Our wonderful mirror characters were in Berlin for an evening event. Our five and unique mirror people walked around entertaining guests during the beginning of the evening. Nice to have this type of walk about characters in Germany.
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Voltaire may have dismissed Canada as “a few acres of snow,” but the world’s bible of style, Vogue magazine, has proclaimed Toronto’s Queen Street West as the second coolest neighbourhood in the world. Queen Street West is hipper and cooler than comparable neighbourhoods in Paris, New York, Milan, Miami, Los Angles, London, Berlin, Beijing and others. In its September issue, Vogue says, “Toronto is currently enjoying newfound prominence⎯and desirability⎯amongst globe-trotting tastemakers. Queen Street West is a verifiable artery of indie patisseries, homegrown labels, and hidden-from-view galleries—hallmarks of hipness.” Read More
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As the upscale Kempinski hotel brand stretches beyond its origins in Europe and into more continents, its meetings and events division is developing ways to appeal to C-level international clients from a range of backgrounds. We spoke with Kristina Mees, Kempinski’s new corporate director of group sales, to see how the luxury brand was adapting to changing needs while maintaining its traditional style. Mees, who took on her role in early July, has already launched initiatives to improve Kempinski’s offerings. The company recently completed a client survey that will help the team develop a level of standards that will remain consistent across the brand. The “Kempinski Group & Event Signature Standards” are set to roll out within the next six months, Mees said, and will focus on consistency in response time, site inspections and perks that can include anything from free rooms for planners to free Wi-Fi to free phone use. “Really, it’s a commitment from our side that all groups and events have certain standards when they’re held in a Kempinski hotel,” Mees said. The research is being consolidated and will be formally presented next month at a conference in Amman, Jordan. Read More
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Post-show data from this year’s Hong Kong International Travel Expo & MICE (ITE & MICE) indicates that visitors to the show are becoming increasingly discerning, with 86 per cent having singled out ‘information on developing markets’ as their main objective. The majority of visitors from the business events and corporate travel segments came from non-travel related companies such as banking and insurance organisations, followed by event organisers and representatives from education and training. Some 11 per cent were from government and trade associations. Overall, 61 per cent of the delegates have decision-making, budgeting or sourcing responsibilities at their companies. The show was made exclusive to members of the travel trade on the first two days and recorded 12,308 visitors in total, a 3.7 per cent increase from last year. Out of the 650 exhibitor stands at the 2014 show were newcomers from Berlin, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Palau, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan’s Tainan City and Thailand. Read more
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As of this spring, meeting planners and delegates have two new large-scale conference venues in Germany. Take a look at the Kap Europa in Frankfurt and the CityCube in Berlin, both built close to existing expo centers. Kap Europa in Frankfurt is Uber Green Within a five-minute walk of the Messe Frankfurt in the central Europa district, Kap Europa has already earned a Gold level certification from The German Sustainable Building Council (a world-first). Sustainable elements include a concrete building core to keep AC use down, the use of regional woods to lessen emission footprints, controllable LED lighting (and harnessing natural light whenever possible), electricity generated from exclusively renewable sources and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop garden. The panoramic terrace also has top views of the Frankfurt skyline. Read More
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As of this spring, meeting planners and delegates have two new large-scale conference venues in Germany. Take a look at the Kap Europa in Frankfurt and the CityCube in Berlin, both built close to existing expo centers. Kap Europa in Frankfurt is Uber Green Within a five-minute walk of the Messe Frankfurt in the central Europa district, Kap Europa has already earned a Gold level certification from The German Sustainable Building Council (a world-first). Sustainable elements include a concrete building core to keep AC use down, the use of regional woods to lessen emission footprints, controllable LED lighting (and harnessing natural light whenever possible), electricity generated from exclusively renewable sources and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop garden. The panoramic terrace also has top views of the Frankfurt skyline. The Kap Europa is right next door to exhibition grounds and the new Skyline Plaza shopping center. It has space for up to 2,400 people in total across several floors (which can be booked individually). Level One has six multi-function rooms; Level Two has the Meridian Hall for more than 600 people; Level Three has three conference rooms; and Level Four has the Horizon Congress Hall for up to 1,000 people, catering […]
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With the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) wrapping up in Berlin, it seems timely to look at some recent news from Europe’s growing hotel scene. Here are just a few notable announcements from recent weeks: One of the biggest recent hotel announcements was Scandic‘s agreement to acquire Rica Hotels, adding 72 hotels to its existing portfolio. In Norway alone, Scandic’s coverage will be increased by 65 hotels, making it a nationwide chain. Today, Scandic has 151 hotels in the Nordic region, including 19 in Norway, while Rica Hotels’ portfolio currently includes 65 hotels in Norway and 7 in Sweden.
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There is no doubt that the US is the top country for meetings and events. A lot of that has to do with the sheer volume of the US economy as well as the large number of industry associations that reside in the US. However you may be surprised to learn that not one US city (or North American city for that matter) ranked in the top 10 city destinations. Certainly an opportunity, and some say challenge, for many Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) around the US. For a world meeting planner, Europe remains the most popular international location for meetings and conferences. There’s also been an increase for meetings in Asia as well as places like Dubai. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has put together a list of the top cities for meetings in 2012. The ranking is based on the number of meetings that were organized in 2012. The Top Five World Meeting Planner City Destinations 1) Vienna 2) Paris 3) Berlin 4) Madrid 5) Barcelona Read more: http://www.plananevent.org
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Tous les acteurs de l’industrie européenne des attractions se rassemblent à l’occasion de la dixième édition de l’Euro Attractions Show qui débute cette semaine au centre des expositions de la Porte de Versailles à Paris. Plus de 8.000 visiteurs, dont 40 % de non-européens, sont attendus par l’International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) à partir de ce mercredi 18 septembre jusqu’au vendredi 20 septembre pour 3 jours de réunions d’affaires, de sessions éducatives et d’événements de réseautage. Après l’édition record de l’année dernière à Berlin, l’IAAPA a dû répondre à une forte demande en termes d’espace d’exposition et a prévu, cet été, l’ouverture d’un second hall. Il annonce aujourd’hui un nombre record de 393 exposants dont 44 sociétés françaises et 84 entreprises présentes pour la première fois à l’EAS. Lire la Suite
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L’association, qui fête cette année ses 50 ans, publie aujourd’hui son classement annuel des villes et pays ayant accueillis le plus d’événements en 2012. Aucun bouleversement dans ce cru 2012 du classement de l’association internationale des congrès et conventions. Que ce soit dans celui des villes ou des pays, le Top 10 reste presque inchangé par rapport à 2011, à l’exception d’une ou deux incursions. Une bonne nouvelle, cependant, le nombre des événements comptabilisés en 2012 est en hausse pour toutes les destinations. Concernant les pays, ce sont toujours les États-Unis qui tiennent le haut pavé avec 833 événements, toujours suivis par l’Allemagne (649 manifestations) et l’Espagne (550). La France arrive en 5e position, derrière le Royaume-Uni, avec quelque 469 manifestations enregistrées contre 428 en 2011. L’Italie et le Brésil occupent respectivement les 8e et 9e places, talonnés par le Japon qui gagne 3 places par rapport à 2011. Du côté du classement des villes, Vienne reste indétrônée (195 congrès), et Paris, son éternelle rivale, occupe toujours la seconde place avec 181 événements, en très légère hausse. Berlin se hisse quant à elle sur la troisième marche du podium, délogeant Barcelone qui se retrouve en 5e position, derrière Madrid. […]
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