MICE Destinations

Paris Gems

Posted on September 15, 2013

The amazing thing about Paris is that every time I travel there, I experience the city in a new way and see it in a new light. We were there just for the weekend and were lucky to have a great weather which allowed us to spend lots of time outside. This time, instead of spending time in the underground, we rented a bike and cycles through the city, stopping by the famous attractions such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the “Love Lock” bridge and the Louvre. We parked the bikes in one location and picked them up in another.

For a refreshment break we chose to go to the Angelina. Rumour says that that was the favourite place of Coco Chanel. They have an amazing signature drink, the hot chocolate and that was really delicious, I would definitely recommend! In addition we tried the signature dessert which was one of the best desserts I ever had!

That brings me to the next point, the food. I adore the cheeses in France. This time we just enjoyed having cheese and wine evenings and tried as many cheeses we possibly could.

Did you know that originally the Eiffel Tower was built for an exhibition, the Exposition Universelle? I prefer to climb it instead of taking the elevator, and preferably at night. That way, when you are on the top you have an amazing view over Paris by night (Very romantic as well! I’ve seen two marriage proposals!). Climbing up the tower can be also a great afternoon group activity and you can book a guided tour and even have a dinner there.

I am a big fan of hotel bars, mainly because I was working in hotels before and familiar with high standards of 5 star hotels and the good quality of products. Bar 8 at the Mandarin Oriental hotel is a great place for a small celebrations or an after work events. The bar has a beautiful set-up and exceptional and attentive service.

If you would like to explore Paris by foot, I can recommend you to start from Montmartre, maybe also have a breakfast of coffee there, and from there walk to Moulin Rouge and then to the Opera, finishing with shopping at the Galeries Lafayette.

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MICE Destinations

Heidelberg for Connaisseurs

Posted on August 28, 2013

I had the pleasure to join Susanne Fiek on one of the tours called “Culinary Ramble”. On the day it was a group of 20 young professionals from top consultancy firm who did the tour as an after work activity. The Culinary Ramble is a three hours experience, combining a city tour and a 3 course menu. The tour started at the Old Bridge where the “Ape” (more about it later in the inteview with Susanne) was waiting with chilled sparkling wine and snacks. While the guests were having their after work drink Susanne told about the history of Heidelberg and the castle, combining personal stories and making it entertaining. From there the tour followed into the old town, stopping by one building or another to tell the story, until we got to the first restaurant at the Hip hotel for the starter. Seated on three tables it gave the participants the opportunity for calm discussions and relaxation from the long day at work.

The tour continued to the Universitätsplatz where Susanne provided us with further interesting history facts and was attentive to answer all questions. Later the tour went along the beautiful narrow streets, accompanied with personal stories and recommendation for the time we want to come to Heidelberg again.

The tour ended at Marktplatz, just in front of the restaurant Roter Ochsen where we were to have the main course and dessert. Suddenly Susanne told us to look at the castle. At that moment the castle was lighted and that was one of the WOW moments to remember from Heidelberg.

I even couldn’t notice that the three hours were over. I don’t want to ruin you the experience, so I just say that there is an additional surprise on the way 😉

Interview with Susanne Fiek:

1. Can you tell about your company, how long it exists and

what brought you to start it?

I started out in 2002 when I have been a tour guide for two years. Every

guided tour, even when it was “just a regular” tour of the old town or the

castle should be special for the guests: an event, even small tour can be

one, so I named may company event & event..chen Heidelberg”– “event..chen”

for the fine and small ones… J Individual, informative and – most important:

it should not be a lecture but humorous and entertaining as well!

2. Why do you think Heidelberg is attractive for business travel

(e.g. incentives) and which of your tours would you recommend

for corporate groups?

Heidelberg is attractive for all kind of travels… ;-), but especially for

business travels because the city and its very close by surroundings offer

almost every possibility which make incentives good ones.

event..chen´s “highlight” is the “Culinary Ramble” through the Old Town of

Heidelberg. The idea came more than ten years ago when I met a group, guests

of one the big companies of the region, who had been working all day in a

seminar. They were scheduled for dinner in town but before the organizers

wanted to present them with a guided tour of the city. Even though

interested in Heidelberg they were first of all interested to relax the

first time after work. My idea was: greet them, welcome them and offer them

a drink – simple but just perfect. Water, a regional Secco, salty snacks

plus talk about regional food specialities, the fame of Heidelberg and

anecdotes. Choice of the courses take place along the way (we also account

for vegetarians, vegans and food intolerances!), further surprises follow

along the way.

3. First time I’ve seen your tour I noticed that a mini- van

accompanied the tour. Can you tell more about the concept?

The little van is an “Ape” from Piaggio (means bee in Italian). We

acquired it to more flexible on our tours: we have water, champagne, glasses

and all you need for a unique special surprise reception in the trunk.

Because the Ape is so small we can go almost everywhere and hold the

receptions where our guests want to be.

4. In your opinion, what are the two or three places someone must

visit when in Heidelberg on a short trip?

Definitely the castle!!! A must! A stroll through the old town and its

picturesque alleys. The historic “Studentenkarzer” and the Old University

Building as well as the University Library´s first floor exhibitions.

And: if you feel like taking a little hike: climb up to the Philosophers

Walk!

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MICE Destinations

Swiss MICE Destinations And My Volunteering Experience

Posted on August 21, 2013

I started my events career in Switzerland, where I volunteered on several tourism and sporting events and had the chance to visit other professional and leisure exhibitions. Besides discovering the passion for events, volunteering gave me the opportunity to explore many of the Swiss MICE destinations and network with industry professionals.

