Author: Charlotte Gill

Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul blends Asian and Turkish hospitality

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

The rising popularity of Istanbul, together with a budding MICE, business and leisure travel segment in the area, has encouraged major names in the tourism industry to try their hand at what remains a largely untapped opportunity. Chief among these is the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul, which became the first Asian brand in the capital to introduce a unique blend of authentic Asian and Turkish hospitality when it opened its doors two years ago.

The increasing popularity of Istanbul is reflected in the rising levels of demand seen among the MICE, business and leisure travel sectors, in which a wide range of flight options, facilitated namely by Turkish Airlines (named Europe’s Best Airline by Skytrax in 2014), has increased opportunities in Istanbul for any number of international meetings. Once a little-known destination for business travel, the city now stands out as a key hub of operations, due largely to its authentic history and culture, unique attractions, high quality of service, technology and – ultimately – good value for money.

MICE organisers looking for customisation and general quality of service are warming to the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul as a place for the ideal stopover

Global expansion
Based in the Besiktas district and bordering on the western edge of the city, the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul’s focus on outstanding service is expertly delivered by a team of over 350 employees, along with several project teams whose goal it is to ensure every detail is accounted for over any one client’s stay.

In the short space of time since the hotel opened in May 2013, those working at the hotel have turned the establishment into one of the region’s best-loved stopovers. Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul has since hosted an abundance of upscale corporate and social conferences, and welcomed a range of leading industry names. For example, in only the past 12 months, Ferrari, Apple, McKinsey, Chanel, Christian Dior, BMW and the Borussia Dortmund football team have all enjoyed a stay.

Having long maintained a strong presence on the Asian continent, the Shangri-La brand eventually expanded to Europe. Today it is spread across three key destinations: the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris was the first to open its doors in Europe, followed closely by Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul in 2013. In May 2014, Shangri-La Hotel, London – located on the 34th to 52nd floors of the capital’s iconic Shard building – opened to the public.

Strategically positioned to host businesses from the Middle East, Europe or Asia, Istanbul ranks as one of the most preferred destinations for business and leisure travellers alike – hence why it was named the most popular destination in the world by TripAdvisor in its sixth annual Travellers’ Choice Awards 2014.

Boasting a wide range of direct flight options, beautiful sights, high-class services and a number of unique events venues, Istanbul’s high standing among business travellers is well deserved. As a result, the city has fast become a leading destination for international meetings.

Prime location
Carrying the key values of the Shangri-La brand and its lifelong philosophy of ‘Shangri-La Hospitality from a caring family’, Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul’s ambition is to bolster its strengths and expand upon the products and services currently on offer. Besides its prime location on the Bosphorus, where it is situated within easy reach of near enough any significant business or leisure spot in the region, the hotel’s facilities and services are each underpinned by high standards of hospitality. Service remains the cornerstone of the hotel’s commitments.

Certain procedures have been put in place to prepare any guest for a perfect welcome, namely by the hotel ensuring that it has gathered as many relevant pieces of information as possible about the visitor prior to their arrival. A hotel representative welcomes those who have opted for a transfer at the airport and, upon arrival at the hotel, the Guest Relations team welcomes the client and leads them directly to their room for an in-room check-in and special welcome tea.

In addition to its superb location within the city and at the crossroads of the emerging corporate world, the hotel’s facilities and services have been created in such a way that they are by far the best choice for business travellers in and around the region. Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul offers more rooms overlooking the Bosphorus than the competition, and is also the closest hotel to its idyllic blue waters. What’s more, Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul is also the only hotel in the city to own a Rolls-Royce that can be rented by hotel guests for transfers to the airport or trips to their business meetings. Add into the mix the option to dine at Shang Palace, the only authentic Chinese-Cantonese restaurant in Turkey, and the reasons for the hotel’s success are clear.

However, the Bosphorus is far from simply a preferred destination for business trips. The region itself plays host to a number of key international names: in a country where internet business is booming, the Bosphorus has attracted all manner of talent within this sector and today plays host to a thriving digital economy. It’s up to those in the travel and tourism industry, therefore, to ensure that this same accommodating environment is open to businesses that are just visiting.

The hotel offers magnificent views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus
The hotel offers magnificent views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus

Distinctive standards
Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul offers state-of-the art, customised services that cater to the very highest levels of international business. The Shangri-La ballroom, for example, is widely recognised as the most beautiful such space in the region, and has fast become the preferred spot in the city for meetings. The hotel’s nine other meeting rooms, which are conveniently located on the same floor, and its spacious pre-function room, which is able to cater for up to 1,000 people, closely follow behind it.

All venues feature state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, large plasma display units, LCD and direct projectors, satellite and teleconferencing facilities, and simultaneous translation systems available upon request. Complimentary high speed internet in guest rooms as well as meeting rooms and public areas serves to satisfy the needs of business travellers, for whom the priority is to have superb connectivity throughout their stay.

This commitment to bringing distinctive Asian standards of hospitality to guests stands fast as a cornerstone of the business, and – complemented by a flexible approach to meet any client’s needs, no matter how unique – the hotel has succeeded in setting its services far apart from the competition. Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul has all the ingredients needed to make for an accommodating yet business-minded stopover, and can be enjoyed in a most comfortable and unique atmosphere by professionals on the road.

Corporate clients are constantly seeking value-for-money propositions, though without compromising on quality. Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul’s unique experience in the industry has shown that this segment craves value-added benefits and values technology as a crucial point in their selection criteria. Corporate clients and MICE organisers looking for customisation and general quality of service are warming to the Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul as a place for the ideal stopover.

Citymax Hotels Al Barsha shines a light on Dubai

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Citymax Hotels, a key component of Landmark Group’s hospitality division, offers the facilities and services of a four-star hotel at three-star prices. Defining itself as a hi-tech revolution in business hospitality, Citymax Hotels currently operates three hotels in Dubai, all of which are designed to exclude the unnecessary frills that typically increase the price of an overnight stay. The brand’s primary aim is for its properties to redirect savings to guests without sacrificing comfort, design or functionality.

A different league
The company’s distinguishing trait is first and foremost its modern elegance and polished style. The overall design of the hotels creates a contemporary appeal, ensuring functionality and simplicity. Deliberately unostentatious, the style of the hotels ensures a modern and accommodating environment that openly expresses Citymax’s core belief of offering value for money.

