Interview with Anne Catherine MARIANI, MICE commercial manager, Corsica Events +Added to my favoriteItem already present

What is your background in the MICE sector and why did you focus on this segment?

In order to launch a project, you have to have an idea. Ours germinated one evening, at the port in Bastia. We were watching the ferry sail off into the distance towards Marseille, taking with it 300 people who had attended a conference that we’d organised “on the go”. We were exhausted but very happy! Three hundred people brought together in Corte, in the heart of Corsica… At that time – this was almost twenty years ago - nobody would have dared! Seminars like that just didn’t happen in Corsica. But we dared! Better still, we rose to the challenge and made a great success of it! And that evening, at the port in Bastia, the Corsica Events project, an events management agency based in Ajaccio but serving the whole of Corsica, became a reality.

How do you communicate about the destination with your future clients? 

For 10 years MICE has been gaining in prominence in Corsica and today it is thriving! Corsica Events organises around fifty events a year, from a Management Committee for 10/15 people to a Conference for over 500 people. All of our programmes are bespoke and tailored to meet our clients’ requirements. We try to create programmes that give meaning in order to strengthen our clients’ experience by making them stakeholders in their events! That might entail, for example, a programme focused on “Corsicans before Corsica” with unprecedented meetings, and authentic moments of sharing. Because beyond its beaches and its landscapes, the richness of this little island resides in its history, its people, its culture, its strong identity, and its uniqueness. We place huge emphasis on the human dimension in our programmes so that our clients can discover the little-known history of the Corsican people who have made the island what it is today.

What types of products do you sell and for what kinds of clients? 

Corsica Events also uses Corsica’s unique setting and landscapes to offer its clients programmes that are simultaneously punctuated by a range of water based activities (catamaran, kayak and stand up paddle boarding trips or excursions, sailing regattas etc.) and land based activities (canyoning, via ferrata, hiking and mountain biking etc.) while operating wherever possible in an environmentally responsible manner (waste sorting during events, participatory activities with local organisations etc.). Moreover, we also create bespoke programmes based on the “Digital detox” theme with a return to the simple things in life being key, featuring, among other things, countryside stays, electric bike rides through Corsican vineyards and a day travelling by private train in the mountains and Central Corsica… We are also developing programmes that are disruptive and unusual, from a stay in an eco-lodge at the foot of the aiguilles de Bavella to cookery courses in the very heart of the Gulf of Ajaccio in the company of the region’s fishermen. We are always trying to surprise our clients by asking them to step outside their comfort zone and shake up their habits in order to create moments that are both unique and unexpected. All of our programmes are created with passion and are driven by a commitment to offering the best of what Corsica and Corsicans have to offer in order to make a lasting impression. 

What is the value you add that makes you attractive to your clients? 

Our perfect knowledge of the land and our special relationship with various service providers who have become our friends over the years allow us to offer exclusive services. Furthermore, our passion and creativity are our greatest assets. From a chic gala dinner on the rooftops of Bonifacio to an exceptional lunch at the foot of a damn, via a rustic countryside party at the heart of the Filitosa site, itself bursting with history, we make the impossible happen to satisfy our customers. Ultimately, our knowledge, our love of Corsican culture, our commitment, and our desire to help others discover all of this pushes us to create unique and innovative services. For example, at one of our client’s request, we created a Murder Mystery Party based on a “Mazzeri” theme - this being an ancestral legend that is still very much with us today - with a number of sessions held in a highly unusual setting (an old prison whose history dates back to the 12th century). Our team is actually made up of “home grown” Corsican creators who support our clients at every stage of a project from conception to completion. We consider ever request and ensure that our response is tailored to our client’s wishes, budget and requirements while providing our expert advice about the destination.

©Corsica Events

©Corsica Events

©Corsica Events