize; Victoria Sport & Beach. More at Cycling & Walking Algarve © Musette.Bike CHRISTOPH TESSMAR “DIGITAL AND HYBRID ARE PLAYING AN ESSENTIAL ROLE” In a really troubled period of our lives, when everything is changing so quickly, we asked Christoph Tessmar, president of ICCA’s Iberian Chapter, for a short observation. How does he look at these times, when the event industry seemed set for a good year of work, and suddenly everything changed, because of covid‑19? WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 24 ASSOCIATIONS What is, or can be, the role of an association like ICCA during such a difficult time? First of all, associations have to be on the forefront to attend and help its members. A lot of presence is really necessary. The members have to feel that they are not alone during this crisis. I have to say that ICCA is doing very well in organising many meetings as well as educational and very informative webinars. Sharing experiences between our community was and is very helpful. Were your goals, as a board, changed by this new coronavirus situation? If yes, in what way? Our goals are not changing, but we have to recognise that we need to be more present. This is not an easy task, as we have to deal individually with our own problems. Nevertheless, we are committed to the chapter and our members. How do you comment the fact that in the most recent ICCA ranking there were three Iberian cities in the top 5? For me as the actual Iberian Chapter Chair and my entire Board it is a tremendous satisfaction to see that our Chapter is so relevant in our industry and that we have so strong destinations with such a great and professional performance. I want to point out the fact that Lisbon has achieved the 2 nd place for the first time. This is the result of hard work and excellent job done in the past years. Congratulations to my friends in Portugal. How do you see the “new normal” regarding events, after covid‑19? At the moment it is difficult to predict anything. It will sure take time to celebrate events face to face as we were used to. New aspects, like digital and hybrid are playing an essential role right now. Other elements like sustainability and security will be key for the future. In the meantime, we all have to learn on adapting us to this new situation. But I am really optimistic that we will go through this crisis and will be back with live events.ESPORTS TO PLAY A MORE PROMINENT ROLE NOW AND IN FUTURE OF MICE? Covid‑19 will reignite the many questions around the ‘risk vs. return‑on‑investment’ when hosting major sporting events and whether destinations will be reticent to bid in the future. WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 26 OPINION The eSports industry has seen stratospheric growth for more than a decade; moving from a peripheral niche player into the mainstream both as a sport broadcast on some sports channels to revenue forecasts expected to grow to $1.1bn this year. More and more destinations are looking to attract eSports/ gaming festivals and expos. If we take Canada as a case‑in‑point, having lagged behind Europe and Asia in their eSports development, they have made serious inroads to catch‑up. In August 2018, for the first time ever, the battle for the Aegis of Champions was waged on Canadian soil, as ‘The International Dota 2 Championships’ invited the world’s top Dota teams to face off at ‘Rogers Arena’ in Vancouver. A digital tech powerhouse and home to Canada’s digital technologies Supercluster, Vancouver is home to well‑known companies Electronic Arts (EA), Microsoft, Capcom, Nintendo, and Sony Pictures Imageworks. The summer Olympics in Tokyo announced a postponement until July 2021; the economic implications of which will be far reaching. Also with so many conventional sports using eSports as a platform to help raise funds to tackle covid‑19, may well act as a catalyst to further blur the lines between traditional and online or virtual sport – is it too far‑fetched to imagine competing against your sporting idol using the power of eSports in the future? Undoubtedly, the profile of eSports was already on an upward trajectory but the pandemic may will be a turning point in the eSports revolution. This industry provides some form of safety net, and a major new opportunity to help balance the books of major sporting festivals of the future; for the latter, the discussion has been on the table for a few years now. So much so, that eSports may well be on track to be included as a demonstration event, to run prior to and in conjunction with the 2024 Paris Olympics.DreamHack, the world’s largest digital festival, which features both professional competitions and interactive activities was held for the first time at the Vancouver Convention Centre (July 2019) and is scheduled to return for the second time in September 2020 within Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Without doubt, amid the chaos created by the current pandemic, the eSports industry will suffer like every other sector, however, by the very nature of their huge online communities, some aspects will remain unaffected. Indeed covid‑19 could be seen as a vehicle to get more entrants into the online sports sphere, with so many people isolated or quarantined at home. And therein lies the power of the eSports industry, the ability to reach outwards, engage with huge audiences at an accelerating rate whilst growing into new territories and all predominantly in cyberspace. So, if we really think ‘out‑of‑the‑box’, could eSports be the new ‘kid‑on‑the‑block’ to justify destination bids to host major events of the future? And could the impact of covid‑19 enhance the relationship between traditional and online sport? My thoughts are yes absolutely, based on the sectors innovative technology and truly global outreach to a young tech‑savvy audience able to engage from any location. So, in the rare circumstance a sporting event of the future has to be postponed or cancelled, there just might be a virtual interim solution. Attracting eSports events brings with it a very valuable ecosystem; many major sports teams and brands already have e‑gaming teams/ leagues or interact through sponsorship. In 2020, $822.4 million in revenues, or three quarters of the total (eSports global market) will come from media rights and sponsorship, according to a Newzoo market report. Also, the total eSports audience will see a year‑on‑year growth of +11.7%. Brands that have investment into eSports sponsorship include Pepsico, Anheuser Busch, Mastercard, and Louis Vuitton. WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 28 OPINION The world of football seems to be ahead of the eSports curve, largely related to EA’s FIFA franchise managing the flagship ‘eFIFA World Cup’ and associated tournaments, an investment into the sector stretching back to 2004. Nowadays, the likes of Manchester City, West Ham, FC Schalke, FC Copenhagen and FC Eindhoven are amongst many clubs with their own e‑teams competing in leagues and competitions. Destinations, global federations, clubs and brands are all identifying the potential of eSports to communicate with generation Y and Z. The average age of an eSports fan is 26 with the youngest proportion (85%) of fans under the age of 35. How might covid‑19 initiate new conversations within the sports tourism world? Whilst nothing can replace the ‘live’ spectacle of a major sporting festival like an Olympic Games, the eSports sector may hold several key advantages for all the many stakeholders. Firstly, this style of competition can be managed remotely, whilst still attracting huge online audiences worldwide. Secondly, if the event is postponed, it provides the host nation and federation a new interactive online platform to provide fans with a continuing narrative and engagement with the event; such as watching virtual competitions, exactly as Formula 1 is doing right now. Thirdly, and of critical importance, it can provide an outlet for sponsors and stakeholders to maintain awareness and engagement through the online channels and virtual competitions. The potential for events to add a specific eSport dimension, could become a requirement for major sports festival bids, especially if the legacy can continue to bring eSports fans to their region. What may sound far‑fetched, may already exist in some form and provide a blueprint for other destinations ‑ it was reported by siliconcanals. com, that the city of Eindhoven is the world’s first city to get an ‘Active eSports Arena’ for real virtual experiences with participants using their body as a controller – the clearest example of the crossover between eSports and traditional sports.Next >