[C]itymax’s primary aim is for its properties to redirect savings to guests without sacrificing comfort, design or functionality

Citymax Hotels offers high-end facilities that would ordinarily be found in a five-star resort, including 24-hour room service, free Wi-Fi across the hotel, full concierge services, a full buffet breakfast, complimentary tea and coffee facilities, free shuttles to beaches and shopping centres, first-rate gym facilities and a swimming pool. Offering such amenities at reasonable, three-star prices without ever compensating on quality or service places Citymax in a completely different bracket to that of your standard midmarket hotel.

Household names
In any hotel, food and drink is a key driver behind the entire guest experience, with a good or bad meal easily shaping the guest’s perception of the hotel as a whole. Recognising that the quality and variety of restaurant choice is becoming an increasingly important factor to the discerning traveller, Citymax Hotels has set itself the unprecedented challenge of offering fine dining facilities in its three-star hotels. While this was not a simple task, after only three years the company is witnessing steady growth, with consistently high room occupancy rates and ever-increasing popularity of restaurants and bars across the group.

The standard all-day restaurant, which is often the only dining facility available in midmarket hotels, has been subsidised across all Citymax hotels. The company offers a variety of restaurants and bars in every one of its properties, thereby enabling the brand to cater for a much wider audience. It has succeeded in carving out a firm, but niche, position within the highly competitive dining-out market in Dubai, where the Citymax dining establishments now exist as independent brands: they hold identities so strong that they have successfully become household names within the local community.

Cost-conscious travellers
The profile of a typical traveller expected to visit the Middle East in the future is becoming harder to define. With a larger number of visitors now on tighter budgets, the region has seen a rise in economy-class travellers seeking out low travel costs. Citymax has been working hard to fill such a gap in the market within this particularly affluent region.

As such, Citymax Hotels is witnessing a rapidly increasing number of bookings from such business travellers. Those looking for a good deal in a central city location, without compromising on the comforts and services to which they have become accustomed, are turning to the group for their reasonably priced corporate travel requirements. Citymax, therefore, has developed a keen understanding of the needs of the modern traveller: ensuring that its hotels are clean, spacious and contemporary, Citymax also offers complimentary Wi-Fi as standard and has created a mobile-responsive website that is ideal for those booking travel while on the move.

The group has also found that such demand is increasing due to the increased presence of budget airlines in the region. In the first quarter of 2014, passenger traffic rose by 11.4 percent to a record 18.36 million travellers, making Dubai’s airports the busiest in the world for the very first time.

Maxx Music Bar & Grill at Citymax Al Barsha offers live music and an exciting atmosphere
Maxx Music Bar & Grill at Citymax Al Barsha offers live music and an exciting atmosphere

Impressive portfolio
The company’s portfolio currently boasts three properties. Citymax Hotels Bur Dubai, the largest of the three with 691 rooms, is situated in the heart of Dubai’s historical district. Located close to the Khalid Bin Walid metro station, the thriving Karama shopping and restaurant district, and only a short taxi ride from Dubai Mall – the world’s largest shopping centre – Citymax Bur Dubai serves as the first choice for those wishing to spend their money in Dubai’s luxury shops, rather than on its hotels.

The hotel’s dining portfolio includes Claypot restaurant, which won the 2014 BBC Good Food Award for Best Casual Indian Restaurant. Guests can also enjoy Pan-Asian cuisine at Sizzling Wok, relaxed dining and entertainment at The Huddle Sports Bar & Grill, or catch up with friends and colleagues at the more casual City Café and Lavazza coffee shop.

Across the city, adjacent to the Mall of the Emirates, Citymax Hotels Al Barsha attracts both business and leisure travellers to its 376 rooms. The hotel is ideally situated in close proximity to Dubai Media City, the region’s largest media hub, as well as to Jumeirah Beach Residence and The Walk; two of Dubai’s premier lifestyle destinations. Citymax Al Barsha’s dining facilities include The Huddle Sports Bar & Grill, Maxx Music Bar & Grill, City Café, and the Lavazza coffee shop.

Citymax Hotels Sharjah is located near the world-renowned Sharjah Gold Centre, as well as the city’s traditional souks. In close proximity to both the Dubai and Sharjah international airports, the hotel features 239 guestrooms as well as a selection of flexible meeting rooms. It too features a Sizzling Wok restaurant and City Café.

In the pipeline
Citymax Hotels is now planning to expand its position within the midmarket segment of the United Arab Emirates’ hotel industry. Additional rooms are desperately needed within the three-star category, and so the hotel group already has three new properties planned for Al Barsha, Business Bay and Ras Al Khaimah. These new properties are all in various stages of construction, but are all scheduled for completion between 2016 and 2017. The addition of these new hotels will bring the brand’s total inventory up to around 2,000 rooms.

2014 saw Citymax Hotels enjoying a string of achievements, including winning several awards. This success then continued in 2015, with the Al Barsha hotel having been voted the Best Budget Accommodation Provider, Dubai in the Business Destinations Travel Awards. Russel Sharpe, COO of Citymax Hotels, says, “Winning such a renowned travel award is not just an endorsement of quality but also a guarantee of excellence for the hotel guests, and we are delighted to have won.”

Citymax Hotels’ other recent awards include the 2014 World Travel Award for the Middle East’s Leading Budget Hotel Brand, the MENA Travel Award 2014 for Best Price Value Hotel, and the Tatweej Academy for Excellence Award for Best Budget Hotel 2014.

Pullman Sao Paulo: state-of-the-art convenience

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, has an impressive presence across 92 countries worldwide. With more than 3,700 hotels to its name and over 480,000 rooms in total, Accor’s broad portfolio of hotel brands – including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Grand Mercure, Mercure, Aparthotels Adagio, ibis and hotelF1 – provides an extensive choice of accommodation ranging from budget to luxury. Employing more than 170,000 people worldwide, and with a new Accor hotel opening somewhere in the world every two days, the group’s impressive history and admirable standing within the hotel industry allows it to provide its clients and partners with nearly 45 years of knowhow and hospitality expertise.

