Hosting the seminar: How can services innovation help promote sustainable tourism? - Call for expressions of interest
Hosting the seminar:
“How can services innovation help promote sustainable tourism?”
Call for expressions of interest
This seminar is planned as a 1,5 day event and has the objective to bring together relevant experts, national and regional authorities and public agencies responsible for the promotion or support of innovation, culture and tourism to discuss how services innovation can help promote sustainable tourism.
In the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy, DG Enterprise and Industry is looking into how services innovation can contribute to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. To this end, it has set up an Expert Panel on Services Innovation in the EU which, inter alia, has identified the cultural and tourism sectors as areas where services innovation has a potential to support the development of new services and jobs.
Also, the Commission’s recent Green Paper “Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries » highlights the knowledge and talent that Europe's cultural and creative industries can offer to spur innovation, notably at local and regional level, in support of local development, revitalising local economies, including through sustainable tourism.
The challenge is to bring together services innovation, culture and tourism in a mutually reinforcing and beneficial alliance, thus creating a ‘golden triangle’ that will enhance the attractiveness of tourism destinations by better valorising cultural assets and offering new or improved services.
Specifically, the seminar will aim to
- explore links and synergies between the 3 sides of the “golden triangle”, i.e. between services innovation, culture and tourism;
- identify existing policy approaches and measures that valorise the “golden triangle”, i.e. good practice examples from throughout the EU; and
- assess how such national or regional initiatives could be further supported at European level, i.e. what should be the scope of an EU initiative.
This call for expression of interest is launched to find a partner (a public or private organisation) that is willing and committed to host this seminar. The host would be expected to provide the venue for the event, respectively to provide technical equipment as well as cover catering costs of coffee breaks, lunches and the official dinner and, if required, local transfers between venues. The venue should be able to accommodate approximately 75 people for plenary meetings, and adjacent smaller rooms for groups of 25 people. The host is also expected to recommend conveniently located hotel(s) nearby, with good transport options from an airport/main transport hub. The host organisation would be allowed to seek sponsorship for the event programme and other marketing material.
The event is expected to bring together some 75 participants from national, regional, local authorities, universities, business organisations, think tanks and other organisations with an interest and stake in tourism, culture or services innovation. The event is planned to take place between September and end of December 2010 but could, in special circumstances, also take place in early 2011.
As this is a new theme and approach for DG Enterprise and Industry, we find it appropriate to establish a Steering Group for the seminar with representatives of the host organisation and the Commission services to define the programme and identify the experts and other stakeholders to be invited. DG Enterprise and Industry will assume responsibility for inviting the participants to the seminar and also reimburse their travel and hotel costs.
This event will be a good opportunity for the host organisation to expand its network and contacts, and also to promote its visibility with regard to tourism, culture and innovation. Should your organisation be interested in hosting the seminar, please respond to this call before 31 July 2010.
For more information, and to submit your expression of interest, please contact: lisbeth.bahl-poulsen@ec.europa.eu or mette.quinn@ec.europa.eu
