experienced the soul of a destination and gastronomy is the ‘ best ambassador ’ for this . But why is this important to event organisers ?

While it is an imperative for destinations to have state of the art infrastructure for conferences and business events , organisers must increasingly look beyond this when planning international events . With the pandemic related challenges of international travel and the increasing considerations of climate change , businesses need to see the true value of sending delegates across the globe to attend events in-person . Thus , it is becoming ever more important for MICE destinations to provide delegates with experiences where the region will be remembered for much more than its meetings facilities or hotels .

From Bruges to Tunis In recent weeks I have visited two locations , contrasting in culture , but equally bubbling over in gastronomic identity .

During my visit to Bruges , Belgium , I was immersed in the heritage of culinary craftmanship , with fine dining a plenty , and , of course , no shortage in supply of quality Belgium beer and chocolates .

I then spent some time exploring Tunisia , the southern gateway to the Mediterranean . There I was able to connect with the country ’ s identity of fresh food and again witnessed first-hand the potential gastronomy has to expand the appeal and development of the country ’ s MICE industry .

Both destinations were able to leverage gastronomy to form Unique Selling Points ( USPs ) for MICE events taking place there .

Bruges is a perfect example of how a destination can leverage its gastronomic identity to make it stand out on the meetings menu from the competition . Peter de Wilde , CEO of Visit Flanders , stated at the UNWTO Gastronomy Forum that if “ local

industry disappears , you have an experience that can be found anywhere in the world .” This loss of uniqueness can be detrimental to the prosperity of a MICE location and underlines the importance of local industry in creating authentic experiences . For Bruges , gastronomy is at the heart of this authenticity .

Bruges ’ USP within gastronomy is centred around craftmanship . At the Bruges Beer Experience I was treated to a beer and chocolate tasting session , where manager Lars Pillen explained how these tasting mixes epitomise the city ’ s culture of craftmanship : “ In making these combinations we have always stepped off the common road and tried to look at things from a new / different angle . Sometimes the result is a success , sometimes it ’ s a miss . But in doing so we have made great , unique combinations that have raised the bar on the food-beer pairing front .” It doesn ’ t matter if the ingredients originate from the region , it ’ s artisans that can craft them with expertise to enhance the end product which is important for Bruges .

This craftmanship is indicative of

Above : Bruges Beer

Experience

Bruges ’ ability to offer delegates much more than just meetings facilities - although there are plenty of those with over 100 hotels , a 1,250-seat concert hall , and a new Meetings & Convention Centre which opens February 2022 . Such facilities provide the foundation to Bruges ’ appeal as a MICE destination , while gastronomy adds another layer that distinguishes it from similar locations . Delegates at the UNWTO Gastronomy Forum , I noticed , did not slip back into their rooms when the day was finished but were eagerly looking forward to experiencing more of the city ’ s restaurants and bars .

Jasmine Kestens , sales manager at Visit Bruges Convention Bureau , says : “ We ’ re all humans and , of course , after a day of being at a conference it ’ s really nice to have a lovely experience , where you can eat and drink .” This not only adds personal value to a delegate ’ s trip but encourages those meaningful knowledge exchanges and networking opportunities that happen during conferences and meetings and which we treasure all the more so following the experiences of lockdown . Thus , gastronomy is far from just a tourist