A delegation from the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) travelled to this Asian country coinciding with the Shanghai Expo. MCB members, accompanied by ten of their partners, met with executives from leading Chinese travel companies and agencies with the capacity to organise conferences, meetings and incentive trips to the Spanish capital. Following the presentation of the Madrid destination during a two-hour workshop in the Hotel Gran Meliá in Shanghai, a further meeting was held to enable Madrid-based MCB members to attract customers, assess first-hand the potential of the Chinese sector and do some business networking.

Influential companies

The Madrid delegation invited the companies and agencies to visit the Madrid pavilion in the Shanghai Expo, where they could see for themselves the projects that have increased the capital's appeal as a tourism and investment destination. Partner companies travelling with the MCB belong to some of the largest hotels in Madrid, such as the Ritz, Villa Magna, Meliá Castilla, ME Madrid and VP Jardín Metropolitano. Also attending are Café de la Ópera and various specialist travel agencies such as the In Out Travel Group, Creatur, Dynamic & Partners and SHE Spanish Heritage. On the Chinese side, 30 sector professionals have confirmed their attendance, including the 3 large state agencies China Travel International, China Youth Travel Service Shanghai and Shanghai China International Travel Service, along with a number of travel managers from some of the most influential Chinese companies on the global scene.