The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, will support the organisation of conferences during the months of October and November in a 350 thousand Euro investment. Under this initiative, more than 2,400 people are expected to participate in these events.
The organisation of these conferences is part of the Government’s strategy the finance such events during the winter season in order to mitigate the effects of seasonality in the tourism sector.
With regard to the meetings to be organised in the Region, special emphasis is put on the Book Conference, promoted by the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers, which will take place in the city of Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island, in November. This initiative, which counts on the high patronage of the Government, will be attended by 400 participants.
For the next two months, the island of Terceira will also host another four meetings, bringing to the island nearly 1,400 participants: Annual Best Travel, 150 participants; the 1st Symposium on Rehabilitation Paediatrics, 100 participants; the 2nd Forum on Bullfighting Culture, nearly 500 participants; and the GEA Convention, 250 participants.
In turn, the island of São Miguel will host, among others, the Conference of Portuguese Judges, 500 participants; 1st International Conference on Maternal and Child Health, 400 participants; and the Conference of the Portuguese Society of Orthodontists, 350 participants.
For the Regional Director for Tourism, Miguel Cymbron, “the organisation of a considerable number of event, demonstrates that the Region has been promoting the organisation of conferences and similar initiatives, but also that several organisations have begun to acknowledge the Region’s potential as a suitable place for the organisation of their events.
In fact, “the Azores combine the existence of excellent spaces for the organisation of conferences with the possibility of organising a significant number of activities that may be developed simultaneously to the conference programmes.”
In addition, the Regional Director also explained that “the organisation of this type of events allows boosting all other services related to tourism.”