Incentives and meetings

Opened this summer in Verzy, near Reims, the Perching Bar is no ordinary bar. Quite simply, it is perched 5.5 metres above the ground between tree trunks in the Arboxygène park.

How do you sell the destination? What are its strengths? Karin Mallet Gautier - Firstly, the diversity of the islands, which are...

Synonymous with top-of-the-range holidays, the Bahamas archipelago stretches from Florida to Cuba. Its islands, at least the inhabited ones, offer sophisticated accommodation and twenty-six national parks. The very best in blue eco-tourism.

Despite the crisis, the congress sector is doing rather well. European cities are taking advantage of this and are stepping up their efforts to attract organisers. They are playing up their practical advantages, as well as their cultural and... climatic ones.

An unspoilt coastline, fairytale castles and splendid red-brick Gothic architecture. The Baltic coast, between Hamburg and the Polish border, is an ideal setting for small-scale incentives where nature and culture go hand in hand.

In the far south of the Sultanate of Oman, the Boswellia sacra secretes the best incense, a resin whose trade dates back to Antiquity... Discovering the mythical sites of this trade is the perfect red thread for a themed incentive operation.

"Gastronomy, culture, the sea..."

There are so many clichés associated with the largest of the Balearic islands! Apart from a few sites drowned out by mass tourism, Mallorca has a remarkable heritage: rugged, wild coastlines, charming villages, a capital with one of the most beautiful historic centres in Spain and an extraordinarily varied Mediterranean cuisine. An island Eden less than two hours from Paris...

"The American West is a strong and wild nature".

Arizona, where the great westerns were filmed, symbolises the Far West, a mythical land where the landscapes conjure up memories of childhood: the gangly figure of John Wayne, the archetypal cowboy who meets another legend here, Route 66.

In early 2011, the Swedish capital will inaugurate a new convention centre on the waterfront in the heart of the city: the Stockholm Waterfront. It will feature a 3,000-seat auditorium and a business centre with around twenty meeting rooms, and will offer a total of almost 16,000 m2, including 3,000 m2 reserved for exhibitions.

Already well versed in conference and seminar business, France's number one holiday club has just launched a new brand dedicated to this activity: Belambra Business.

The CWT Travel Management Institute has scrutinised the meetings and events market to estimate the budget that companies spend on them, and to analyse best practice and ways of optimising this expenditure.

The economic crisis combined with a fear of flying and the vagaries of the weather have led companies to refocus their operations in France. This has enabled them to discover the country's incentive potential.

Tahiti is far away, so far away that when it's midday in Paris, it's midnight in Papeete. But it's certainly an exceptional incentive destination, and a top-of-the-range one at that.

Right in the heart of the Indian Ocean, Réunion Island, with its mountains and lagoon-lined west coast, is the ideal destination for both land and water sports. It's also a great place to meet friendly locals.

In South America, French Guiana combines the ingredients that make incentive operations so successful: adventure, discovery and striking contrasts between the Amazon rainforest, the conquest of space and a former penal colony.

The island of Martinique nestles in the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Caribbean Sea to the west. From the seabed to the slopes of Mount Pelée, the island of flowers offers groups a variety of landscapes and activities.

Sandy beaches and coconut palms, hiking trails, sea excursions, diving, white water sports... Guadeloupe is a dream destination for lovers of tropical nature.