Financed 30% by private funds and 70% by regional public funds, it is an example of mixed public-private partnerships which is unique in Italy as yet. It was founded by consortia UmbriaSì (made up by Confcommercio and Federalberghi Perugia) and Umbria Export (Confindustria), and represents the totality of the local MICE industry. Strong expansion plans in the short and medium term.
Breaking news from the meetings industry of Umbria – the green heart of Italy – and from the entire Italian Mice industry as well: the Umbria Convention Bureau is born. It is now configured as a private consortium named Umbria Congressi, but in a few months, through agreements with public institutions, it will even formally assume the format of a Convention Bureau.
Founding members are two consortia: UmbriaSì (established fifty-fifty by Confcommercio – the Italian traders’ association – and Federalberghi Perugia, the local association of hotel owners), improving the image of the area and enhancing the incoming, and Umbria Export (by Confindustria, the Italian industrials’ federation), whose core business is the study of personalized services for regional companies planning to root in foreign markets.
Umbria Congressi is a mixed public-private partnership. It raises its funds 30% from privates and 70% from the Regional government within the national funding programme for underdeveloped areas.
Twenty-five structures adhere to it, detailed as follows: 19 accommodation facilities including hotels and resorts, four Professional congress organizers, one travel agency and one catering company.
The bureau is directed by a five-year lasting board, which is chaired by the hotelier Valeria Guarducci. It also includes, as Vice-President, the hotelier Giampiero Bianconi, and as members the congress organizers Maria Luisa Basili and Maria Pantini, as well as the hotelier Fabio Tulli. Destination manager is Elena Ronconi.
Here follows a statement of the President about the short and medium term objectives of the newborn Umbria Congressi: «Our consortium was founded both to promote the maximum integration of the meeting industry in our territory, in line with what the founders already do in the leisure segment, and to communicate to the Italian and the international demand for congresses that Umbria is the ideal location for any kind of events. It is a small but beautiful region, full of means for many types of trips (religious as well as artistic, farm or mountain holidays), and is perfect for team-building activities and outdoor incentives. The prejudice according to which it has little to do with business tourism is thus just a prejudice».
«In the medium term we also have the goal and the will to turn even formally out to be a Convention Bureau, which practically we already are, thanks both to the suppliers’ chain represented by the two founding members and to the wide coverage that we guarantee to every area of the territory. The contacts with the public agencies (regional and municipal government) are in progress. In the upcoming months we feel confident to be able to sign an agreement with them».
«Umbria can easily accommodate high-level events, just like the other Italian regions, with the plus of extremely competitive prices. Some of our members offer congress halls for 600-700 people, not to mention the great historical dwellings for which we are justly famous, which, equipped with the latest technology, can easily host hundreds of delegates in a fascinating juxtaposition of ancient and new.
We are working with the airport of Perugia and with the national railways to further facilitate the accesses both from Italy and from every part of Europe. In the meanwhile we are creating more and more relationships between the players in the area, thus setting a really complete industry chain. We have strong support from all sides, and I would like to quote the Mantignana’s Bank of Cooperative Credit, which gave a meaningful contribution, symbolizing the trust we enjoy from large sections of the local entrepreneurship. We couldn’t have dreamt a better start-up».