The Swiss MICE destinations can be classifies into three categories:

Cities – such as Zürich, Geneva

Mountain destinations/ resorts – such as Zermatt, Gstaad

Regions – such as Wallis, Lake Geneva

Looking back I can say that volunteering was a very enriching experience. Firstly, if you don’t have any previous event experience, you can use this opportunity to boost your CV and network with other event professionals who may help you to get other jobs later on. Secondly, if you are not sure whether you would like to stay in the industry, volunteering will help you to figure out whether you like this industry and want to keep doing it. Last but not least, is the EXPERIENCE, for which the attendees travel hours to attend and you have the chance to work there! If you like working with people and you are passionate about the event, be it music, sports or an art event – just do it. Volunteering will bring you many positive emotions and you will meet interesting and inspiring people.

Cities

Zurich, Suisse EMEX 2011. Zurich is an international hub and hosts exhibitions throughout the year. One of my favorites is the SuissEMEX where you can find everything about marketing and live communication.

Geneva, Schweizer Ferientag 2011. The national tourism organization of Switzerland, Switzerland Tourism hosts every year an event for all the tourism professionals. Every year the event takes place in a different city or resort.

Basel, IGEHO 2009. IGEHO is an international exhibition for hotels and catering and takes place every two years. At the exhibition one can familiarize itself with the latest trends and attend speeches and demos. I had the chance to see the barmen competition. The exhibition takes place at the Messe Basel, which throughout the year hosts other big exhibitions, among others the jewelry exhibition Baselworld and Art Basel.

Montreux, Travel Trade Workshop 2009. Since few years the exhibition changed the concept to target German and French speaking visitors separately and now it takes place both in Lausanne and Zürich.

Mountain Destinations

St. Moritz, St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow 2010. Very exclusive event at top destination. The tournament takes place on a frozen lake.

Engadin Skimarathon 2010. One of the most memorable events I worked at. The atmosphere was just great.

Silvaplana, Engadinwind 2010. Having a big passion for sports, I visited the Engadinwind and had the chance to see top athletes perform incredible tricks on the water.

Regions

Lake Zürich. I had a tourism seminar in Rapperswil, a city near Zürich. During the seminar we got to travel all around Zürich lake to cities including Thalwil, Küsnacht and Pfäffikon (and the noted MICE hotel Seedamm Plaza). The region is absolutely gorgeous and I would love to come there again. Staying in a city on Zürich lake is perfect for someone who would like to be next to Zürich but avoid the hassle of a big city.

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MICE Destinations

Paris

Posted on August 18, 2013

Just back from Paris… such an amazing city! Every time I go there I discover it in new light. I promise to share with you some of Paris gems on the blog soon.

P.S.- did you know that originally the Eiffel Tower was built for an exhibition, the Exposition Universelle?

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Venues

MICE Hotel: Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut, Malaysia

Posted on August 10, 2013

One year ago I was invited to an incentive trip in Malaysia. The objectives of the trip were to bring company’s sales people from around the world together, educate and train them, visit company’s headquarter in Kuala Lumpur and last buy not least incentivise the employees who made good job in the past months. The trip was a combination of stay in Kuala Lumpur and in Lumut. More than 100 employees were invited on this trip and the resort which was chosen was the Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut.

The resort has controversial reviews because of the different target audience who stay there (families, couples, business), though I enjoyed the stay and found that the service and facilities met expectations (it was my first time in Malaysia). Discussion with the organisers has clarified the decision why they chose this resort- it is hard to find resorts in Malaysia for over 100 delegated, therefore the resort was chosen to facilitate the number of delegates.

Below I provide you my review of the resort.

Accessibility and Rooms

The resort is located on the seaside, though not on an island. The region is called Lumut and the closest island is Pangkor. If you arrive outside Malaysia most probably you will have to stay overnight in Kuala Lumpur and have a transfer the next day. The journey is around four hours.

The best way for the group transfer from Kuala Lumpur is by coach.

On the way to Lumut

The rooms were very spacious and clean though there is no proper table if you want to work on your emails. Also if you would like to use internet you would need to purchase the WiFi pass at the reception. During the stay there my day was filled with seminars and outdoor activities so I barely spent time in the room.

Welcome at the hotel

Food and Beverage

The food was amazing! A dining area was reserved for the group for breakfast and the breakfast varied every day. It included hot and cold dishes such as eggs, omelettes, fresh fruits and vegetables, cornflakes and pastry. While the breakfast was in the same hall, the dinner took place in different restaurants of the hotel. On the first night we had traditional meat fondue with live show. The following evening we had barbeque on the beach and the last night we had cultural night with live entertainment. It was good choice to introduce us the local food and culture. It was unforgettable experience.

Last but not least there were always refreshments during the seminar and bottles of water were provided.

Meat Fondue

Live show at the dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

BBQ

Traditional dinner

Live show at the dinner

Seminar Rooms and Technological Equipment

The room we used was set-up in cinema style seating, the speaker had a stage and could use power- point and microphone, though the latter was not necessary.

Around Hotel Attractions

The resort has its own golf place but we didn’t use it. Upon request it is possible to organise a boat day trip to Pangkor Island and other team building and outdoor incentive activities.

Boat day trip to Pangkor Island

The resorts doesn’t have a proper own beach, so we were taken to a neighbouring beach for swimming

Service

The hotel employees were very friendly, welcoming and attentive to any requests. Of course I got a sun burn after coming back from Pangkor Island and upon request they provided me with a cream to relieve my pain :).

Organising an event for over 100 delegates can be logistically challenging and therefore I think this resort was a very good choice. The overall experience was very good and I can definitely recommend it. The ideal stay would be 2 – 3 nights and could be best combined with 2-3 night stay in Kuala Lumpur.

If you stayed at the hotel for business or you are an event planner organising incentives in this hotel, please share your comments and experience below.

Photos: The MICE Blog

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