Connecting with the right operator is paramount to a successful, memorable agenda, even more so on unfamiliar foreign turf such as Spain, where English might not be as widely spoken as in other European locales. Enter Valesa Cultural Services (www.valesacultural.com), co-owned by two Americans who have been living in Spain for decades, understand the needs of North American planners, have held numerous positions in the travel industry and customize highly cultural programs for groups in destinations throughout Spain and Portugal.
“We specialize in special experiences, says Marcy Forman, co-owner of Valesa, adding that the types of groups the company works with are generally very high-end and fewer than 100 people, although events for hundreds of guests are available.
Forman says the No. 1 pull that Spain has in the MICE market nowadays is generally food- and wine-related.
“We had an insurance company incentive last year with 45 people,” she says. “They landed in Madrid and took off to San Sebastian, then it was a route through wine resorts, wineries and top luxury hotels, and doing private tastings, going to Michelin-star restaurants, meeting with the chefs, having spa treatments.”
Marques de Riscal, the Frank Gehry-desinged hotel in the Rioja wine region, was a highlight, according to Forman.
Other distinctive programs Valesa can arrange inclue driving Formula One race cars outside Barcelona and Jerez, sailing competitions in the Balearic Islands, attending soccer games and bull fights, bull-fighting lessons and viewing the running of the bulls in Pamplona from a private balcony.
“The other thing that sets us apart is private events,” Forman says. “This is where our contacts in private homes, private foundations, museums and Gaudi buildings come in handy. For the Roll Corporation, we took over the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, and they saw the museum privately and then had a guitarist strolling around the patios in these Gothic manor houses that comprise the museum. It was a really magical and unusual evening.”