An extensive range of personalised services is just one part of the innovative and efficient experience that is offered to Pullman guests

Warm welcome
With hotels and resorts across Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, Accor’s Pullman brand caters for international customers and seasoned business travellers from all across the globe. Situated at the very heart of most major cities and tourist destinations, Pullman hotels are an executive lifestyle brand of accommodation; a new variety of hotels specially designed for a generation of guests who travel frequently and are more connected than ever.

Designed by Roberto Candusso, Hotel Pullman Sao Paulo International Airport boasts an exquisite glass dome as its main architectural feature. Both greatly enhancing the appearance and environment of the hotel and providing vast amounts of natural light to the hotel – thereby drastically reducing the building’s energy consumption – the dome is an inspired piece of design that further adds to the sophisticated atmosphere of the resort.

A warm and professional team is on hand to welcome each and every guest upon arrival. An extensive range of personalised services is just one part of the innovative and efficient experience that is offered to Pullman guests, whether they are staying for business or for leisure. The Pullman brand offers total connectivity throughout all of its hotels with its extensive hi-tech in-room facilities, as well as its exceptional meetings and conferences services: each corporate event booking includes access to the hotel’s expert teams and contacts, including its IT solutions manager.

The hotel's glass dome foyer, designed by Roberto Candusso
The hotel’s glass dome foyer, designed by Roberto Candusso

Small details
Pullman Sao Paulo, with its combination of high-quality amenities, traditional décor and a cosmopolitan ambience, has become one of the city’s key locations for business and social events. The hotel’s focus on exemplary service, wherein the smallest details are taken into account in order to create a truly refined environment, has seen it ranked as the destination of choice for international business travellers visiting the city. For three consecutive years since 2012, the hotel has been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Conveniently situated near the São Paulo International Airport, 30 minutes away from the city’s financial district and only 20 minutes from Tatuapé metro station, which provides access to the city’s east-west transit line, Pullman Sao Paulo is ideally located to suit those travelling on business. Free transfers are available between the airport and the hotel, making for a quick and easy check-in and checkout process. Other valuable hotel services include free internet across the resort, a swimming pool, a multi-sports outdoor court, and a luxury spa and fitness centre.

Ideal location
Pullman Sao Paulo is also located only 21km away from the biggest convention centre in São Paulo; the Parque Anhembi. Perfect for meetings or business events with more than 2,000 attendees, the hotel’s close proximity to one of the largest convention locations in Latin America makes it ideal for those travelling to the city on business.

However, more convenient still is the hotel’s own impressive convention and business centre. With an expansive floor space of 470sq m., the centre has a total capacity of 650 seats and can be easily adapted into multiple different formations in order to cater for any kind of event: seminars of up to 10 people are easily accommodated for in the venue’s smaller meeting rooms, while weddings and larger conventions can be hosted in the combined Sao Paulo rooms. Ample natural daylight is a key feature of the hotel’s two main meeting rooms, which can each accommodate up to 50 people.

The centre’s Connectivity Lounge offers private meeting rooms, computers, telephones, scanners, broadband internet and a wide variety of general office services, with the hotel also offering superb catering services for key events. The expertise of the hotel’s event manager is also included with every booking, offering support during all aspects of planning and execution in order to ensure that every event is handled with creativity and precision.

Something for everyone
Every area of the hotel is styled with luxury and sophistication in mind. Pullman Sao Paulo has 377 guest rooms and suites, all of which come with soundproof windows, interactive cable television, free Wi-Fi access, a safe and a Nespresso coffee machine. The hotel also has 190 additional twin rooms, as well as ample parking space.

The selection of first-class restaurants at Pullman Sao Paulo draw upon a variety of international cuisines, designed to serve the needs and tastes of the hotel’s assorted clientele.

The hotel offers guest luxurious facilities whether they are visiting on business or for leisure
The hotel offers guest luxurious facilities whether they are visiting on business or for leisure

The hotel’s Open Kitchen restaurant lets guests watch as their food is cooked by professional chefs, while buffet-style Amaranto allows visitors to select their favourite dishes from a vast selection of different cuisines for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Additionally, Agraz restaurant offers an exquisite menu designed by internationally renowned Spanish chef Victor Hugo. With a focus on producing appealing dishes with a mixture of national and international influences, the restaurant’s relaxed atmosphere makes it the perfect location for any business meal. Finally, the hotel’s lobby bar, located on the ground floor, offers a wide selection of teas, coffees, wines, light snacks and pastries. Open until late, the bar provides a comfortable environment in which to have drinks with friends or work colleagues.

Relaxation packages
Pullman Sao Paulo also offers an extensive range of leisure and recreational activities, designed to ensure guest relaxation and to allow visitors to feel comfortable and at home during their stay. While the hotel’s impressive fitness facilities – including an expansive fitness suite, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool and bicycle hire facilities – allow guests to continue with their daily fitness regimes as if they were at home, the hotel’s hot tub and wet and dry saunas give travellers the opportunity to feel indulged and tranquil. This Fit & Spa Lounge, which is complete with a menu of multiple massage treatments and other relaxation packages, is situated on the 10th floor of the hotel, coming complete with gorgeous views of the lake and the surrounding city.

Swiss Diamond Hotel Prishtina promotes health and wellbeing

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Although traditional tourism outlets have largely overlooked the destination in the past, Kosovo boasts a rich history within the travel industry. It is now fast becoming a focal point for the continent’s budding wellness tourism sector. Complete with many and varied sites of natural, cultural and historical significance, discerning travellers – particularly those in the wellness bracket – are beginning to wake up to the destination’s appeal.

Wellness facilities
Leading the pack is Swiss Diamond Hotel Prishtina, whose decision to launch its own Wellness, Health and Spa Centre is closely in keeping with wider developments in the travel and tourism industry. As one of the most luxurious centres in the region and beyond, Swiss Diamond Hotel has been voted Best Business Hotel, Kosovo and Best Luxury Hotel, Kosovo in the 2015 Business Destinations Travel Awards; a result of it providing outstanding spa treatments and fitness facilities that promote health, beauty and wellbeing. Its luxury setting ensures that guests can leave their worries behind and focus on living a healthy lifestyle.

