Moderated by Elise Slotte, Owner and guide at IPBN member company Wow Guide Algarve, which offers guided road trips that give people a chance to get away from their daily lives and enjoy the richness that the authentic Algarve has to offer. She will lead panelists Mark McSorley, General Manager of Hotel & Residences at IPBN member company Quinta do Lago and the Campus High Performance Centre, Maria Manuel Delgado e Silva, Golf Product Manager at the Algarve Tourism Bureau, and Fabio Fragoso of Vilamoura Sailing and Surfing Club in a discussion that should shed light on all aspects of the topic at hand. Before the panel kicks off, the IPBN would like to give attendees a little context on each panelist and their current projects.


The luxury hospitality executive Mark McSorley has been described as a global nomad with a focused outlook as a hotelier. Prior to his current position at Quinta do Lago, Mark was integral to launching and managing Quinta do Lago's Magnolia Hotel as his passion is in innovation and trend forecasting and curating new solutions to ever-changing market conditions and customer needs. During the launch, he told HotelDesigns.net, "We’ve created a truly unique design hotel offering for the Algarve that is sure to excite our guests, from the fitness fanatic to the gourmet enthusiast." His talent has truly spoken for itself as he has gone on to assume even more responsibility at the Quinta do Lago brand of hotels.


Under the watchful eye of the second panelist, Maria Manuel Delgado e Silva, the Algarve has enjoyed many successes at the Golfer Travel Awards, the first seven of which were snagged as early as 2011. According to this article on IRGroup.pt, “The Portuguese golfing hotspot retained the two major honours it landed in 2017 after readers of the popular UK golf publication voted it as Best Golf Destination and Best Value in Continental Europe.” The region boasts 43 fabulous courses continues to be recognised by golfers from around the globe for its outstanding qualities as a golf destination, remaining the number one choice among UK golfers. Maria told IT Groupo readers, “We have welcomed record numbers of visiting golfers from the UK in recent years and we remain committed to delivering the excellence that golfers expect from a destination like the Algarve".


Fabio Fragoso has been busy managing the Vilamoura Sailing Centre, based in the Marina de Vilamoura where a mere five minutes out of the slipway you can find yourself sailing in the open sea. Since 2016 the centre has welcomed over 6300 Olympic Sailors from 72 countries and maintained an intense regatta calendar to entice guests to train. Meanwhile, the Vilamoura Surf School, certified by the Portuguese Surfing Federation and by Turismo de Portugal, is the first surf school on Vilamoura Beach. The school aims to teach the art of surfing the waves in a safe, correct, and relaxed way, always under the close and attentive supervision of Portuguese Surf Federation-accredited teachers.


A special thank you to IPBN conference partner Quinta do Lago, conference media partners The Portugal News and TNews, and our conference sponsors and IPBN members clubstohire.com, Joao Marques Seguros, SoundLove, Vendici Properties and Reis – Gestão de Empresas, who have all made this conference possible.


You will find all the details about the conference venue and program here, where you will be able to register to attend the conference in presence or remotely for our audience in Ireland on the IPBN YouTube channel.