Baqueira / Beret

SCIJ International Committee Inspection
Edited Report for the visit completed July 3-6, 2014
Baqueira / Beret
SCIJ International Committee
Frederick Wallace
Michael Prowse
Ramon Vilaro
Spain Organizing Committee
Antonio Campana
Jaume Castel
Local representatives
Juan Manuel Morell
Xavi Ubeira Rubio
President
Secretary General
Vice-President, Culture
Secretary
Coordinator, 62nd meeting
Val D’Aran
Subdirector Commercial,
Baqueira/Beret
Josep Albos Sala
Markerting Baqueira/Beret
Carmen Aliu Mundet
Departamento de Relaciones Publicas,
Baqueira/Beret
Edited version – for general distribution
Distribution list: SCIJ website
Overview
The 62nd meeting of SCIJ from March 7-14, 2014 is the third time the club has
been to this Spanish resort.
Baqueira/Beret, one of the largest of Spain's ski resorts lies at the head of the
beautiful Val d'Aran, near Viella, on the northern side of the Pyrenees about 2 2h15 by car from Toulouse and about 4 hours from Barcelona. The village,
purpose-built in wood and stone rather than concrete, is on the main road leading
up to the high Bonaigua Pass.
Developed by Luis Arias, a Spanish National Ski Champion, Baqueira first
opened in 1964 and until a few year’s ago was a local favourite with the Spanish
Royal family who regularly came to holiday here. Its location provides a unique
Atlantic climate guaranteeing high quality snow, just the right amount of sunshine
and, due to its southerly latitude, an hour's more daylight than the Alps. Baqueira
Beret is well laid out, has a modern lift infrastructure and a lively and varied après
ski scene.
The skiing is spread over three main areas, Baqueira, Beret and Argulls and
there is a fourth area at La Bonaigua. Baqueira's claim of 'Alpine Scale' is further
strengthened with lifts on the Cap de Baqueria. This huge area, the Argulls, has
always had snow at Christmas, so the basin strengthens Baqueira's reputation
for pre-Christmas to post-Easter skiing with the height of the new runs ensuring
the snow will always be in peak condition.
There is no question this resort is capable or organizing world-class events and
is well prepared to host organizations like SCIJ.
Overall program
Program rating
Venues
Logistics
No Improvements
Improvements required
Improvements required
The program is well advanced and we estimate that it was complete during our
visit at a ratio of about 75-80% as of the inspection date. In our opinion we feel
there is enough time reserved for skiing and conferences but there are also some
areas that need to be addressed.
Airport arrival and Transportation
Logistics
Improvements required
Members of SCIJ will be greeted outside the secure zone of the ToulouseBlagnac International airport by kiosks that will be identified with SCIJ signage.
Those members arriving by train are expected to make their way to the airport. A
designated media room will be made available for arriving members as they wait
for transportation.
Registration
Logistics
Improvements required
We encourage the arrival accreditation and registration to be as easy and
efficient as possible. It is also understood local organizers have requested a
participation fee of 200 Euros as opposed to the usual 185 normally asked. A
recommendation to this effect will be made at our next executive meeting
meeting.
Accommodations
Venues
No Improvements
Figure 1 Hotel Montarto will house all guests. Is a walking distance to the lifts or short trolley ride. Figure 2 The indoor pool Figure 3 The main dinning room, which will also convert to the General Assembly hall
The accommodations are suitable and appropriate for this meeting. We are
pleased that all participants will be staying in the same location. The facilities, a
gym, a pool and Wi-Fi included and the proximity to the lifts is ideal.
Captains Meetings
Venues
No Improvements
We are pleased to see that all Captains meetings will be held in the morning for
consistency.
Sunday March 8
Program rating
Logistics
Improvements required
Improvements required
Figure 4 Town hall for opening ceremony
Opening Ceremonies
In general we believe the town square venue for the opening ceremony is
acceptable and ideal.