The hotel has succeeded by giving its all to meet each and every client’s needs

Equipped with a range of state-of-the-art facilities, the hotel comes complete with an infrared sauna, Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, ice cave, salt room, whirlpool jacuzzi and steam bath. The Health and Medical Centre also offers a number of unique and highly specialised treatments: the hotel’s Raylife formula, for example, is designed to offer the utmost in quality for all face and body treatments, including radio frequency and anti-cellulite solutions. Additionally CoolSculpting, the newest and most sophisticated machine for fat cell removal, makes for the visible reduction of fat with zero discomfort and no known side effects. Add to that surgical laser treatments such as microdermabrasion, chemical peeling, plasma treatments, botox and fillers, all of which frequently attract VIPs from around the world, and it is evident that the range and quality of the services on offer is without rival in the region.

Industry growth
Wellness tourism offers growth opportunities worldwide, with Kosovo being no exception. Many travellers today express a keen desire to keep up with their healthy habits when away for business or pleasure, and it is for this reason that Swiss Diamond Hotel decided to launch its Wellness, Health and Spa Centre. Having identified that some people are beginning to travel primarily for wellness purposes, a lot of effort and investment has gone into creating one of the best wellness and health centres in the region.

The quality of the products and services on offer has succeeded in raising guest numbers at the hotel, with many choosing to visit the establishment specifically to make use of the centre. Add into the mix the fact that the typical wellness traveller tends to be willing to spend more money than the average tourist, and the reasons for why Swiss Diamond Hotel has chosen to focus on this area become clear.

With wellness ranking high as one of the more important values held by its customers, the hotel has succeeded by giving its all to meet each and every client’s needs. By offering clients luxurious rooms, high-quality meals, well-equipped health and fitness facilities, a relaxation centre and various other wellness and beauty treatments, Swiss Diamond Hotel has realised its grand ambitions to make every client feel happy and eager to return.

Swiss Diamond Hotel has differentiated itself from other hotels in the region by focusing its business on visitor preferences. The emergence of wellness tourism as a clear industry trend has prompted the establishment to boost its competencies in this area – whether they be a cultural, sports or ecotourist, Kosovo and the surrounding region has a lot to offer to its guests.

Meliá Hotels International Cuba

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

2015 will see Meliá Hotels International celebrating a quarter of a century of offering hospitality excellence in Cuba. Now operating 27 accommodation options across eight high-profile tourist destinations, Meliá Hotels International was the first company to sign a management and marketing contract for hotels on the island. As far as the number of establishments and individual rooms is concerned, the Spanish hospitality group is currently the leading international company in the sector.

Welcoming business
Its 25 years in the industry have seen Meliá promoting the attractions of the Cuban archipelago to a global audience, and in doing so introducing several new segments to the region that have helped to diversify its tourist options; including weddings and honeymoons, wellness retreats, golf courses, water activities and meetings, conferences and incentives. The latter in particular has proven extremely popular with travellers across the globe. The Department of Meetings and Events by Meliá Hotels International Cuba was set up to capture, negotiate and encourage growth in the segment, as well as to provide efficient and attractive services at every destination where a Meliá hotel is present.

The Department of Meetings and Events by Meliá Hotels International Cuba was set up to capture, negotiate and encourage growth in the segment

The company has a portfolio of hotels and resorts that are recommended for event, incentive and tourism groups in Havana and Santiago de Cuba – the country’s two most influential cities – as well as at the famous Varadero beach, the coast of Holguín and the Keys of Cayo Largo del Sur, Cayo Santa María, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo. These establishments boast welcoming areas for business meetings and social gatherings alike; from gardens and terraces to multi-purpose function rooms to suit a wide range of different formats. Each hotel boasts facilities that are standardised across the Meliá brand, ensuring that regardless of the choice of venue, guests will be guaranteed the same consistently high standard that Meliá is known for.

Each event is supported by state-of-the-art audiovisual and communication technology. Wireless internet is available throughout the events venues, guest rooms and common areas of the majority of the brand’s hotels. Additionally, Meliá Hotels offers the services of its team of professional events planners, who coordinate each detail of the occasion in order to ensure complete success, as well as the services of the hotel’s catering staff, who can provide varied and flexible menus ranging from celebration banquets to light refreshments to suit the mood and requirements of each individual event.

Relaxing settings at one of the company's hotels
Relaxing settings at one of the company’s hotels

Leading facilities
The opening of Meliá Marina Varadero in 2013 saw the Meliá Hotels International brand becoming home to the largest function room in Cuba. With a floor space totalling over 650sq m, the convention centre can be easily split into five smaller rooms for more intimate gatherings. Additionally, the latest addition to the hotel group, Meliá Jardines del Rey, has a meetings and events centre with a total area of 570sq m. This space can be divided into two smaller rooms, both of which have direct access to the hotel lobby, an outdoor area suitable for cocktails, coffee breaks and evening socialising, and several other multipurpose spaces. This new hotel offers 1,176 luxurious guest rooms distributed among 25 secluded buildings, guaranteeing privacy and tranquility against glorious sea views.

Meliá Hotels International Cuba prides itself on its extensive knowledge of and dedication to the groups, conferences and functions sector. Attesting that business can and should be combined with leisure, the group has ensured that professional commitments and recreational social events can seamlessly coexist on an island that is renowned for its attractions, hospitality and friendliness. Anyone who wishes to hold a meeting, gain customer loyalty, motivate staff or promote sales through an exciting and rewarding incentives trip will find some of the best options available in the industry available
from Meliá Hotels.

For further information email: meeting@meliacuba.com

Tallinn

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Generally considered to be a recently emergent European city, Tallinn is in fact one of the oldest capitals on the continent. First mentioned in history books in 1154, the capital of Estonia has been a meeting point and cultural melting pot since the days of Viking traders. Its spectacular Old Town – the best preserved medieval settlement of its kind in northern Europe – has secured the city a coveted place as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

Attracting attention
A rapidly developing and remarkably diverse city, Tallinn has a proud history of technical advancement that stems from its aptitude for innovation. Several of the city’s former industrial districts and sleepy urban areas have now established themselves as thriving communities, resourcefully using their own architectural legacy and cultural areas to attract locals and tourists alike. A modern business district in the city centre now completes Tallinn as a charming blend of old and new.

Tallinn is widely recognised as one of the world’s most technologically orientated cities, offering cutting-edge solutions adopted by few other capitals

Tallinn is widely recognised as one of the world’s most technologically orientated cities, offering cutting-edge solutions adopted by few other capitals. Its innovative online services include its e-government and e-banking initiatives, as well as mobile parking. The city’s airport, hotels, restaurants and public parks all guarantee free public Wi-Fi access, laying the foundation as one of the world’s most tech-savvy populations – while simultaneously being one of the most peaceful capitals in Europe.

