Prevue May/June 2012 - (Page 32)

“Incentives and meetings are back in a big way, but it’s no longer acceptable for entire groups to do the same activity,” says Miller. “At Spectra, we let attendees focus on their own interests. Getting together within a program creates camaraderie, but we allow participants to explore bespoke activities.” Recent groups have enjoyed a champagne orientation tour on the London Eye ferris wheel on the Thames; a behind-thescenes visit to see the Buckingham Palace guards; a skeet shooting event on a barge on the Thames, for which Tower Bridge was raised in their honor; and a personalized pub tour through several historic pubs. BRUSSELS, BELGIUM Your grandma knows Brussels for chocolate, beer and castles. Yet Brussels has been totally vitalized by its role as the EU capital, morphing into a cosmopolitan powerhouse. “Brussels is to Europe what Washington D.C. is to the States,” explains Hugo Slimbrouck of Ovation Global DMC. “It’s become a more open, cosmopolitan city. Last night at dinner, I heard a different language at every table.” Slimbrouck likes to quote a line he found recently in Harvard Business Review: “Face-to-face contact is the broadest bandwidth communication you can have in professional life.” Brussels, he says, is uniquely situated for such contact. Besides direct flights from every major city, high-speed trains link you to Paris, London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam in under two hours. And then there’s the perception factor. “Brussels is not a ‘luxe’ or frivolous destination. It’s got the art and architecture of Europe, yet the more than 2,000 corporations and international associations headquartered here make it a serious locale.” As for that final price tag, rates here are 10-20% lower than in the nearest capitals. Including the chocolate. “Our Chocolate Master Chef afternoon is just right in a nation producing 172,000 tons of chocolate a year,” says Brigitte Boone, managing director of @dmire, a Global Events Partner. She brings groups to a busy chocolate factory where they watch candymaking in progress, then receive their aprons, break into teams and make their own. “We personalize with company logos, and we teach them to make the real Belgian praline, with nuts and sugar. They leave with bellies full and a box of chocolate to take home.” Brigitte also offers beer safaris, serving a half glass at each stop because Belgian beers are so strong, and 600-pax galas at the 12th century Grand Bigard Castle. “The best part of my job is watching planners’ jaws drop on a site inspection at this totally unique, historic castle,” she says. “Once they cross the moat, under centuries-old beech trees, they’re sold!” The Grand Bigard is just five miles from city center. But do try day-tripping further afield in Belgium’s gorgeous, castlestrewn countryside. In one day you can cruise a canal in medieval Bruges, hunt for diamonds in Antwerp, enjoy waffles on the beach in Oostende and get lost in a castle in Namur. 28 | prevue magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue May/June 2012

Sheraton China + Macau
The Peppermill, Reno
Charleston + Denver
CSR with Caesars
Hong Kong's Kai Tak Terminal
Special Section: Europe
Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf
Affordable Luxury
Frenchman's Reef, USVI
Australia
Toronto
Taiwan
U.S. Gaming Hotels
Caesars/Paris Las Vegas
Grand Lucayan, Bahamas
Iberostar Cancun

Prevue May/June 2012