In its title year, Riga-Gauja, European Region of Gastronomy 2017 received a prestigious recognition for one of its flagship events, the gastronomic performance Latvian Senses, awarded second best cultural event in 2017 at international BEA World Festival in Portugal last November.
Designed around the concept Wild at Palate, which forms the backbone of Riga-Gauja’s programme as European Region of Gastronomy, the event toured Finland, Estonia and Lithuania to promote and establish the region as a gastronomy tourism destination in front of the three countries’ local media, tourism sector representatives and opinion leaders.
At BEA World Festival, Latvian Senses project impressed an international jury of 28 experts, which evaluated more than 300 events from 28 countries in 20 different categories, and managed to outplay competing cultural events from France, Germany and Russia. The centenary event of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain was awarded best project in the category.
Live Riga board chairwoman, Vita Jermoloviča affirmed that BEA World Festival gathers each year the best events and event organisers and that can be compared to the Oscar award in the film industry. She added that “Latvia in a contest where the majority of participants have budget of millions of euros per event has managed to appeal to the jury with a story and emotions provided by Latvian nature and its tastes.”
On the same note, author of the Latvian Senses project concept, Gundega Skudriņa highlighted that “for the first time in the events industry, the name of Latvia is heard far in the world. A huge job has been done together with the team and we are proud that we have managed to present such a wonderful gift for Latvia’s anniversary that includes all the treasures that our dear home holds, as well as creativity, innovations and work of enterprising people.”
Latvian Senses event was organised by Riga Tourism Development Bureau (Live Riga), the county council of Sigulda and the city councils of Cesis and Valmiera, in cooperation with the Tourism Department of the Latvian Investments and Development Agency. The concept of the event was developed by Skudras Metropole.
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating gastronomic innovation. IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) organises the award with the support of European institutions.
IGCAT is a non-profit organisation established in 2012 working in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. Through its worldwide network of experts, IGCAT aims to empower local communities by guiding, facilitating, and supporting local leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets. IGCAT is the official secretariat for the Region of Gastronomy Platform and provides the European Region of Gastronomy Award, the European Young Chef Award and the Innovative Food Souvenir Award.
8 diciembre 2017