Local diversity
The city’s food culture harnesses the very finest flavours that the four seasons have to offer, providing fresh and locally grown ingredients throughout the year. A vast spectrum of cuisines is covered across Tallinn’s restaurants, from traditional Estonian gastronomy to much more modern fare. This is a city that is devoted to food and celebrates fine dining throughout the year with its multiple food festivals, including Tallinn Restaurant Week and Restaurant Festival.

The city also provides diverse options for holding conferences. All of Tallinn’s largest conference venues are located within the city’s central area, close to the Old Town, airport and harbour, and are within walking distance of one another. Such convenience allows for more diverse programmes, with transportation requirements eliminated and opportunities for uniting venues seemingly endless. The number of international conferences hosted in Tallinn over recent years has shown an annual growth indicative of the city’s readiness to host a variety of key events.

Tallinn’s array of conference venues date from between the 13th and 21st centuries, with each offering state-of-the-art technological equipment, quality services and a hospitable environment. One of the most architecturally significant locations is the Seaplane Harbour: built in 1916 and renovated in 2012, this maritime museum can accommodate receptions for up to 1,700 guests. Nordea Concert Hall is another city favourite, offering cinema halls as breakout rooms and a main hall with seating for 1,830 guests.

Surprising versatility
Although small in size, the city’s versatility creates a wide range of possibilities for unforgettable incentives. Situated in the Gulf of Finland, allowing visitors to stroll along the idyllic seaside paths or taking sailing trips to the nearby islands, Tallinn’s fascinating history means that there is rarely a dull moment to be had. Untouched nature and an assortment of beautiful manor houses are just a 15-minute drive outside of the city, offering the perfect destination for a unique gathering.

Tallinn has excellent daily flight connections from central European airports and Scandinavia. The city’s airport is small and tranquil, allowing for stress-free arrivals and departures only 10 minutes away from the city centre. While also offering fantastic value for money, with an array of five-star venues offering services at four-star prices, the convenience and friendliness of this diverse, green city make it a truly ideal location for meetings and incentives.

For further information visit visittallinn.ee/convention

Ellington Hotel Berlin

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

The German capital has long been making a name for itself as a young, dynamic and cosmopolitan city at the heart of the European continent. Constantly re-inventing itself, the city has a reputation for repurposing buildings into multifunctional venues, making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world. With its exceptional national and international travel connections, numerous hotels and some truly special events venues, Berlin is an international hub for conventions and trade fairs – a crucial industry on the back of which the entire city continues to thrive.

According to the latest congress statistics from the visitBerlin convention office, 2014 saw over 11 million people participating in more than 131,000 events. More than seven million hotel bookings stem from the convention business each year – a quarter of all hotel stays in the capital.

Berlin is an international hub for conventions and trade fairs – a crucial industry on the back of which the entire city continues to thrive

Top ranking destination
Since 2004, Berlin has been consistently ranked among the top four most important convention locations for associations in the world by the International Congress & Convention Association. However, this is just one reason why international event planners continue to regard the city as a leading convention destination for their high-profile events and fairs, which have included Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA), International Green Week and Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB) in past years. Additionally, no other city in the world offers such an extensive range of unique locations – from the 368m-high TV Tower to the hangar of former Tempelhof Airport – alongside over 800 hotels. The Ellington Hotel Berlin is one of the city’s most popular hotels, providing modern décor and state-of-the-art meetings and events facilities that can accommodate up to 800 participants.

Centrally located in City West, between the elegant Kurfürstendamm Boulevard, Berlin Zoo and the famous KaDeWe department store, the Ellington Hotel Berlin is the perfect destination for international event planners with the very highest expectations. The hotel’s magnificent architecture, which dates from the 1920s, has monument-protected status, making it one of the most recognisable structures in the area.

Guaranteeing a room to suit everyone, the Ellington Hotel offers 285 elegant rooms and suites ranging in size from 22sq m to 640sq m. Every room offers modern facilities, including wireless internet access and air-conditioning, as well as extensive natural daylight.

The reception at Ellington Hotel Berlin
The reception at Ellington Hotel Berlin

Unique incentives
The Ellington Hotel prides itself on its capacity for creating truly memorable events. Its experienced events team offers advice and support for preparing the right programme for conferences, meetings, banquets and galas. Recognising that modern communication equipment, stage facilities and media technology are essential for any successful event, the hotel’s specialists provide competent advice as well as hands-on technical support to guarantee the smooth running of any occasion.

Additionally, the Ellington Hotel Berlin offers a range of exciting venues that entice planners from the world over: events in the hotel’s wine vault (an original, perfectly maintained vault storing over 300 wines), private meetings in its modern conference suites, team events in the summer garden, cookery classes in its buffet restaurant, fashion shows and product presentations in the prestigious Hall Femina, and culinary receptions in the award-winning Duke restaurant are just some of the exclusive opportunities on offer for those planning an event at the Ellington Hotel.

Event planners also appreciate the ideal location of the hotel. Its close proximity to many of the city’s finest sights allow even the shortest business trips to include some downtime. Just a few steps from the hotel lobby is one of the most famous shopping locations in Berlin – the Kurfürstendamm Boulevard – and the beautiful Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Countless other interesting sights, culinary hotspots and exciting nightlife locations are also within walking distance of the hotel.

South San Francisco Conference Center: the ultimate event space

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Situated north of San Francisco International Airport and only 15 minutes away from Silicon Valley, the South San Francisco Conference Center offers an ideal location for doing business in. Equipped with some of the world’s most advanced business technology, superb green credentials and a team possessing impressive local knowledge, it is unsurprising that the centre has been voted Best Meetings and Conference Centre, North America in the 2015 Business Destinations Travel Awards.

First for business
The centre’s ideal location is perfectly matched by its exceptional transport links. Complimentary parking is available, as well as a free weekday shuttle to and from the South San Francisco BART station and CalTrain station. In the area surrounding the centre, visitors have access to over 3,000 hotel rooms and motel lodgings, making it the perfect destination for those arriving from outside of California.

