Piceno Congressi, sponsored by the Ascoli Piceno Cassa di Risparmio Foundation, provides creative and competent planning for the multi–faceted social and economic development of the Piceno region by coordinating specific initiatives among the various and diverse entities operating in the area to effect lasting added value. The Piceno Eventi Cultural Association presents “Piceno Congress—How to promote events tourism in the province of Ascoli Piceno”, a new project featuring plans financed by the Carisap Foundation for “Promoting the Piceno” (Pluriennial Plan 2006/2007 – “The Arts, Activites, and Cultural Heritage”).
The Piceno Congressi marketing plan is based on data furnished by the Italian Congress Observatory in 2006. Its goals are to:

• Appreciate and develop the territory’s artistic, cultural, enogastronomic, landscape, and environmental qualities;
• Stimulate and promote the region’s tourist itineraries through a re–evaluation of what the area has to offer;
• Stimulate year–long tourism by promoting events and trips linked to the cities rich in art.

To achieve these diverse but closely related goals, we will participate in:

1. Outdoor initiatives (to acquaint foreign operators within the sector with the area as ideal for events):
   • the IMEX World Wide Exhibition (April, 2007, Frankfurt), an ideal venue to meet with international meeting planners and buyers;
   • the BTC International (Borsa Internazionale del Sistema (November, 2007, Rome).


2. Indoor initiatives (for domestic buyers, press and media) to extend on behalf of Piceno Congressi select invitations to visit and get to know the Piceno via
   • a 3-day Press tour and road show (March 30 – April 1, 2007) for MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Congress, Exhibition) to acquaint them with the territory&rsquote;s many desireable artistic, cultural, enogastronomic, landscape, and environmental qualities, appreciably improving local economic development by demonstrating how the area&rsquote;s cultural and environmental heritage can, through congress tourism, generate further benefits
   • an Educ–business tour to take place during the second half of May following the IMEX fair. Participants for this organized tour will be selected from the national and international corporate Meeting Planners we will meet personally during Outdoor events mentioned above. The Educ–business tour will highlight Piceno venues such as historic theaters, fortresses, estates, castles, and convention centers, and will include tastings of typical local delicacies and tours of artistic and cultural spots of particular interest, thus offering a broad panorama of all the area has to offer.
3. Integrated Press and Media planning – is coordinating print and other media to broaden the visibility of the project. Advertising in particular will focus on op–ed pieces and page ads in trade publications promoting Piceno Congressi Press and Media Planning, specifically requested by the Carisap Foundation to enhance the area’s visibility, is underwritten by the Fondazione Carisap (75%) with contributions from the Regione Marche, the Provincia di Ascoli Piceno, the C.C.I.A.A. e Confcommercio di Ascoli Piceno, the towns of Ascoli Piceno, San Benedetto del Tronto, Grottammare, Acquaviva Picena, Offida, Ripatransone e Roccafluvione.

Piceno Congressi was founded after extensive planning research revealed the need for highly qualified, expert, technical consulting experienced in the marketing logistics of the territory. The collaboration of event planner Barbara Sanavia of BS Eventi (San Benedtto del Tronto) has been key to developing a marketing and promotion plan tailored to the explicit needs of the Piceno in keeping with the principles and guidelines underlying the overall planning of the Piceno Congressi project.

Note

• L’Associazione Culturale Piceno Eventi (www.picenoeventiassociazioneculturale.it) is a non–profit association formed to promote and appreciate the area’s artistic, cultural and natural heritage and encourage integrated cultural systems for the economic and touristic development of Ascoli Piceno. The Association&requo;s plans for development include meetings, conferences, debates, seminars, shows and exhibitions, and similar events; educational initiatives (training, qualifying, and updating classes); publications (newsletters, minutes of meetings and seminars, ongoing and completed research studies); excursions and trips within Italy and abroad.
• (research data published by the Osservatorio Congressuale Italiano 2006) Research data disclosed during the 10th meeting of the Osservatorio Congressuale Italiano (sponsored and financed by the magazine Meeting e Congressi, by the Convention Bureau della Riviera di Rimini and edited by the University of Bologna) revealed that demand congress space is increasing at a steady rate. In 2005, the Italian congress balance was positive and slightly higher than the balance for overall national tourism. The domestic demand for congresses increased by +2.7%, foreign demand for congress space within Italy by +7% despite negative trends, thus underlining the industry’s strong potential.
  An additional relevant element in the congress sector, though barely mentioned in general statements about the sector, is the increase in the number of events with fewer than 50 participants. In Italy in 2005, these so–called microevents numbered nearly 141,937, for a total of 3.548.459 partecipants. The two major venues for congresses in 2005 were:
  1) hotels hosting smaller events lasting an average of two days each;
  2) congress halls and stately homes, which gained in popularity as venues hosting greater numbers of participants. These results appear positive, although it must be noted that Italy is a little–known player on the international congress circuit, which weakens its competitivity and hampers qualitative growth in that marketplace.
• Outdoor initiatives
  • IMEX Worldwide Exibition – Francoforte. www.imex.com This 3–day trade show affords contact with international buyers and decisionmakers in the sector looking for the ideal venue for their events. Over 6,000 Meeting Planners participate in Imex, creating real opportunities for global business through meetings and appointments arranged well in advance of the show itself. Imex and EIBTM Barcellona are the most important international shows in the MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Congress, Exhibition) sector . Imex offers the opportunity to meet the most important companies in the corporate world who choose Italy as their destination and, in keeping with currents trends, includes the search for historic destinations and attractive locales far from urban centers. Imex also provides an ideal means to ”launch“ the Piceno territory, presenting it as a hidden treasure in a little–known part of Italy but fascinating for its natural beauty, cultural and enogastromic hertiage.
  • BTC International Borsa Internazionale del Sistema Congressuale e Incentive – Rome www.btc.it This is the key trade fair in Italy for congresses and events in general, the ideal show for creating new contacts and increasing business through meetings with the most important leaders in the sector nationally and internationally. BTC is a highly specialized sector within MICE: efficiently organized, internationally reputable, and considered by companies, principle operators, and associations within the sector as the most important reference point in Italy for the choice of congress destinations. The show offers a meeting place for professionals where they can keep abreast of the latest developments in the market through pre–arranged appointments that make optimal use of the participants’ time, costs, and resources.