City report
All hands on deck
FAMED FOR ITS NAUTICAL HISTORY, LISBON IS ALSO A CITY WITH A VARIED MICE OFFERING. CMW
CHARTS THE WATERS, EXPLORING THE DESTINATION’S LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
he Portuguese capital of
Lisbon is a city rich in
history, and the home of
some of the world’s most
famous naval explorers.
Five centuries later, it has also made a
name for itself as a European MICE hub,
with a number of unique venues and
spaces in which to host international
events.
One of the city’s most prominent new
developments is the expansion of the
Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB). The
CCB is a multi-purpose centre for the
arts, as well as a conference and
exhibitions hub. It has been the subject of
a series of renovations and expansions in
recent years.
CCB is currently in the planning
phase for the final part of its ambitious
development, which will add hotel and
retail spaces to the existing facilities. In
addition, the conference spaces recently
completed a series of renovations to
improve their accessibility, adding stair
lifts and obstacle-free access. These
coincided with a redesign of the interior
into a more modern style.
Further east along the city’s shoreline
is one of its most unique venues - the
Oceanário de Lisboa. This versatile
conference space - which was voted as
Tripadvisor’s Best Aquarium in the
World for the third time in 2018 - bills
itself as a “global beacon for ocean
conservation, culture and blue literacy.” It
features multiple meeting rooms with
waterfront views over the Tagus River,
as well as the Mar da Palha auditorium.
Alongside this, the venue offers business
travellers the opportunity for a dive,
guided by a marine educator. Here they
can learn about issues surrounding
conservation, and the natural habitats in
the area.
Lisbon’s Altice Arena is its largest
conference venue, able to host up to
20,000 visitors. Earlier this year, it
played host to the European Academy of
Allergy & Clinical Immunology
(EAACI) congress, which saw 8,600
delegates in attendance.
Felipa Terenas, from the venue’s
marketing and communication
department, says: “We are always
improving the arena’s conditions and
new products are being developed every
year.
Recently Altice Arena has launched
soundproof auditoriums that are
adaptable and easy to assemble. These
auditoriums were used in the EAACI
congress, and generated positive
feedback.”
Above:
The model
plans for the
expanded
CCB
Funder the sea
The Lisboa Convention Bureau
offers financial assistance to
international event organisers
looking to move their event to the
city. Applications can be submitted
for between €4,000 and €40,000 of
funding, if organisers can prove the
event has driven publicity of tourism
in Lisbon. More information can be
found at www.visitlisboa.com.
Left:
Aerial view
of the Altice
Arena
ISSUE 103
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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