Meeting News - September 8, 2008 - (Page 35)

International Incentive Planners Can Dip into 007’s Secret Files For Intel on London and English Countryside Perks After a series-redefining debut in 2006 with Casino Royale, Daniel Craig reprises his role as James Bond in The Quantum of Solace this October. His hometown of London is ready for incentive travelers with a host of ideas straight out of the MI6 training manual. First stop is the Imperial War Museum (www.iwm.org.uk), which is available for priLondon groups can golf like James Bond. vate viewings of the exhibit “For Your Eyes Only.” The multimedia show is an extravaganza of Bond creator Ian Fleming that includes personal artifacts from the World War II intelligence officer turned author, and memorabilia of his beloved character and films, including Rosa Krebb’s flick-knife shoes in From Russia with Love, and Halle Berry’s bikini in Die Another Day. The exhibit is on until April 2009. Then, it’s martini time at the hotel that invented both the Vesper scooter and the original martini that inspired Fleming to be “shaken, not stirred.” Dukes Bar, at Dukes Hotel (www.dukeshotel. com), was a favorite watering hole of the author, and incentive planners can book clients into a special James Bond weekend package that includes “Miss Moneypenny Manicures,” martini tastings, and other special “Bondage” goodies. For an updated take on the martini, groups can make an entrance into the new cocktail flight and tastings evening at the Mayfair Hotel (www.radissonedwardian .com). Whiskey, martinis, and champagne are paired in flight combinations of three. Tapas that compliments the wide range of tastes are on offer in the bar that can be rented for private events. An adrenaline rush is the cure after all those martinis, and it comes in the form of a high-speed powerboat tour around the Thames river, James Bond-style, conducted by Flying Fish Tours (www.flyingfishtours.co.uk). The tour operator provides the horsepower, along with a guide who knows just where MI6 headquarters is and a few other cool spycentric details about the city. Finally, get out of town for a visit to Goldfinger’s favorite golf course. Stoke Park Club (www. stokeparkclub.com) in Buckinghamshire is 30 minutes from London and the site of the award-winning golf course, Stoke Poges, featured in Goldfinger. Incentive groups can choose golf Goldfinger-style, spa visits, gourmet meals, or more aggressive team or solo Bond-style activities like archery and falconry. —Gretchen Kelly Chic Meet in Montreal Opus Hotel is a boutique option near convention center The area surrounding the Montreal Convention Centre is filled with large-scale hotel properties, and more are in the pipeline. But within walking distance of the convention center, the 136-room Opus Hotel, which opened the trendy Koko Restaurant + Bar in June, provides an intimate alternative for housing a convention’s speakers, entertainers, and other VIPs, as well as being a small meeting or corporate retreat. The hotel, which stands at the corner of Sherbrooke St. and St-Laurent Blvd., comprises the first poured concrete building in North America (est. 1914) and a modern, minimalist structure that incorporates a naked concrete look into the overall room design. A windowed www.meetingnews.com walkway that overlooks Koko’s 9,000 sf of dining and terrace space joins the two buildings. For incentives, the property can arrange spa appointments at the only American outpost of the prestigious Valmont Spa, with its ultraluxe, Swiss-formulated products and highly trained professionals. It can also help arrange a tour of culinary establishments, such as St-Viateur Bagel or Jean Talon Market; shopping on St. Catherine St.; or, while in season, a visit to the Montreal “Just for Laughs” Comedy Festival, which is held only across the street from the hotel. For nightlife, the Opus’ own establishments, Koko and ultralounge Suco, provide amusement for conventioneers who want to stay close to home. However, up St-Laurent Blvd. is a bustling area filled with nightclubs and restaurants, including Restaurant Melies in the Ex-Centris building. During the winter, Montreal is a card-carrying member of the Great White North; in fact, last winter saw record snowfall. For the rest of the year, however, the city is the chic, multilingual “displaced Europe” that’s close to home for U.S. groups. r —Terri Hardin The Opus is central to conventions, nightlife, and shopping. September 8, 2008 MeetingNews 35 http://www.flyingfishtours.co.uk http://www.iwm.org.uk http://www.dukeshotel.com http://www.dukeshotel.com http://www.stokeparkclub.com http://www.stokeparkclub.com http://www.radissonedwardian.com http://www.radissonedwardian.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - September 8, 2008

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