Gstaad - high-quality authenticity
staad is often chosen as a meeting / event destination for aspects of discretion , authenticity and luxury . The city ’ s marketing organisation sees itself as a connector with the local hotels and service providers . Bookings can also be handled by local outdoor activities specialist agencies Alpinzentrum and Experience SA .
Gstaad hosts prestigious public events such as the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy and also ocuses on small private events and high-end incentives at a higher price level .
The Gstaad events focus is on the Swiss and nearby markets , as well as the UK . The town is easily accessible by car , public transport and the Airport Saanen .
The tourism department recommends organising at least one lunch / dinner outside of the main location , such as booking a cosy rustic mountain hut . Seven hotels in Gstaad offer complete spa and wellness facilities and there are 10 top-class hotels and over 100 restaurants and a traffic-free promenade .
Thomas Schetty of Destination Gstaad believes the destination ’ s drawcards of security , flexibility and high quality will only get more important in the months ahead as incentives organisers flock to safe havens and security .
Basel benefits
he city on the bend of the Rhine is compact , with all important facilities within walking distance to the city centre .
Basel is cosmopolitan , charming , and full of modern architecture , partly why it is also called the ‘ metropolis in a pocket ’.
Every guest staying in a hotel in Basel is entitled to the BaselCard which allows free use of public transport for the duration of their stay , as well as free guest Wi-Fi at various hotspots and a 50 % discount on certain cultural attractions . These include admission to Basel Zoo , to Theatre Basel , a two-hour sightseeing bus tour and scheduled cruise trips offered by Basler Personenschifffahrt .
The cantonal government offers organisers the opportunity to apply for financial assistance and VIPs and keynote speakers qualify for a welcome gift with an official letter from the government .
Basel ’ s visitor market breaks down into one-third corporate business , one-third leisure business and one-third MICE business and the city is situated right in the tri-border region where Switzerland , Germany and France converge .
There are three railway stations and a dense public transport network .
The international EuroAirport
Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is five km from the centre of Basel and intercontinental connecting flights are also available via Zurich Airport , about 75 minutes from Basel by train .
With a Deutsche Bahn fixed-price event ticket , delegates can travel at a flat rate of EUR 54,90 to Basel from any destination in Germany .
The Basel region is a leader in the life sciences sector , with global players such as Novartis , Roche , Actelion and Lonza basing their headquarters in the city . The belief at the local convention bureau is that the emphasis in the future will be more on smaller , select meetings , while international congresses will have international hubs and will be digitally connected .
Basel ’ s spectrum of events ranges from international sport events such as the Swiss Indoors Basel Tennis Tournament , European Artistic Gymnastics Championships Basel 2021 , up to international tradefairs e . g . the Art Basel and HourUniverse , international medical and life sciences conferences , as well as cultural events such as the Basel Tattoo or the 31st Swiss National Yodelling Festival 2021 .
Every year , pre-Covid-19 , the Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel hosted events for prestigious galleries and auction houses during the Art Basel fair as well as facilitating some evening events for the world ’ s leading watch brands .
There is a three Michelin Star restaurant and the hotel sits on the banks of the Rhine . Picasso , Napoléon and Queen Elisabeth II have all stayed at Les Trois Rois .
In terms of events , Caroline Jenny , head of marketing at the hotel , believes 2021 will see only the hosting of top management incentives as the recovery begins .
Basel , like other select Swiss locations in our brief report , is equipped with the kind of reputation of reassurance and quality that the discerning incentives market is likely to be seeking as it makes its tentative return .
ISSUE 111 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 35