When we think of a corporate event, such as an incentive, strategic meeting or team building, we often think of a destination. A famous place, city, region or island. Hardly anyone thinks of a luxury cruise. Everything at hand, no one can leave if it gets difficult, so ideal for a B2B Event.
At almost all trade shows of the travel and hospitality industry, I have spoken with hotel owners and managers, DMC's and Convention Bureaus from Croatia. I always thought it was a fantastic country to begin with and high on my bucket list. In 2022 I was invited to MEETEX again the second year in a row, Later that year I was asked for a Study Trip with Katarina line in October and went on a FAM trip (Zagreb, Rovinj, Opatija and Rijeka). The question I asked myself everywhere was quite simple: "Is the destination or activity suitable for MICE events?"
Are you also a Burgundian, a wine lover par excellence? Are you professionally interested in wine? Did you know that fantastic wines come from this region? If this is all a journey in the right direction, we will go even further.
The FAM trip to Croatia 7 to 10 July 2021 is already 3 years behind us. To start with an idea I had beforehand about Croatia, that turned out to be wrong. Croatia is very suitable for MICE, although I noticed that people are still largely geared to tourism.
Admittedly, I would love to live there, I already said that when I was there and left. Could work there, in Hospitality, have your own bar or simply as a Digital Nomad. Not that I want to invite everyone to come at the same time, because then it will be too busy. Opatija is simply a beautiful place, a step back in history. A time when it was one of the most famous seaside resorts in Europe. Don't forget The Lungomare, it is an enchanting seafront promenade that stretches along the coast of Kvarner Bay. I enjoyed it more than anything, close to Rijeka, and you can easily reach the province of Istria. Opatija is simply wonderful.
The region of Tuscany has so much to offer that I could write a blog every week about this beautiful part of Italy. However, what I remember most the first time was the walled fortress town of Lucca. And yes, I have been there and can recommend making it part of your event or incentive.
Dear directors, managers, boards of directors and management teams, are you already thinking about what you want to achieve this year and the period after?
Travel Agencies, DMC's and others from the travel industry, usually realize 1 out of 23 quotes. Some do it better, others do it worse. I am not telling them to change what they are doing and always did. I just say I want to help to change the way we quote, the way we are doing it. Because we are selling destinations, dreams, and stories. That is where it starts, with your client, just bill them on what they want instead of sending Quotes to them on what they expect.
One of those special places I went; was the Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle. The Restaurant is located in a former 13th-century refectory, believed to be the oldest dining room in the UK. Within the complex, there is also a Cookery School, Tasting Room, Meeting Room, Banquet Hall, King’s Suite and Cloister Garden where you can enjoy a host of dining options and events.
Nymfaio is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited in my life. There are more such places I have seen with my own eyes. When we were on a FAM trip with Joysters, they brought us there. We had tea, a tour around the village and we we went to Arcturos. To much pictures and words about this special place are indeed a spoiler alert. Go see it yourself!
If you have ever traveled via Schiphol Amsterdam, you will have to walk quite a distance due to the size of the airport. The rolling carpets warn you every time with 'Mind your step!' This justified warning symbolically stands for every step you want to take before you want to go on a holiday, business or group trip.
Linkedin - It all started for me in 2009. First I made connections with people I knew, then with those I met and later I expanded that to people in the industries I was active in. I still do the latter with full dedication. In the Hospitality Industry, my B2B network and my network in the Travel Industry, especially in the MICE is large. I am reaping the benefits of that especially now and want to share it with you.
Hamburg is one of the nicest and most surprising cities in Germany. The city is known as a rough port city, but it is precisely the water that makes the city so charming. There are museums on ships and in old warehouses and Hamburg has great neighborhoods to discover. So put the city on your list.
Nobody can really grow unless they find themselves outside their comfort zone but what if this could be done in a comfortable way?
Zutphen is a city in the Dutch province of Gelderland, located on the right bank of the river IJssel. It is the capital of the municipality of Zutphen with 48,099 inhabitants and the city has 39,440 inhabitants. The history of Zutphen spans more than 1700 years.
Arnhem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands and the capital of the province of Gelderland. The municipality has 163,072 inhabitants as of 1 July 2021, making it the twelfth municipality in the Netherlands.
From my first trip to Rotterdam as a little kid I became fond of traveling and the adventure attracted me. Soon I traveled to the island of Terschelling alone and throughout the Netherlands. I read many books, the stories worked on my imagination and took me on a journey to the places in the books. It has never been a bucket list where to go to, but the journey, every journey is still an adventure.
For a large part of my life I lived on the island of Terschelling, where I worked in hospitality. Bars, restaurants and hotels. I had the time of my life there, worked hard and enjoyed everything that came my way. What I hardly ever talk about is nature. It is rough, windy and unpredictable. Beautifully sunny, but also not or almost never too hot.
