Business Journeys

The luxury industry has made storytelling and immersive experiences its primary focus. Spending and resources are being reallocated to enhance the actual doing of things.

A high-end product’s trustworthiness and authenticity can be shown by this kind of soft power, which has recently gone from being trendy to essential. Through events and individualized experiences, consumers now have the chance to immerse themselves in the product’s background narrative, learn about its significance in the industry, and form a lasting connection with the brand before they ever make a purchase.

Bright lights and even brighter sparks characterize January in Las Vegas. We rounded up the best smart bags we saw at this year’s CES technology exhibition. Get ready to be amazed at how much technology can fit into a suitcase.

written by Netherlands User: Apr 20, 2019

Rotterdam, Netherlands, is home to the first floating farm in the world, complete with 40 cows, a farmer, and robots that collect manure and feed the livestock. Rotterdam: The Future’s Meeting Place, In the meantime, the city’s innovation district attracts and connects startups, incubators, and accelerators with established organizations.

With an eye toward becoming the first CO2-neutral port in the world by 2030 as part of an “energy transition” plan, all of this action centers on Europe’s biggest (and smartest) port.

The city is one of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, and it has been called a “living lab” where urban innovation and sustainability are encouraged.

Young talent in the public and commercial sectors and cutting-edge architectural masterpieces that dominate the skyline are only two ways Rotterdam’s youth is expressed.

Sunset Skyline of Rotterdam with Erasmus BridgeImage source: mihaiulia/Shutterstock.com

As part of its year-round festival and event schedule, Art Rotterdam Week recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

In this light, it’s not surprising that business travelers and the meetings sector have begun to look elsewhere in the Netherlands than at the country’s capital, Amsterdam.

The city is presenting a fresh, raw, and timely option for meeting organizers.

“The fact that Rotterdam is a “smart city” is a plus, but the Netherlands is known for its green initiatives, and other cities like Amsterdam are also known for their sustainable approaches to living.” Rotterdam is different from other popular destinations because it wants to be environmentally friendly, has unique architecture, and has an urban feel. It is also cheaper than other popular destinations.

Rotterdam Ahoy

Rotterdam Ahoy Hosts Eurovision Song Contest 2021Image source: FlashBeauty/Shutterstock.com

Rotterdam’s ability to handle these mega-events has been a problem in the past, but that is being addressed with the construction of brand-new venues. The new Congress and Convention Center in Rotterdam Ahoy, one such location, is slated to open in the latter half of 2020.

When paired with the existing halls and arena, Rotterdam has already been catapulted into a larger bidding pool for conferences and trade exhibitions thanks to the inclusion of the Netherlands’ largest auditorium. The 2022 ASME Turbo Expo Conference, which will concentrate on turbines and energy, is the latest victory to stem from Ahoy’s future expansion.

The Van Nelle Factory, built in the 1930s and serving as Art Rotterdam Week’s major site, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

There are probably not many UNESCO World Heritage sites that can be used for MICE events, and even fewer that can host go-karting or an International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) demo with helicopters landing in the parking lot.

The Depot

Reflections of Boymans Museum and Collection Depot in Museumpark, RotterdamImage source: Frans Blok/Shutterstock.com

Moreover, Rotterdam is a forward-thinking metropolis that continuously eyes the horizon for potential opportunities. Rotterdam’s “Bojimans Van Beuningen Depot,” scheduled to open in the Museumpark in the first half of 2021, is a prime example of this future-forward approach to art appreciation.

The Depot will house all 151,000 artworks from Museum Bojimans Van Beuningen and will be the first publicly accessible art storage facility in the world. The structure is shaped like a cup and has an atrium and roof garden, making it an ideal venue for preservation, refurbishment, and investigation-related gatherings.

Rotterdam’s modernist cultural appeal led Lonely Planet to name it a top-10 travel destination in 2016, while the entrance of Eurostar into Centraal Station soon afterwards increased the city’s accessibility.

The United Nations’ Global Centre of Excellence for Climate Adaptation is located there, and it was also selected as the European headquarters of Boston’s Cambridge Innovation Center. We at Rotterdam Partners CVB are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the city’s dynamic growth.

Here’s where you can find out more: Rotterdam Partners

The Prague Congress Ambassadors Awards Ceremony is celebrating a decade in April 2019, and the ceremony will honor the

People flying economy class have complained about recliner seats ever since planes took to the air. Planes have been forced to make emergency landings because of verbal fistfights that broke out in the cabin. The annoyance felt by those whose personal space is violated by the seat in front of them is frequently tangible.

Sixty percent of cabin staff members polled throughout the globe had either been directly engaged in or observed heated fights between passengers.

The reality is that many people see using the recline button as their right since it is available. Delta’s New Policy: Short-Haul Seat Recline Changes, If the passenger behind them has a drink on their tray table, they may do it in sneaky steps or just get up and go without looking.

Others might argue that it’s impolite to recline on a seat without first being asked. There is no in-between. Or does it?

Years ago, several inexpensive airlines got it right by eliminating full reclining. As of last year, British Airways no longer offers reclining on flights under four hours in duration. Instead, they provide “mild recline to ensure everyone in the cabin has a pleasant flight.” This seems like a reasonable compromise, since it ensures that individuals who like to eat or drink in silence or who need more space due to their size will be able to do so.

Even Delta Air Lines wants to put a stop to the reclining seat war. As part of its efforts to respect its customers’ “personal space,” the airline is limiting seat reclining on its A320 aircraft.