The centre’s ideal location is perfectly matched by its exceptional transport links

Additionally, the centre’s attentive team is more than happy to assist with group bookings, ranging from organising group accommodation to overseeing the set-up and running of crucial functions. Offering highly competitive rates for these top-quality services, which include technical assistance and customised requests, the South San Francisco Conference Centre strives to ensure that all its events run smoothly and successfully.

Steps ahead
One of the key drivers behind the centre’s ability to organise and host extraordinary events is its range of facilities and technologies. The centre boasts 20,500sq ft of flexible meeting space, including a dramatic and well-lit glass atrium, which serves as the perfect pre-function meeting location. The centre also offers a further 3,600sq ft of pre-function space surrounding its magnificent ballroom. This Grand Ballroom can be divided into as many as 10 meeting rooms, while the Baden Room can be halved or expanded with the addition of the Oyster Point Room. All meeting rooms are soundproofed and, uniquely, vehicles can even enter the ballroom, creating the potential for motor shows and other larger displays.

Projection Presentation Technology has been the preferred in-house audio-visual provider for the centre since it opened in 1993. Audio systems for speakers, panels, musicians, video broadcasts and teleconferences are all available, as well as atmospheric staging and professional theatrical lighting. The facility also features wireless internet access throughout, with fibre-optic connectivity that can support even the most demanding client requirements.

In November 2011, the South San Francisco Convention Center became the first business in the region to earn The Bay Area Green Business Certification. Previously a warehouse, then a photo-processing lab, the building eventually became an empty eyesore at one of the major entryways to the city. In 1993 it was repurposed as a gleaming conference facility, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to environmental sustainability.

Diverse culture
San Francisco is known for its cultural offerings. With the conference centre located only 15 minutes away from the city’s thriving centre, there are plenty of things to see and do in between meetings: world-class shopping facilities, sports, arts, theatres, botanical gardens and multicultural neighbourhoods are just a few of the attractions on offer from the city that is known internationally for its inclusivity, diversity and culture.

Additionally, the city’s outstanding culinary offerings are not to be missed. Wide-ranging and catering for all tastes and cultures, the city’s reputation for providing excellent food precedes it. The South San Francisco Conference Center’s awareness of this citywide status has resulted in a keen interest in providing only the finest catering facilities for visitors: all foods are prepared onsite and comprise the freshest ingredients across a selection of high-quality, organic dishes. Conference planners prepare individual menus for each event, including refreshments during breaks and hors d’oeuvres for more casual occasions.

New Orleans

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Celebrated worldwide as a rare cultural melting pot, drawing influences from as far away as France and Latin America, New Orleans prides itself on its joie de vivre, which makes it one of the most vibrant, exciting and welcoming business destinations in North America.

The US’ Crescent City prides itself on giving its visitors a ‘lagniappe’ – a little something extra; a key feature of true southern hospitality. New Orleans’ distinctive, wide-ranging background and mixture of cultures makes it easy to weave the very spirit of the city into your business event, whether you plan to feature a second-line parade as part of your welcoming ceremony, or host a crawfish boil networking event to secure vital new connections.

New Orleans’ distinctive background and mixture of cultures makes it easy to weave the very spirit of the city into your business event

Cultural offerings
In addition to the city’s rich history and traditions, recent innovation and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem have earned New Orleans the nickname ‘the Silicon Bayou’. While continually maintaining its southern charm and exceptional flair for hospitality, the city has been named the coolest start-up city in the US by Inc.com, as well as the ‘biggest brain magnet’ by Forbes.

With more than 22,000 hotel rooms and dozens of other venues and cultural attractions available within the downtown area alone, New Orleans is one of the most navigable cities in the country. Visitors can walk from just about any hotel room in the city and, within mere minutes, find themselves on the threshold of some of the world-class restaurants and attractions that the city is known for.

A venue for everything
New Orleans gives businesses and event organisers the chance to reward their top performers with unforgettable team building experiences. Travellers can learn Cajun and creole recipes at one of the city’s cookery classes, or enjoy a cocktail walking tour in the city where the popular drink first originated. New Orleans and the surrounding area are home to award-winning pro-calibre golf courses and an Indy-style racing track, where visitors are able to take a Ferrari or a Lamborghini out for a spin.

The city’s relaxed ‘come as you are’ attitude means that it offers a significant number of exciting attractions, as well as unusual meeting places – from steamboats on the Mississippi River to Champions Square, a premier outdoor event space located just steps away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome; home to the NFL New Orleans Saints.

The Joy Theatre – which opened its doors in 1947 as one of only four movie theatres in the city – is a 10,000sq ft state-of-the-art facility that is able to host theatrical productions, weddings and a variety of other private parties. Elsewhere, Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, where craftsmen meticulously create carnival floats all year round, can accommodate groups of between 10 and 10,000 people. For a more relaxed environment, Fulton Alley is a boutique bowling alley that boasts the very latest technology, offering innovative, customisable lounge space only steps away from Harrah’s Casino and the city’s French Quarter.

Loosening ties
Once business hours are over, visitors should loosen their ties and head into the heart of the city to experience the live music that the Big Easy is known for. In the jazz capital of the world, it’s not uncommon to see colleagues networking through the night over a signature cocktail, café au lait or a world-famous beignet. The city’s renowned restaurants or an early music show on Frenchman Street are sure to impress any potential client during their visit to the city.

New Orleans is a hub of culture and innovation, and a leader in hosting groups of all sizes. Unique offerings, unmatched hospitality and a strong entrepreneurial spirit are just a few of the attractions that see conventions and businesspeople returning to the area year after year.

For further information tel:+1 800 672 6124, or visit neworleanscvb.com

United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Ethiopia is an immense, landlocked country situated in northeastern Africa. Its capital city, Addis Ababa, sits at the core of this impressive land, boasting a variety of cultural attractions and tourism hotspots. The name ‘Addis Ababa’ in Amharic translates to mean ‘new flower’ – and Ethiopia’s bustling capital city is indeed blossoming.

This is not merely due to the city’s array of exciting tourist attractions: it is also attributable to its extraordinary stock of landmark buildings and sites of historical and cultural significance. In particular, the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa (UNCC-AA) is an establishment that continues to draw in a wealth of international business travellers, with thousands of visitors arriving each year.

