Prevue November-December 2013 - (Page 74)

Left: LeMonde Restaurant, Bratislava This photo: Four Seasons Budapest EUROPEAN QUARTET: These four countries in Central Europe are ready to host your meetings! For more information, visit european-quartet.com Food and music, from Asian to gypsy inspired, infuse all events in Budapest with high drama. The romantic Hungarian Railway Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, and Hunter Hall of Budapest Parliament can be rented for gala functions. At 15,000 pax, the Hungexpo is Hungary's largest meeting venue. industrial zone with a strong artistic vibe. Down south, Krakow has numerous centries-old cultural facilities. Schindler's Factory is especially popular with U.S. groups. Scheduled to open in 2014, ICE Krakow is an ultra modern, 400,000-sf conference center with a 2,000-seat auditorium. WARSAW & POLAND BRATISLAVA & SLOVAKIA Warsaw's historical venues are making the city a trendy new destination for meetings and incentive travel programs. Poland ranked #25 worldwide in the ICCA 2012 standings. The city's allure is partly reﬂective of the vast number of classical musical festivals celebrating native son Frederick Chopin and many other famous composers that run throughout the year. Many DMCs offer group packages that tie in with Warsaw's musical legacy. The enormous National Opera Theater and Chopin Museum are very popular for group events. Check out the Fabryka Trzciny Artistic Center, and its variety of creative spaces for small to medium-size groups. New hotel developments are also attracting the attention of planners, such as the 19th-century Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Warsaw. The grand dame property with lavish ﬁn de siècle interiors is opposite the Presidential Palace. North on the Baltic Coast, Gdansk is known for its wealth of history and excellent seafood restaurants. Ergo Arena hosts up to 15,000 pax. There are also some really creative venues like Gdansk Shipyard Museum, a gentriﬁed post- Slovakia and its 18 historic towns, 22 beautiful spa resorts and over 1,400 thermal springs is making a name for itself in the international MICE industry. The youthful capital city of Bratislava has exciting cultural venues and cosmopolitan dining such as LeMonde. Conference venues with facilities for up to 1,500 pax are also on the rise. Overlooking the city, Bratislava Castle is a national landmark dating back to the 10th century. Walk through the trafﬁc-free Old City to explore Bratislava City Gallery at the Palffy Palace, the Museum of Clocks and the Pharmacy Museum. Take a short bus ride to the castle for a historical exhibition, or venture among hillside villas surrounding the castle to the Soviet War Memorial. Bratislava and Vienna airports are only 15 and 35 minutes away respectively. There are over 11,500 beds in small to medium-size hotels, the largest hosts groups for up to 400 pax. The popular Small Carpathians Wine Route is a great teambuilding program, connecting the three main regions of Svaty Jur, Pezinok and Modra. Wine pairing meals are always a culinary adventure, such as goose meat with lokše pancakes and majolica wine in the village of Slovensky Grob. center stage center stage prevue http://www.european-quartet.com http://prevueonline.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue November-December 2013

Planner's Pick: Hartford
Fresh Meets: MGM Resorts
Bureau Buzz: Las Vegas
Good Business: Hyatt, Hilton, Fairmont
Sea Shores: Silversea Cruises
Cool, Cultured & Creative
Imex America
Special Section: Asia Pacific
Ireland
On Location: Hard Rock San Diego
Santa Fe
Cincinnati
On Location: InterContinental Costa Rica
On Location: Marriott Orlando
On Location: Hilton Orlando
South Walton, Florida
Check Out: Moon Palace Cancun

Prevue November-December 2013