During the most recent refurbishment, the recline on 62 of their Airbus A320 planes was cut in half, from four inches to two. The recline of all seats, including those in first class, has been lowered from 5.5 inches to 3.5 inches.

Savannah Huddleston, a company representative for Delta, stated:

“As part of Delta’s continuous efforts to make the in-flight experience more pleasurable, Delta is making a simple tweak to its 62 A320 aircrafts in changing the recline throughout to make multitasking easier.” The safety of the consumers’ personal space is of paramount importance.”

Huddleston said that the A320 is used mostly on shorter routes that carry a large number of business passengers who always work from their seats.

At the Kurhotel Skodsborg, our “GusMester,” (Mist Master), Matthias, directs a blast of hot, perfumed air towards our sweating limbs with a matador-like swipe of the towel.

When combined with a plunge in the refreshing waters of the Oresund Strait, which separates Denmark and Sweden, this kind of aromatherapy may provide a near-instantaneous sensation of exhilaration and renewed vigor.

Relaxation and Wellness in a Wooden SaunaImage source: Fabio Principe/Shutterstock.com

As part of their comprehensive approach to their meetings and events portfolio, Denmark’s premier spa hotel offers “SaunaGus” as one of their distinctive activities.

More and more businesses are seeing the value of including wellness in their meeting and events programs in order to boost company culture, employee innovation, and employee productivity. Among the most hotly discussed future topics, it stands alongside “new technology” and “AI.”

Meeting planners and clients wishing to incentivize and improve attendees’ physical and mental health may find the Kurhotel Skodsborg’s unique combination of Nordic style, traditions, location, and healthy living ideas particularly helpful.

It’s common to hear that Danes are the happiest people on the planet. It’s no wonder, then, that the 23 meeting and event spaces at the Kurhotel Skodsborg, located just 20 minutes outside central Copenhagen, have been designed with the age-old principles of physical activity, healthy eating, exposure to natural elements like light and air, and a focus on one’s mental and spiritual health in mind.

The hotel’s location between the ocean and the forest (Dyrehaven, the former royal deer hunting grounds, now a UNESCO Heritage site) means that guests can go for a swim, ride bikes, run, walk, or just sit back and take in the scenery from one of the hotel’s two rooftop decks, one of which is used for yoga above the Spa & Fitness Centre and the other of which is perfect for cocktail receptions and al fresco events.

When you go through the hotel’s impressive white colonnades, you’ll find yourself amid a complex of buildings with a rich historical background. From 1852 on, it served as King Frederik VII’s summer resort. In 1898, Dr. Carl Ottosen established a sanatorium there, and the hotel continues to be guided by the tenets of the sanatorium he established. All of these factors come together to create venues that are really one of a kind.

Located next to the main hotel building is “Villa Rex,” a neo-classical structure that exudes old-world regal splendor and was formerly the site of royal dinners and state meetings. The villa’s main chamber leads onto a roundel room known as the “King’s Hall,” which can hold up to 70 people. The demonstration kitchen can accommodate 16 students as a culinary school, while the downstairs “Kitchen Rex” can accommodate 30–40 guests for food and wine tasting workshops that have been restored to their 19th-century glory.

Cooking workshop

Andalusian Cooking Workshop at Mercado de TrianaImage source:Anibal Trejo/Shutterstock.com

Workshops in fitness and cooking with the hotel’s “Functional Lifestyle Mentor,” Thomas Rode, are an absolute must. The hotel’s Michelin-starred chef and health guru (an early adopter and watcher of the Paleo diet) epitomize the cutting-edge approach to business, physical fitness, and food that characterizes the whole establishment. We paddled out into the ocean with 12 kg kettle bell weights and SUPs, following in the footsteps of Rode’s weekly group of high-powered executives who have benefited from his approach (Stand-up Paddleboards).

A combination of swimming, doing push-ups while balancing on the boards, and using the water’s resistance against the bells ensures that you’ll be hungry after your workout. Then, with our assistance, Thomas prepares a delicious, nutritious, Paleo-oriented meal, teaching us valuable information on how to continue living this way when our visit is over. Motivating people in this way “builds collaboration, stimulates a competitive edge, and provides healthy living suggestions,” as he puts it.

Spa and fitness

Luxury, relaxation, and reward await the delegate in the large guestrooms, while the spa and fitness center, with its 120+ weekly schedule of courses, is only a key fob and hallway away from the major sections of the hotel. They may do as they like inside the Michelin-starred “Restaurant by Kroun,” which also has a stylish yet relaxing lounge with thick coffee table books and plush velvet seating. Modern conference rooms that can be combined in a variety of ways and connected together are located above and below the foyer, bar, and lounge areas.

The hotel’s MICE initiatives have helped it win many prizes in the last year, including “one of the 7 best spas in the world for 2018” in the Tatler Magazine Spa Guide and “best confectionery in Denmark” at the annual Danish Confectioner’s Championships. Mai Kappenberger, CEO of the Kurhotel Skodsborg, came up with the idea of “Mai’s Monday Meetings,” which won the Danish Events & Meetings Award for “Best Low Cost Meeting” in 2018. On the first Monday of every month, MMM gathers a group of accomplished women to try out a new fitness class, have a nutritious breakfast, and hear a speaker discuss an issue of the day.

A century after Dr. Carl Ottosen said, “Man has more endurance when work is interchanged with rest,” this statement is still true. Meeting and event planners have taken notice of the millennial generation’s heightened focus on health and wellness.