Rosario Trabado: “Cuba’s Culture Is One of a Kind”

When there are still several hours until MITM Americas comes to a successful close in Cuba, Caribbean News Digital sat down in an exclusive interview with the event’s top planner and general manager of GSAR Marketing, Rosario Trabado.

From her words, it is easy to understand that Cuba is highly qualified to plan events of this type. “As far as infrastructure is concerned, it does not make any difference. Cuba is prepared just like other Caribbean destinations with convention centers, high-end hotels, good service and very good gastronomy.

"The difference is marked by the cultural factor. This country has immense cultural offers and this is essential for incentives and congresses. When it comes to choosing one destination or another, we value the cultural elements and also the security the country can provide," says Mrs. Trabado.

International companies and high-standard buyers attend MITM know that well. If a destination cannot offer safety and security, it’d be a far cry from becoming a successful event. Indeed, it would be the all the way around. “We also had the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Cuba, as in previous occasions, and also from companies such as Meliá Cuba, Ecotur -which is the event’s official incoming agency- Iberostar Hotels and Kempinski.”

As to next year’s edition, which will take place at the National Hotel of Cuba, Trabado says that even though this is a sector that can’t afford off-the-cuff arrangements, “the crux of the incentives, the reasons why to plan them and implement them, have not changed. We want to motivate and help brands and trademarks stand out. In the same breath, we intend to build on customer loyalty.

“GSAR has fulfilled its expectations with flying colors. Right from the very first moment the announcement of the fair was made, there has been a lot of interest from international buyers and exhibitors. We can say it has finally been a success. We have brought together some 200 high-octane attendees, always clinging to the criteria that drive our fairs.

“We do not want MICE travel fairs and tradeshows to boast about what they could have taken from 3,000 to 5,000 hosted buyers. We know this sector well. Our main house was the first MICE-oriented company ever founded in Spain back in 1973. So, we know how difficult it is to bring all these attendees together in just one or two days of the year, in a place of the world cut out for this kind of customer, in which we have over 200 or 300 of the finest.

"We stay true to the style of the boutique-style fairs. We will never have more exhibitors than buyers. We always have 30% more buyers than sellers.

"For this fair in Havana, more than 500 companies were preregistered, of which we only approved 100. But since we have the possibility of inviting a maximum of 100, we chose the best ones and that’s been the way we do things since 1997,” Mrs. Trabado points out.

The General Director of GSAR Marketing confirms that the venue of the fair defines the highest percentage of exhibitors. “Sellers attend the events with very good presentations, but to convince a buyer that a destination is up to par is something that can only be seen in fairs like MITM, where everything is timed and there are close links with local sectors.

“It won’t be any different if we did it in New York or Berlin. Everyone is happy with the quality of the buyers taking part in this edition.”

In terms of figures, MITM Americas generates business moves and operations in the neighborhood of $300 million, most of them seen through in the short and midterm ranges.