Sometimes one is able to take particular pride in being involved in a project different from most others for reasons that don't have to do with scope. This was the case with the Mediterranean Masters Week (MMW). Definitely a "boutique" project by nearly every standard, it was built on the well-earned reputation of Roses, a resort town on the northern Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain, as an excellent nautical destination. What it was not able to count on in terms of budgetary allocations, the MMW easily compensated with the enthusiasm and drive of those involved.   

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Let's be perfectly clear: the MMW in Roses was a sizeable event right from its inaugural edition in 2013. But that in itself was not anything new to either organizers or town residents, above all those running businesses associated with tourism. Thousands of enthusiasts came to the Bay of Roses every year for the conditions that make it one of the most privileged zones in the world for sailing and many other nautical and aquatic sports. GEN – the Nautical Sports Group Roses – had long been an acclaimed host of major international events, World and European Championships among them, in sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, even deep sea fishing. 

 

With the MMW, GEN sought to combine the earnest of challenging regattas with the fun and relaxation of a short vacation break taken at the end of the summer. Veteran skippers in several different boat classes were targeted as participants in an event that was to become an annual fixture. The intention was to develop the MMW into a recurring and firmly established event with a distinct identity. Intense and low key at once, much in the spirit of the masters movement in all sports.

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SAI guided the GEN staff and a group of highly motivated volunteers in creating the output it had defined in a communications strategy to promote the MMW. With shoestring budgets assigned for the areas of communications, the masters of all ages were invited to participate and to join the GENt de Mar, Catalan for the "People of the Sea," in an exciting new venture. They came in numbers and returned every year until 2017.