The conference centre prides itself on sitting at the heart of the planet’s international communication networks

Gathering leaders
Located in a secure compound, the UNCC-AA’s spacious and beautifully landscaped gardens provide an ideal setting for any manner of international conference or meeting. The centre has already hosted several high-level meetings, including the eighth annual Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, which saw the centre playing host to over 2,000 participants. Additionally, the UNCC-AA also expects to accommodate upward of 5,000 participants from across the world when it hosts the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development – the third such annual event, and one of the top global events expected to be held at the conference centre in 2015.

An assortment of influential world leaders have gathered in the UNCC-AA’s well-equipped meeting rooms over the course of its lifetime. Comprising two main convention halls, plus four conference rooms that can each host 114 people, the centre guarantees a convenient and appropriate location for any key event. The larger of the two conference halls is a prestigious venue, covering a total area of 1,200sq m and with a capacity of over 800 people. This layout has been configured in the past to host 300 heads of delegation from 56 states, as well as 300 additional delegates. The second conference hall is a medium-sized venue, which is capable of seating nearly 500 people. In addition to both of these expansive halls, the UNCC-AA offers a series of caucus rooms, some of which are capable of accommodating 50 people.

Covering every detail
UNCC-AA’s press centre and media services are guaranteed to meet every guest’s requirements: using Wi-Fi and closed-circuit televisions, the centre provides audio-visual coverage of proceedings in all halls and rooms, including online streaming of key areas through a seven-channel audio monitoring system. The centre also offers a six-language simultaneous interpretation system (plus floor language), along with electronic voting systems and discussion management technology.

Delegates are guaranteed to enjoy a wide variety of menus during their time at the centre, with all meals expertly prepared by a five-star luxury hospitality firm within the UNCC-AA’s own well-equipped kitchens. A wide selection of catering options – from champagne receptions to gala banquets – are on offer for every event.

The conference centre prides itself on sitting at the heart of the planet’s international communication networks – as such, further services offered by the UNCC-AA include a travel and ticketing office, communication counters, banking facilities and a post office. There is also a duty-free shop and a selection of other retailers that cater for every need, from daily basics to luxury goods. Furthermore, first aid, emergency and intensive care services are provided by the UN Health Care Centre within the complex, guaranteeing that every event will run smoothly and safely.

For further information tel: +251 155 149 45

Lust for rust: Csük on photography

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Artists have long looked to industrial landscapes for inspiration. While there is an obvious beauty in the shining facades of new factories, less-often examined is the value of industrial decay. In Jonathan Waldman’s new book, Rust: The Longest War, the author examines the destructive influence of rust and posits that the “great destroyer” might in fact be the most destructive natural disaster in the modern world. However, the contribution of the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-born photographer Alyssha Eve Csük suggests that decay can bring certain images – those that are otherwise lifeless – to life once more.

Entering a bygone site often feels analogous to what it might be like to enter a time capsule

Drawing on the famed Bethlehem steelworks site as her muse, Csük’s work brings to the fore bygone industrial settings, and asks that we re-examine our interpretation of decay as a destructive force. Business Destinations spoke to the photographer about her approach and the significance of the Bethlehem steelworks for her and the surrounding community.

Can you tell me a little about your involvement in Jonathan Waldman’s new book, Rust: The Longest War?
The book teaches a lot about rust, and perhaps you may appreciate, as I do, the characters who make a living combatting rust, for their diligence and tenacity coupled with their underlying calm and resilience – very much a parallel to how rust operates in and of itself.

My perception of rust is in contrast to all the other characters in the book: for them rust is a menace, causing many headaches and late nights. It is highly unlikely any of them would ever think of rust as being ‘beautiful’. Though, rust could quickly turn on me with the inherent risks that come with exploring bygone industry, and the one thing all the characters in the book – myself included – have in common is that it takes a force of character to make a living off of rust; whether it be to fight it or to seek it.

Why is it you’re drawn to subjects that embody ‘bygone industry’?
I feel that I am drawn to subjects that embody bygone industry on many levels. First, physically – from a photographic perspective, bygone industry provides a rich, textured environment, one that is unknown to many yet one that satisfies my adventurous spirit.

Secondly, entering a bygone site often feels analogous to what it might be like to enter a time capsule. Time is the quintessential character that always gets us deep at our core, and one that many creatives seek to arrest to one degree or another in their work. Being in these environments, I feel, affords the opportunity to get closer to time – at least, the ravages of time. My photographs of bygone industry pretty much embody the Japanese worldview of aesthetic, Wabi-Sabi – particularly the Sabi part, which means ‘the bloom of time’. It connotes the natural progression of an extinguished gloss that once sparkled. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear.

Lastly, another reason I am drawn to bygone industry, is that I am charmed by the industrial era – the design and form components, along with the history and, overall, a more simplistic way of life.

Where did this fascination for bygone industry begin?
My fascination with bygone industry actually began on a bike ride, on a warm November day, and the long afternoon shadows raking across the ruins caught my eye from a distance. I rode closer to the fence’s edge and stared into the abyss of the five remaining blast furnaces. In that moment I was drawn. I returned two days later with my camera and that was the beginning.

I read recently that you once fell through an unseen trough and were saved only by your camera bag.
Yes – there are many, many risks associated with my work. On that particular day, it was my camera bag and tripod that kept me from falling through the trough where the hot molten iron would flow, and onto the hot metal car below, from which I would have likely slid or possibly bounced off onto the ground below – approximately an 18ft drop. Though that was just the beginning of my coming face to face with the corrosive nature of rust.

Rusted floors, rusty objects and debris falling from above, vagrants, copper thieves, sharp protruding pieces of metal all around, weather conditions, and even wild animals – I have encountered all of these and more. Fortunately, I have always spotted vagrants and trespassers before they would see me, and if it did not seem safe to encounter them I would get out of the area without them knowing I was even there.

This is not something I pride myself on – it is something I am grateful for, as I have had numerous encounters with my life being at risk, and I’m fortunate to have survived them.

How would you describe your approach to photography?
I would describe my approach to photography as being more visceral than anything. Not that I don’t intellectualise about something before I go out and shoot, but I do not need an intellectual idea to compel me to explore something with my camera.

Can you tell me about the history of Bethlehem’s steelworks and what significance it has in the community?
The steelworks in Bethlehem blew its first furnace during the American Civil War. Then called the Bethlehem Iron Company, it was a manufacturer of wrought iron railroad rails, and in 1873 the company began making steel inside a building designed to look like an industrial cathedral.