Monday March 9
Program rating
Logistics
No improvements
No improvements
Roundtables – The IC the time you are allowing for SCIJ to organize two
roundtables prior to our General Assembly. As you understand, SCIJ needs to
reflect and involve members for additional reflection we will organize two
simultaneous roundtables. We will provide the subjects and requirements to you
by the end of October. It is understood two rooms (the Captains meeting room
and the room next to the dinning area) for this purpose.
Tuesday March 10
Program rating
Venues
Logistics
Timing of specific elements required
Improvements required
Improvements required
Figure 5 -­‐ Slalom course. A dual course is proposed. Slalom - We are satisfied with the course you demonstrated and the level of
pitch from 2,200 m to 2,000. You will need to reinforce the requirement for each
member to wear a helmet in order to participate. Blaz Mocnic, Vice President and
Chief of Race, will be available to you on the Sunday to complete the final
inspection and validate starting lists.
General Assembly
The general assembly must begin by 17h15. The general assembly is timed to
last 2.5 hours and this will bring us to 19h45. There are also the elections of two
members to plan for this year.
Nations Night
It is advisable that we begin the festive atmosphere as early as possible to
maximize the benefit and enjoyment of this night.
Wednesday March 11
Program rating
No Improvements
We are satisfied with the program as presented.
Thursday March 12
Program rating
Logistics
Timing of specific elements required
Improvements required
Figure 6 Main lodge for slalom and Nordic race. The Dutch soup and tea can be served on the lower terrace. An area reserved for SCIJ will be identified.
Nordic Race
We are satisfied withe proposed circuit in the stadium as well as the lodge, the
location of the Dutch soup and location of the ski rental facilities. We understand
the ski rental boutique will only open at 9 a.m.
Friday March 13
Program rating
No improvements
We are satisfied with the program as presented.
IC Recommendations
Presentation next destination: We will approach the French team and perhaps
the Belgian teams to co-host a cocktail to promote the respective summer and
winter meetings.
Closing Gala – We welcome the opportunity to have the closing gala in the
supporting community..
The Organizing Committee is encouraged to promote a more formal to follow the
trend that was launched in Banff 2011 and continued in Turkey and last year with
the 'White Gala' in Champéry.
Overall
The OC must take into account the different logistical moves during the meeting
and ensure there is a smooth transition. Ensuring that things are kept simple and
easy for everyone will be important.
Editorial Calendar
Program rating
Improvements required
It is imperative that a strong set of stories and storylines are developed to enable
participating members to quickly identify themes such as sporting, language, and
culture. While some specific subjects will be interesting, it is important to build a
strong editorial calendar that is as diverse as possible for each participating
countries. As we are emphasizing our members to contribute to our media
clippings book, we cannot stress the importance of helping identify subjects or
issues that also relate to some of our member countries. This will be of mutual
benefit for SCIJ and sponsors.
VIP's and Guests
Program rating
Follow-up required
We are expecting the OC to provide a list of VIP's and guests and the names of 3
people that should be involved in the ceremonial 'SCIJ Duck' ceremony. This list
must be provided at least 6 weeks prior to the meeting.
SCIJ - International Committee Support
1. The OC is also welcome to use website content from the Banff 2011
meeting to adapt information to the flavor of the 62nd meeting. The
address of the site is www.scij.ca
2. Additionally, we will provide you with access to previous organizational
files to help you formulate an operational plan and access any preplanning materials that may be required.
3. The IC will verify with the Swiss delegation regarding national flags and
the banner.
4. The IC will also verify with France and Belgium regarding the possibility of
organizing a pre-reception, as once was tradition to promote their resort.
5. The IC will also investigate with the Swiss team the whereabouts of the
banner.
6. The IC endorses an increase of registration fees to 200 euros for this
meeting as it represents sufficient value to our members.
Conclusion
Providing the issues mentioned in this report are resolved, and that there is
good communication and coordination between the International Committee, the
Organizing Committee and members of SCIJ, this meeting should be widely
successful. As long as the Organizing Committee does everything to create
positive memories, promote a strong editorial agenda and remains flexible, this
meeting should be successful to promote the spirit of SCIJ and generate press
clippings and reviews.
Frederick Wallace
SCIJ president
Michael Prowse
SCIJ Secretary General