THREE BIG TRENDS IN EVENTS 10,00 € MAY 2020 » OCT 2020 BIANNUAL NUMBER 17 YEAR X IS THE METAVERSE THE FUTURE OF EVENTS? MOVIES AND EVENTS COMING TOGETHER IN THE ALGARVEOWNER Estação Livre, Comunicação Porto | Portugal Phone: +351 221 113 202 | info@eventpointinternational.com www.eventpointinternational.com DIRECTOR Rui Ochôa [rui@eventpointinternational.com] EDITOR‑IN‑CHIEF Cláudia Coutinho de Sousa [claudia@eventpointinternational.com] NEWSROOM Cláudia Coutinho de Sousa Maria João Leite [mj@eventpointinternational.com] Alexandra Noronha Olga Teixeira INTERNATIONAL MICE CORRESPONDENTS Ramy Salameh, Rose de Almeida TRANSLATION Diana Reis Marques DIRECTOR OF SALES Filipe Silva [info@eventpointinternational.com] ASSISTANT Rita Costa COOPERATING WITH THIS EDITION Ana Torres, Harry Prince, Nuno Araújo e Sven Bossu DESIGN Norma Design [info@normadesign.com] COVER PHOTO Julien Tromeur, Pixabay PHOTOS Minifoto LEGAL DEPOSIT NUMBER 358113/13 FREQUENCY Biannual It is strictly forbidden to partially or completely reproduce texts or illustrations by Event Point. Information in the ads are the sole responsability of the advertisers. Consequently, we can not be held responsible for any incorrect information shown. 06 MOVIES AND EVENTS COMING TOGETHER IN THE ALGARVE 12 Companies: Btrust 14 Interview: Małgorzata Przygórska-Skowron 20 3 issues with virtual & hybrid events that the metaverse could solve, by Harry Prince 24 Report: ICCA Iberian family and the “wonderful experience” of Gijón 28 Report: ITB India 32 Connecting the dots 2.0, by Sven Bossu 36 RADAR: METAVERSE 42 What’s new in Lisboa? 44 About the fear of dying, by Ana Torres 48 Porto hosts M&I Flagship Forum 50 THREE BIG TRENDS IN EVENTS, BY NUNO ARAÚJO 52 Interview: Teresa Broccoli 56 Companies index DATASHEET CONTENTS TABLE STAFF FOR EVENTS WORLDWIDE we bring sustainability goals to the events Portugal • Spain • France • Germany • Brazil vip@btrust.pt • btrust.ptHANDS FULL It only takes a quick stroll in Porto or Lisbon to see that tourism is back. The cities are again full of life, of different people, of movement and entertainment. In the event’s sector the same is happening. We’ve spoken to local companies, and they’ve tell us that their hands are full. Apparently, these events have the same features as the pre‑pandemic ones. It seems like nothing has changed, and yet we have lived through a very impactful period in history. That make us wonder about the future of online and hybrid events. Will the metaverse be the future for that kind of event? Cláudia Coutinho de Sousa Rui Ochôa The Iberian Chapters of ICCA and the MPI had an important role to play in these last few years. We travelled to Gijón for the ICCA’s annual meeting and got excited with the event’s format. Learning from peers is always very effective. And we’ve caught up with Teresa Broccoli, MPI’s Iberian Chapter president, to understand the next steps of the association in the Peninsula. There is so much more to read in this edition. Hope you like it. WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 5 EDITORIAL LOULÉ FILM OFFICE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS STRATEGY WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 6 DESTINATION with the movie business that brings about a whole ecosystem, with a lot of room to grow”, he says. Manuel Baptista believes that movie productions generate recognition and a direct financial return for the economy, namely in hotels, restaurants, car leases and other activities, underlining the importance of having a good offer in the hospitality segment. The Film Officer remembers that Loulé has already seen the results in tourism at TV filming locations, and states that, with the pandemic subsiding, some work done in 2019 can finally reach viewers. “Above all, it’s a type of tourism that brings a whole new perspective”, he states, saying that there are opportunities that can arise from that. MOVIES AND EVENTS COMING TOGETHER IN THE ALGARVE Movies can mean big business for the locations picked by productions for filming, with large groups travelling, staying over, using infrastructure and local resources to get the job done. In Algarve, Loulé is at the forefront of this movement, with the support of local authorities, and Loulé Film office is the perfect example of this strategy. The use of a location in cinema, TV, advertising and photography is already contributing to “get off-season tourism” to the Algarve, according to Manuel Baptista, Film Officer at this bureau. “The more recognition a destination achieves, the easier it attracts tourism and events from all sectors. There’s a glamour associated “We want producers and creators to visit us. Just sending pictures is not enough, they have to come and see for themselves”, says Manuel Baptista. Technology also has to be factored in, when working in an industry that heavily relies in special effects. “The movie ‘The Infernal Machine’, produced by Paramount Pictures and shot here last year, was only brought to the region after a personal contact with the director”, he states, adding that there was a “close interaction” in the research for filming locations using virtual reality. This endeavour is already paying off, with the support of Loulé Film Office. “The private company MovieBox is pushing forward with a movie studio in an old factory”, reveals Manuel Baptista. Loulé Film Office is already engaged in several events in the movie business, with, for example, the creation of Monstrare, a showing directed at social cinema that has joined up with the Cinetendinha Awards, giving way to the Algarve Film Week. “You have to bear in mind the sheer weight of the industry when you think of a movie event. Big international festivals are not only about the film itself, but are associated to professional, distribution and co-production events. It’s the business side of cinema that gives the festival its consistency. Loulé and the Algarve have some room to work this side of the industry”, states Manuel Baptista. WWW.EVENTPOINTINTERNATIONAL.COM 8 DESTINATION A booming business for companies Companies are aware of the region’s attractions. Sarah Young, from Spy Manor Productions, explained how the Algarve is sold as a potential movie destination. “For us, it’s the location, local talent, financial incentives and that English is widely spoken. These points are invaluable when attracting foreign productions to the Algarve”, she states. “We work closely with the Loulé Film Office, Portugal Film Commission, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, Algarve Tourism Bureau and Turismo de Portugal in Lisbon. We also have a good relationship with the local authorities in Lagoa, with Luís Encarnação and his team”, she says, adding that the company has both national and international clients.Next >