It’s attractive, it’s cosmopolitan, it’s friendly, it’s well connected in terms of flights, it represents value for money, and it’s growing in popularity – what’s not to like about Lisbon as a MICE destination? These attributes have not gone unnoticed by the industry: in 2014 Portugal’s capital hosted 109 congresses and conventions and was ranked 12th as a venue by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Last year saw it host 145 congresses and meetings and move up three places to ninth in the ICCA city ranking, putting it ahead of Copenhagen, Prague, Amsterdam and Brussels.
From a visitor’s perspective, Lisbon appears a city of contrasts. Aesthetically it blends the traditional with the modern – iconic yellow trams still rattle around the streets of the city’s downtown area (Baixa), yet head north east to the Parques das Nacoes (the former Expo 98 site) and you’ll find gleaming new buildings and structures that are testament to technological progress, infrastructure investment and urban regeneration. So, too, the city exudes a sense of space, yet in many respects it’s surprisingly compact, and it’s particularly well known for the quality of its light, earning it the sobriquet ‘The White City’. Even Benfica football club play at the Estadio da Luz (Stadium of Light).
One venue where this quality of light is particularly apparent, thanks to its clever design and widespread use of glass, is the five-star Myriad by Sana hotel. Situated in Parques das Nacoes on the banks of the Tagus with stunning views of the Vasco da Gama bridge, at 17km Europe’s longest, this 23-floor luxury hotel offers three meeting rooms and has its own venue for conferences and events. The Crystal Centre, which is connected to the hotel by an aerial bridge, has seven meeting rooms, five boardrooms, a foyer and a terrace – in total a space of 1,690sqm. All the meeting rooms can be adapted and configured in size and shape according to the client’s wishes.
The Myriad hotel is just part of Parques das Nacoes, a large urban complex that comprises the multipurpose MEO Arena, the FIL exhibition centre, the Oceanario, one of Europe’s largest aquariums, a casino and a range of smart riverside flats with landscaped gardens, all of which can be viewed panoramically from 20m up in the air from a ski-lift style cable car.
Local hoteliers agree there is a marked improvement in the MICE segment, a view endorsed by Ana Ribeiro of the Lisbon Convention Bureau. On a site inspection of the Sheraton Hotel, which opened in the 1970s but underwent a full refurbishment in 2007, Sofia Serpa from the marketing department explained that the hotel is almost fully booked and that MICE tourism is picking up.
The Sheraton has 12 meeting rooms and a total space of 1,600sqm for events and conferences, and to help MICE delegates relax and unwind it offers gourmet restaurants, including a top floor restaurant and bar with panoramic views over Lisbon, as well as its own Spirito spa facilities.
At the Intercontinental hotel (formerly the Tiara Park and prior to that the Meridien in the 1980s), this theme was reiterated by director of sales and marketing, Ricardo Gomes, who was being quick to stress that the hotel is “more focused on MICE than ever” and that the target for 2017 is “to achieve 30% mix from this business segment,” up from 23% currently.
The Intercontinental has 12 meeting rooms and two small breakout rooms, and all the public areas and meeting spaces have already been refurbished and there is a 12-month light refurbishment of its bedrooms planned for late 2017. As if to bear out Gomes’s words and show that from a MICE perspective the hotel was on its mettle, if you pardon the pun, the Intercontinental was hosting a major stainless steel conference when I visited.
A short walk from the Intercontinental is Estufa Fria (the cold greenhouse), a botanical haven in the heart of the city. It can host corporate events, themed parties and weddings and is particularly popular with the Russian market. The venue also hosts gala dinners (up to 700 seated guests, 1,100 for cocktails).
The spacious four-star Marriott in Lisbon, with 577 bedrooms, Portugal’s largest hotel, and offering 16 meeting rooms, is also seeing a pick-up in MICE tourism and enjoying healthy room occupancy.
People view Portugal as a safe place to travel to, according to the hotel’s sales executive Vanessa Pereira. This was particularly evident, she said, in the increase in French arrivals.
The Marriott, half way through a major room renovation programme, often hosts embassy events and, on a sporting front, players and officials from leading European football clubs when they come to play Benfica or Sporting Lisbon.
Lisbon’s largest congress centre is in Belem, a district synonymous with Portugal’s rich seafaring tradition (Vasco da Gama set off for India from here in 1497) and close to the 25 April bridge that spans the Tagus. Opened in 1989, incorporating eight auditoria, five halls, six foyers and 34 meeting rooms for a total area of 29,000sqm, the Lisbon Congress Centre (LCC) hosts conventions, exhibitions and meetings. It has capacity for up to 7,000 delegates and claims a particular strong stream of medical/pharmaceutical conferences.
Eating out
So, where can MICE delegates go to dine and relax in Lisbon?
A short drive along the river is Kais. Housed in what used to be an old warehouse that generated electricity to power the city’s trams, but now fully refurbished, the restaurant, with its wrought iron period features, can accommodate 410 people for sit-down meals and about a 1,000 for drinks.
MICE business is integral to the restaurant, which also has a night club, and with bookings nearly full for the next few months, it is a ‘go to’ venue for delegates looking to wine and dine and ultimately unwind.
Close to the LCC is the national coach museum. Featuring ornate coaches from the 18th century, portraits of the kings and queens from the House of Braganza, and to reflect its origins as a royal riding school, a range of bridelry and equestrian trappings. The venue is used for drink receptions and gala dinners (it can seat 300 and host 400 for cocktails).
A top 10 ICCA ranking will no doubt have delighted Lisbon’s tourism authorities and those hotels gearing up for MICE business, as will the growth in tourist arrivals and bookings. The meetings future looks bright for Portugal’s stylish capital.
Simon George
