Perched on a rocky outcropSurrounded by a fortress built by Vauban and encircled by the meandering River Alzette, the city of Luxembourg offers a vision almost of the past. fairy tale. And yet, its slender silhouette of medieval towers and fine bell towers, encircled by greenery, begs the question: why do we have so few images of this town in our heads? The same goes for the forests, castles, valleys and vineyards of this small country.
In order to fill this gap and attract the attention of business and conference customers, a Luxembourg Convention Bureau was officially set up in 2019. "We are one of the few countries in the world, with Monaco for example, which aims to promote not just a city or a region, but an entire country.r", explains Tiziana Caruso, in charge of international relations. Making Luxembourg atrue business events destination has become an important objective for the country. "Luxembourg is currently 70e place in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Our aim over the next five years is to become one of the top 50 destinations for meetings, congresses and conferences."continues Tiziana Caruso.
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and, like everywhere else, brought the entire tourism sector to a standstill. Implementation of the Safe to meet" health protocolThe Convention Bureau now has more than 145 partners, compared with 75 before the crisis: Luxembourg is back on track to pursue its ambitious policy once the good times return.
Because, even more than attracting the spending of international business visitors - €594 per day on average - the project to make Luxembourg a major destination for business tourism is part of a much more global vision. Indeed, the country has endeavoured to define fourteen pillars of its economy. Within this framework, the MICE sector is not intended to be the fifteenth pillar, but rather to stimulate all of them.
"We work hand in hand with Luxinnovationwhich has set up economic clusters, and we intend to actively lobby for international conferences to rotate, in line with our strengths, in order to support and promote these sectors of activity."explains Noémie Schuler, in charge of marketing. The Cleantech Forum Europe 2020 will take place in Luxembourg in December. "Cleantech is one of the driving forces behind our economy, and we believe that hosting this event in our region will add real value."continues Noémie Schuler.
While MICE generated total revenue of almost €87 million in 2018, the pre-Covid objective was to achieve growth of around 4 % per year until 2022. This ambition has naturally been thwarted, but that hasn't stopped the city from working to remedy one of its weaknesses: its hotels. Indeed, to host major conferences, some 800 additional hotel rooms would be needed according to estimates. A challenge for a capital that currently has only four five-star establishments, all of which have relatively small capacities.
FortunatelyThe coronavirus has not affected hotel development, and a number of new hotels will be opening in 2020 and beyond. Last July, a Mama Shelter 145 bedroomsMama Works, with meeting rooms and a coworking space, has opened its doors in the heart of the Kirchberg business district. An Innside by Melia hotel complex, with around 500 rooms, is also planned for the Cloche d'Or, an industrial district in the midst of a renaissance where a number of major companies are concentrated. A Marriott is due to take up residence in a former Mercure hotel in 2021, while a new hotel is also planned for the city centre, to be housed in a former post office.
"But you don't have to stay in the city. The country as a whole offers a wide range of possibilitiesA wide range of services, from accommodation to event venues.There are many possibilities," says Claudia Correia, MICE Project Manager for the travel and incoming agency Émile Weber. One of these possibilities is Mondorf, a small spa town on the French border, where a spa dating back to 1847 has been transformed into a hotel with spring water pools and a 5,500 m² spa.2.
In its park of forty hectares, in the superb orangery of the XIXe century or in the meeting rooms are held on a regular basis. corporate eventsall ecolabel certified These include team-building events, gala dinners and conferences for up to 850 people. "We organise product launches as well as dinners in three countries... with amuse-bouche in Luxembourg, main course in France, dessert in Germany, so close are we to the borders..."laughs Attila Laszlo, sales manager at the Mondorf Hotel.
Further afield, in Urspelt, a delightful little 1674 castle on a hill was transformed fifteen years ago into a dream hotel. In all, there are just 56 rooms, but a number of rooms with great character. You'll feel right at home far from the worldAnd yet it's less than an hour's drive from Luxembourg City, in front of countryside that stretches as far as the eye can see from this perch from another era. In the small lounges with their monumental fireplaces, on the spiral staircases and in the meticulously decorated bedrooms, time seems suspended and concentration is heightened.
Three kilometres away, in the village of Clervaux, which also boasts a castle with whitewashed curves and sharp roofs, the spirit is different. It is in this village that a unique concept for incentive and business groups has been launched. In the main street - in fact, a block of old buildings combining two establishments belonging to the Excellence Hotels group - the following events take place several times a year a strange phenomenon: Rent a city. The Grand-Rue changes its name to that of a company; it is covered in a red carpet, decorated with banners bearing the company logo and lined with stalls offering all kinds of food...
The village belongs to to its visitors for a few hours, or even a few days. "We can organise everything from A to Zexplains Marie Eubeulen, Sales Coordinator. We work with a wide range of service providers, and can meet all our customers' needs at much more affordable prices than in Luxembourg City."However, it is in Luxembourg's capital that we find the most imposing and often the most exceptional spaces.
Some iconic buildings, such as the former Neumünster Abbey in the lower town, now a cultural centre, lend themselves to charming events. Whether you opt for the former chapel with its richly decorated ceilings, the auditorium whose foundations date back to Roman times, or the courtyard of honour topped by a Pei-designed glass roof, everything is bound to be magical. Another majestic venue, the PhilharmonieDesigned by Christian de Portzamparc as a kind of forest with aerial pillars, it can be used for corporate events, particularly in the chamber music room, with acoustics so perfect that there is no need to speak into a microphone.
But it is opposite, in the European Convention Center Luxembourg (ECCL), that larger meetings are usually planned. This site, originally intended to host the European Parliament, still receives councils of ministers. In other words, everything has been carefully thought out. Many of the rooms are equipped with translation booths, giant screens, microphones, etc. The hemicycle was recently the scene of a TEDx conference.
"Just two hours by TGV from Paris, and close to many other major European cities, Luxembourg has a lot to offer. A host of cultural and natural activities can be organised here. Treasure hunts in castles and forestsThis is what we want to convey: the idea that there's a destination nearby that's full of facets and enchantment."concludes Claudia Correia.