To stay alive amidst tough competition, the company diversified into niche markets and later, in the early twentieth century – under the new name of Bethlehem Steel Corporation – grew spectacularly as orders for their recently introduced wide-flanged beam went into skyscrapers. Shells, artillery, and other defence orders kept the plant humming during World War I, and World War II resulted in the employment of approximately 30,000 people at this plant and many more at additional properties.

The steelworks in Bethlehem was the ‘home plant’ of the corporation. As such, when competitor plants of similar vintage and those in uneconomical inland locations were shuttered in the 1970s, Bethlehem endured. The end of hot metal operations finally came in 1995 when the last blast furnace was blown out.

However, Bethlehem Steel did not give up on the site. Instead, it initiated a historically minded redevelopment effort that has led to the preservation of the blast furnaces and several of the most historic buildings. A partnership with the Smithsonian Institution spurred the creation of the National Museum of Industrial History – now under construction within a 1913 building on the site. The museum will tell the story of Bethlehem Steel and industrial America using large-scale operating artefacts such as steam engines, machine tools, and a small iron-melting foundry.

The legacy of Bethlehem Steel is all around us. It survives in the bridges, buildings and infrastructure that form the backbone of America. It survives in the communities and families that formed around the company’s mines, mills, plants, and shipyards. The Bethlehem Plant of Bethlehem Steel is still a significant place for the community: many of the most historic features of the plant have survived and are the focal point of redevelopment efforts. Like a hulking battleship or a black, mammoth-like beast, the 23-story blast furnaces serve as a backdrop for an arts district known as Steel Stacks, and thousands of people regularly attend concerts and events at the base of the furnaces.

The ongoing construction of the Smithsonian Affiliated National Museum of Industrial History and a NYC High Line-style walkway along the furnaces promise to further enhance the plant’s status as a cultural centre. The plant today represents a respect for the past and an opportunity for the future. The spectacular architecture and engineering of the steelworks sparks the mind in ways that no greenfield site could. The site has become a source of pride – both of what it produced in the past, and in the way it has successfully become a destination in the present, drawing visitors from all over the world.

What do your plans for the near future look like?
Great question, since I have never been one for much of plans. Frankly, the last two years have been quite difficult, in great part due to my beautiful father, who became quite ill in the beginning of 2013 and passed away in the spring of 2014.

A year before my father’s illness precipitated, I embarked on a new project with trees – trees in relation to the landscape, which I call ‘treescapes’. Though the subject has been explored by many, I think my view is somewhat different and will amount to an interesting body of work.

If I were to pick three subjects I’d like to photograph in the future, I’d like to capture a launch pad site, crystal caves and the surfaces and landscapes of other planets. In the meantime, however, I have a number of other projects that I have been working on, and in May I will finish my second year teaching at ASU – which, through this difficult period in my life, I have enjoyed immensely. But now I feel it’s time for me to return to my personal work.

The Maltese Islands

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

The Maltese Islands are rapidly becoming one of Europe’s top MICE destinations. Consisting of three islands – Gozo, Comino and Malta itself – the archipelago has seen record numbers of MICE visitors in recent years, with delegate numbers totalling 86,000 of the 130,173 business travellers visiting the island in 2014. Despite being one of the smallest members of the eurozone, Malta stands as a destination of choice among many companies and international organisations.

Versatile and dynamic, the islands offer high- quality, first-class meeting and events infrastructure. Centrally located in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta’s range of direct flight connections means that the islands are less than three hours away from most main European gateways. Additionally, being a member of the European Union, the Schengen Agreement and the eurozone makes it a convenient and accessible meeting hub for delegates.

Despite being one of the smallest members of the eurozone, Malta stands as a destination of choice among many companies and international organisations

Flexible arrangements
Malta’s inherent attractions set the scene for any successful meeting or event. With modern conference centres, prestigious historical buildings and stunning outdoor venues available across the islands, there is always a location guaranteed to perfectly suit every individual event. The size of the Maltese Islands also facilitates the complex planning process, as the islands’ minute surface area (with Malta itself being only 316 sq km) drastically reduces the time spent on transfers between the airport, hotel and meeting location.

The region’s four- and five-star hotels include small boutique hotels and some of the world’s most trusted brands. Many of these establishments boast in-house meeting facilities and are located in convenient walking-distance clusters, thereby giving meeting planners the option to split up large groups between suitable properties.

Such flexibility also allows for an array of social activities and leisure options. A number of Malta’s destination management companies (DMCs) have received international awards for their professionalism and their dedication to the sector: in its mission to maintain unparalleled standards of service, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) awards high-performing DMCs with a ‘quality seal’, as a way of recognising those who go above and beyond their expected duties in order to provide the absolute highest quality services.

The people, architecture, language and cuisine of the Maltese Islands make them a firm favourite with travellers
The people, architecture, language and cuisine of the Maltese Islands make them a firm favourite with travellers

Sister islands
The Maltese Islands also offer an expansive social calendar with events that run throughout the year, offering ample opportunity for meeting planners to create a diverse and exciting incentive programme. Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the gentle climate of the islands provides an ideal setting for a number of outdoor events. A series of exceptional outdoor venues, including gardens, town squares and historical landmarks, are scattered along the length of the islands’ coasts. Gozo, Malta’s sister island, is renowned for providing some of the best team-building exercises in the region. Active day tours and outdoor events are available across this minute island, which promises a laidback atmosphere amid stunning Mediterranean scenery. The third island, Comino, is situated between Malta and Gozo, and is extremely popular for various sporting activities.

The Maltese government and public sector have invested strongly in Malta’s tourism sector in recent years, ensuring that clients receive excellent value for time and money. The government has also announced that a foundation for the promotion of foreign congresses will be set up in Malta in the near future, which will underline the significance of the sector even further.

The diversity of the three islands is not only down to their unique history and impressive cultural heritage, but is also attributable to the distinctive characteristics of everyday life there: the people, architecture, language and cuisine all contribute to the islands’ picturesque beauty. The warm local hospitality that will be experienced during a stay provides a certainty that Malta will continue to be a major European MICE destination for many years to come.

For further information tel: +35 62 291 5204, or visit mice@visitmalta.com