The first GOAL 2007 event is the Welcome Reception on the evening of October 30. Enjoy complimentary beverages, tasty seafood-themed snacks, and the company of fellow seafood professionals from around the world.
Following GOAL 2007's half-day sessions, registrants will have time to network and do business. They can also take advantage of the many entertainment and cultural opportunities available a few minutes' walk from the Westin Palace. Tour the Prado Museum. Seek out a chocolateria for hot chocolate and churros or visit the Puerta del Sol for after-hours excitement. The Westin Palace also has a bar and several restaurants, while nearby avenues offer a range of additional culinary options.
GOAL participants and their spouses and guests can also take part in a range of fun tours and events in Madrid and Toledo, Spain. Separate registration and fees are required for the tours.
TOUR OF TOLEDO -- October 30
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
U.S. $100/Person -- Minimum: 15
Those who arrive early for GOAL 2007 can join a six-hour motorcoach tour from the Westin Palace to the medieval mountaintop city of Toledo. Surrounded by the fast-flowing Tagus River, the walled city stands in sharp contrast to the background of encircling hills and distant mountain ranges.
Once home to the painter El Greco, Toledo contains many monuments, museums, and other historic structures. Its Gothic Cathedral of the Cardinal Primate of Spain, begun in 1226, will be a tour highlight. Stroll the narrow streets and shop in this legendary city before returning. The tour includes transportation and admission to the cathedral, the church of Santo Tomé, and Transito Synagogue.
MERCAMADRID SEAFOOD MARKET/DAGUSTÍN
COOKING FACILITY TOUR -- October 30
5:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
U.S. $75/Person -- Minimum: 10
Another preconference option will be a half-day tour of the world-renowned Mercamadrid Seafood Market and the impressive Dagustín cooking facility. The Mercamadrid has firmly established itself as the largest market in Europe for perishable foodstuffs. The 5:30 a.m. tour departure from the Westin will allow participants to see the Mercamadrid's 42,600-m2 seafood market at its peak activity. A guide will highlight the many species traded, as well as handling and sales methods.
Then it's on to the Dagustín cooking facility, which is near the main offices of Jaime Soriano, S.A. in the Madrid suburb of Getafe. Jaime Soriano represents an international group of enterprises devoted to fishery, purchasing, manufacturing, and sales of fish and seafood.
Among other seafood products, the Dagustín plant supplies Madrid and surrounding areas with delicious cooked, chilled shrimp -- a primary emerging product form in the region. The tour price includes transportation, tours, and light breakfast. |
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WINE-TASTING CLASS -- October 31
5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
U.S. $100/Person -- Minimum: 10
 Here is an excellent opportunity to learn about Spanish wines and culture in a unique and charming environment. Courses are taught by a native English-speaking wine educator with extensive experience in Spanish wines in a classroom setting at Planeta Vino.
The two-hour tasting will start with a short multimedia presentation on the characteristics of Spanish wines and the country’s major wine-producing regions. Participants will then be guided through the tasting of six premium Spanish wines. The price for this fun, interactive event includes transportation, instructor, handouts on Spanish wines, and wines for tasting.
 SHOPPING FEST
November 1
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
U.S. $50/Person --
Minimum: 10
Madrid is a capital city with a magnificent harmony of styles and culture. It also offers many shopping options.
On this fun tour, board the bus at the Westin Hotel and prepare to experience the Mediterranean passion for shopping at the Príncipe Pío shopping arcade, Madrid's "Center for Leisure, Culture and Commerce." At this historic railway station, located in Madrid's historic district, a $130 million renovation expanded the facility to include over 100 shops as well as a large restaurant area, theatres and more. The award-winning design combines transit with innovative engineering techniques. This shopping trip includes transportation and guide.
CULMÁREX SEA BASS/SEA BREAM FARM TOUR
November 2-4
Nov. 2, 2:00 p.m.-Nov. 4, a.m.
U.S. $700/person -- Minimum: 10
This postconference technical tour, which departs from the Westin Palace immediately after the GOAL closing review, will carry participants to the coast of southern Spain to visit the Culmárex S.A. farm and processing facility in Águilas. The farm is one of the largest sea cage sites for sea bass and sea bream in Europe.
Culmárex is a vertically integrated supplier that also
coordinates its sales, packing and distribution from Águilas. Culmárex's quality Dorado Real and Lubina Real fish are primarily sold fresh to large markets as well as supermarkets such as Carrefour and Consum.
After several hours on the motorcoach from Madrid, the group will spend the night at the comfortable Don Juan Hotel in Águilas. After breakfast, we'll hear a presentation about the operation at the Culmárex farm, then take boats out to the cages for a tour. Back on land, the tour will move on to the processing plant -- and a tasty luncheon selection of Culmárex fish products. We also hope to see the fish nursery operation that grows fish fry to fingerling size for stocking the cages.
The bus will return to Madrid for a relaxing evening at the Melia Barajas Hotel. Participants can then catch the hotel shuttle to the airport in the morning. The tour includes motorcoach transportation, hotel rooms for two nights, two breakfasts and lunch on November 3.
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