Manual Macias Moreno is director of the Sevilla Congress and Convention Bureau and has been instrumental in helping the city prepare for MPI’s European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC).
Macias has been at the forefront of promoting the area, founding the Costa del Sol Convention Bureau in 1990 and then starting the Sevilla Congress and Convention Bureau in 2010. He is especially proud of Sevilla, the largest historic center in Spain with more than 300 buildings declared of cultural interest, including the largest Catholic Gothic Cathedral in the world, the Real Alcázar, the Santa Cruz neighborhood, the Museum of Fine Arts, Las Casas-Palacio and the capital of flamenco.
“I have traveled all my life all over the world and honestly I know few destinations that are able to offer a unique combination of history, culture, art, climate, gastronomy and an unbeatable value for money in Europe like Sevilla,” he says. “From the point of view of a visitor, whether individual or a participant in an event, you will find the exact expression of what we call in Spain a city with duende (passion) and charm.”
What have you learned about yourself in preparing for EMEC?
We learn daily from all those with whom we interact. In the case of EMEC, we have learned to have a passion for innovation, to integrate the culture and traditions of a destination with as much personality as Sevilla, with the technology and sensitivity that we must transmit from an event as professional as EMEC, crossing borders and creating new experiences that make our profession, besides being alive, be at the forefront of our sector.
How has MPI helped you in your career?
For all of us dedicated to the management of tourist destinations and the organization of meetings and events, MPI has always been a model and a reference to follow. I still remember EMEC in 2010 in Malaga when I was at Turismo Andaluz and helped manage the event for the first time in Andalusia.
What’s the best advice someone gave you?
In our world, all the details are very important, but a friend and boss I had when I started in tourism said, “Trust is good, but control is better.”
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in this industry?
The main ingredient of life is the illusion to know and improve. Young people have some really excellent opportunities for their professional training. On the other hand, the domain of technology can subtract time from the knowledge of the raw material of our profession, which is the knowledge of the history and the details that make up the destinations in which they should organize their events.
What do you do for fun?
I like good music and especially flamenco. I love flamenco guitar.
