Conference & Meetings World Issue 103 | Page 49

Comment
Monaco: moving to new levels of sustainability
CMW UPDATES ON A NEW TEAM AT THE MONACO CONVENTION BUREAU
AND NEW PLANS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
eptember saw a shake up at
the Monaco Convention
Bureau (MCB). Following
the departure of Sandrine
Camia to become Deputy Director of
Monaco Tourist and Convention Authority
(DTC) and the retirement of Laurence
Papouchado, her deputy at the MCB, a new
duo is now responsible for coordinating
business tourism in the Principality.
The bureau is now headed by Christine
Barrabino, who joined from the
Principality’s main congress venue, the
Grimaldi Forum, where she had worked
since its opening in 2000. She will be
supported by her deputy, Sarah Rico, who
has worked at the MCB since 2004.
They inherit a good level of stock - 2,500
rooms and an eco-certified congress centre
to market.
Air links are typically less than two
hours from most major European cities and
Nice Côte d’Azur international airport is on
the doorstep.
Monaco hosts 500 business events a
year, including numerous congresses, and
is continuing to market itself not only as a
top-quality destination but as better value
for money than many would think.
The Principality of Monaco may be
compact, but it is growing with a new
offshore extension project, which will
expand the territory by six hectares in
2025.
The project includes the construction of
an eco-district, a harbour with pedestrian
quays, a green park, and a shaded passage
along the Japanese Garden, as well as an
extension to the Grimaldi Forum
convention centre, which will see its
exhibition capacity rise 50%. The new
extension will be accessible through an
independent outside entrance.
Grimaldi Forum has been ISO 14001
certified since 2008 and will install
photovoltaic panels on its rooftop this year.
Above:
New women at the
bureau: Sarah Rico
and Christine
Barrabino ©
Government
Communication
Department
– Manuel Vitali
necessarily know about this area in the
context of events.
“Presenting sustainability in a playful
and engaging way by using visual
storytelling helps to bring the message
across and make it more memorable. I
think that the question now is not whether
or not we need it, but ‘how?’, and for ‘how’,
more education and case studies are
necessary. This campaign shares tips for a
more sustainable lifestyle and event
practices.”
The MCB took its #BusinessIsGreen
digital campaign to IMEX Frankfurt 2019
and illustrated how its partners including
hotels, venues and Destination
Management Companies (DMCs) are
working collaboratively to implement,
communicate and design event
programmes that are environmentally
friendly.
Last year, over 50 sustainable events
took place in Monaco. Sabrina Caputo,
Commercial and Marketing Director at
Lafayette Group, says clients now request
green group activities, so her team has
designed programmes to meet the
increasing demand.
Working with Terre de Monaco, an
urban farm, one activity teaches
participants about garden spices and
unusual edible flowers, while more active
options include a Yoga Wellness package,
and there is also a tour of Monaco using
the Nosmoke (electric car) and E.solex
(electric bike).
In terms of numbers, the MICE
occupancy rate in Monaco in 2018 was
64.3%, with an average room rate of €333
per night in the 3–5-star hotel category.
Top MICE markets in Monaco are
predominantly European, including
increases from France with 14% and the
UK with a significant 60% increase. The
USA is also a top market, in particular for
incentives.
Additional actions to eliminate plastic, such
as straws, goblets, water bottles and
disposable crockery are currently being
implemented. A new event space, The
Terrace, will open next January. It will
have capacity to accommodate up to 800
attendees for a standing reception.
In 2018, Monaco became a member of
the Global Destination Sustainability
Index and was ranked 13th in the latest
report.
BroadGroup, organisers of Datacloud
Global Congress and Awards, will launch
its 2020 event at the Grimaldi Forum, 2-4
June, 2020.
And, for its 30th edition, major sports
business event Sportel returned to
Grimaldi Forum in October 2019, drawing
3,000 attendees from 78 countries.
Business is Green
Monaco has been repositioning itself as a
responsible and sustainably managed
destination and this is reinforced by MCB’s
‘Business is Green’ digital campaign. It
follows Prince Albert II’s roadmap to 2050,
which has given a target to all stakeholders
in the country of the Principality being
carbon neutral by that date.
MICE industry social influencer Irina
Graf has worked for MCB on the
campaign, and tells CMW that young
people who enter the industry don’t
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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