Incentives and meetings

From "World's Best Destination for Meetings and Conferences" to "Europe's Best MICE Destination", the quality of Madrid's offering is seductive. But these recent awards also recognise the efforts of the Convention Bureau and the involvement of all the city's tourism stakeholders in making the Spanish capital a key destination for years to come.

A first house in the Netherlands, just outside Amsterdam, and another in a listed château on the edge of the Yvelines: the Châteauform' group will be opening two new seminar venues this autumn.

The official reopening of Phuket to vaccinated travellers - without compulsory quarantine - has been confirmed for July 1. This means the reopening of air routes between Europe and Thailand, in particular those operated by Thai Airways International.

Vienna is devoting a budget of four million euros to help the MICE industry choose the Austrian capital for events and conferences. And it remains confident of its attractiveness...

Salzburg is resolutely optimistic about its future as a tourist destination as Austria reopens its borders. Nevertheless, the city intends to revitalise its offer to avoid the problems of tourist saturation that it experiences during the summer months.

Austria's reopening to the international market on 19 May is an opportunity to look at how this small Central European country, so dependent on tourism - and so...

Lille Grand Palais has turned the corner on hybrid events, with the launch of a new offering combining the physical capabilities of the convention centre with new cutting-edge technological tools to open up to a large online audience. Interview with Hervé Vauvillier, Sales Director of Lille Grand Palais.

With a Convention Bureau committed to the sustainability of events, environmentally-friendly conference and meeting venues and one of the greenest cities in the world, Madrid has everything to appeal to eco-responsible organisers.

At the end of the week, Emmanuel Macron announced the schedule for deconfliction, which will begin on 3 May. Here is a look back at the main lessons to be learned and the reactions to these announcements.

Shaun Nelson, CEO of Keeze, talks about the hybrid positioning of this new player, somewhere between coworking and meeting space. It's an opportunity to take stock of the trends emerging in the face of the crisis, changing demand and the new relationship with the office.

Wojo has just announced the imminent arrival of a new coworking address in Paris, thanks to a management contract signed with the Jean Turon Group.

From 1 May, French Polynesia is introducing simplified entry requirements for travellers from the European Union and the United States who have been vaccinated or immunised against Covid-19. 

The Maldives archipelago, a traditional luxury destination - particularly for MICE - is inventing the concept of a vaccination holiday. It's a strategy that could prove particularly attractive to nomadic digital workers.

Futuroscope is preparing to launch an original new hotel: "Station Cosmos" will be inaugurated in spring 2022, along with its restaurant, the Hyperloop, as part of a vast development plan to turn the park into a European-scale resort.

As Southeast Asia's leading international destination, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million international travellers before the Covid crisis. It is now trying to revive its economy by planning the gradual return of tourists, who are vital to its growth. It's an uphill battle as the country is hit by a new wave of contaminations...

On 24 April this year, Singapore will loosen the restrictions on holding congresses, conferences and meetings, giving the MICE industry some hope. The maximum capacity will now be 750 people per event. However, we are still a long way from a return to the pre-Covid situation...

3D universe and interactive experience at the Palais des Congrès, membership of the Alliance of Hybrid Cities: Cannes is preparing for the future of events.

Voyages d'Affaires analyses the reopening of Asia to international tourism. This first article focuses on Sri Lanka, a model in these times of pandemic. The country is welcoming back international visitors by transforming hotel complexes into health bubbles, known as "bio bubbles".

Emmanuel Macron has announced a nationwide lockdown and a ban on inter-regional travel, except for business travellers. Those involved in the event industry are looking for a recovery from mid-May onwards.

The city of Berlin has just introduced sanitary protocols that will once again enable it to host conferences. A full-scale test was carried out on 25 March at the Estrel Hotel.