The 1^st Technical Meeting of the EXCOVER Project was held in Bologna from 5^th to 7^th of February. Although the Meeting was addressed mainly to technical and scientific experts on WP4 - Widespread Welcoming, there was a great and fruitful participation of Project partners. 25 experts and Partners’ staff were hosted by the University of Bologna.

Participants were first involved in bilateral meetings, then plenary sessions were led by WP4 and WP3 coordinators. Gilberto Zangari, Rive d’Arcano’s technical expert, discussed the specificities of the areas involved in the Project regarding tourism products design and adequate accommodation supply. Monica Pascoli and Donatella Cozzi, from the University of Udine, described the field research they conducted with the host communities, in order to discover the local cultural heritage. They also introduced innovative tools to share results with citizens and tourists, with the scientific contribution of Antonina Dattolo, Deputy Rector for Digital Inclusion at University of Udine. Finally, Andrea Guizzardi and Annalisa Stacchini, from the University of Bologna – CAST, confronted with participants on the WP3 progress status and foreseen completion times, then held a workshop about how to organise and carry out Capacity building seminars, and how to use the WP3 templates. The representatives from the universities of Bologna, Udine and Zadar took the opportunity to share ideas about possible research developments of the Project results.

At the end of the gathering, the next Technical Meeting was scheduled on 1-3 April in Rijeka.