| Bibby
Financial Services took their clients to Egypt for an exciting tour of the
ancient sights around Cairo, which included Sakkara, the Pyramids, and the
famous Egyptian Museum, accompanied by a very knowledgeable guide. They soaked up the
atmosphere in the bazaar with a late night visit to Khan El Khalili, where there
was a prize for the person who collected the most unusual souvenir for a few Egyptian
Dollars. A gala dinner on a Nile cruise, with belly dancer cabaret, provided the finale to
this exciting three-day visit to Cairo.
HSBC Insurance took their clients to the French Open at Roland
Garros once again. This year they were rewarded by seeing both the Roger
Federer and the Rafael Nadal matches played in brilliant
sunshine. They had a further bonus of some extra front row seats on Court Suzanne Lenglen
to watch Andy Roddick. The hospitality was much appreciated in Le
Pavillon as always.
The host from HSBC wrote:
"Many thanks for your efforts last week and especially for the superb seats. I will
get back to you if we need any more entertainment."
A large insurance company enjoyed a one night stay at the Hotel Hermitage,
Montreuil in Northern France. The busy programme included a
tasty buffet lunch on arrival then some free time to visit the old hill town and see the
old ramparts. This was followed by a wine tasting where each wine was selected to be drunk
with a local cheese, with the explanation presented by the sommelier and the cheesemaker.
The last two wines were accompanied by chocolates, supplied from the town chocolatier. The
wine shop in the courtyard stayed open so everyone could take home some of the wine they
had sampled. The evening event started with champagne cocktails in the bar with a Jazz
band playing, then a gastronomic meal and finishing with a lively disco.
Sibelius Software had a successful trip to Brussels
and held their annual Christmas lunch at the famous Roy d'Espagne in the Grand
Place. After a delicious lunch in a private room of the restaurant, there was
plenty of time for shopping and sightseeing before catching Eurostar back
to London. Everyone enjoyed the bright sunny weather and browsing in the Christmas market.
Sibelius had the following to say after their trip: "We had a
fantastic day in Brussels. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was great and
Brussels was wonderfully Christmassy. Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed
the trip. Thanks again to Marilyn for organising everything so well"
HSBC Insurance repeated their successful visit to the French Open at Roland
Garros with their clients. They watched some really exciting tennis on the show
court and filled the rain breaks enjoying the hospitality at the prestigious venue Le
Pavillon.
The host from HSBC said: "Thanks for organising Roland
Garros for us another year; it was a great success. It takes more than a bit of rain to
dampen our spirits."
Paul Davis and Partners spent a full day in France for their Christmas
Party. They visited the Hotel Hermitage in the old medieval town of Montreuil
and enjoyed the gastronomic meal as well as the wine with their long lunch. There was time
for a brief shopping trip to Cite Europe before returning to London through the
tunnel.
Sibelius Software spent an exciting day in Prague and held their annual
Christmas lunch at Kamenny Most. The Winter Garden of the restaurant is built on a
pontoon with superb views of the Charles Bridge. Fortunately, the snow had stopped, and
after lunch, there was time for a quick visit to see the Old Town before returning for the
flight home. After the trip Jo from Sibelius emailed us to say, "The restaurant
was really good and Olga was a fantastic guide. The weather was great – lovely sunny
day - cold and crisp, but not freezing. Thanks, once again, for organising such a
fantastic day."
Renault Trucks enjoyed a very full day in Burgundy with their clients on
their annual visit to France. After a relaxing flight by private plane to Dijon
with a delicious breakfast on board, we drove along the Route des Grands Crus seeing some
of the famous wine villages. Then we visited the famous Maison Champy wine caves in
Beaune. Maison Champy was the first Maison de Vins de Bourgogne, founded in 1720. A
selection of fine wines was served with a delicious lunch in the candlelit caves. Everyone
appreciated a walk in the sunshine through the old cobbled streets before our fascinating
guided tour of the renowned Hospices de Beaune.
Keen golfers in the film industry were thrilled to be included on Technicolor's
second golf trip to Biarritz. The guests played on three courses in four
days and combined some challenging courses in lovely autumn sunshine with gastronomic
meals each evening. Seignosse course was the highlight of the trip, being
one of the top five courses in France. That evening we dined at a
beautiful country restaurant overlooking the Pyrenees and afterwards met
the chef, who has earned a Michelin rosette. On the last day, after playing Makila's
scenic course, where we had lunch and held the grand prizegiving, everyone mingled with a
local Basque wedding. The music and lively ambiance provided an appropriate finale to a
most successful golf trip.
We received the following message after Technicolor's trip to Biarritz:
"I just received the photos you sent today from the Biarritz golf trip, and they
are wonderful. Thanks so much for them, and for all your hard work to help pull off a
great event."
West LB held a very successful client cocktail reception at the trendy "Shoko"
bar on the waterfront in Barcelona after a conference.
Taylor Woodrow Developments Ltd entertained their guests to a superb gastronomic
lunch at Chateau Tilques, after working hard for several years on the K2 office
development at St.Katharine's Dock, close by Tower Bridge. There was an amusing but
demanding quiz after lunch. The top team was triumphant in winning wine from the chateau.
After a short walk in the sunshine admiring the newly landscaped grounds, there was just
time for a brief shopping trip at Cite Europe, before taking the coach back to
London.
HSBC Insurance had a successful visit to the French Open Tennis at Roland
Garros with their clients. They travelled by Eurostar and spent a lively evening on
the Left Bank. The next day, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the exciting matches on the show
court and had to be persuaded to return to Le Village for some chic Parisian hospitality.
Sibelius Software had a wonderful day out in Paris to
entertain their clients for Christmas. They travelled there on Eurostar
and enjoyed a splendid meal in a well-known French brasserie. They braved the cold weather
to take an interesting cruise with commentary along the Seine, before
returning to the station by coach for Eurostar back to London. They
wrote: "thank you for all the work you put in to making it a special day for us
all!"
Renault Trucks entertained clients on their annual Beaujolais
Nouveau trip to France. After arriving by private plane and
enjoying a delicious breakfast on board, we visited the Piper Heidsieck Champagne
House in Reims.
We had fun exploring the cellars in little train carriages before tasting their
excellent champagne. Then we tried this year's Beaujolais Nouveau before
a leisurely lunch at a favourite restaurant in town. There was just enough time for a
quick visit to the cathedral and shops before returning to the airport clutching bottles
of champagne.
Bibby Factors Slough & Bristol took their guests on an
exciting two-day trip to Iceland. Arriving in snow, the scenery took on a
surrealistic aura as the guide entertained them with folklore stories on the way to their
hotel overlooking a fjord on the West coast. The gala dinner was a gastronomic feast,
interrupted by the waitress announcing that the Northern Lights were
clearly visible. Lounging in the hotel's hot tubs and drinking champagne everyone gazed in
awe at the sight of the Northern Lights until after 2.00 a.m.
After a brief shopping trip to Rejkavik the next morning,then a
relaxing wallow in the thermal waters of the Blue Lagoon and a delicious
lunch, the group returned to the airport. Everyone agreed that the whole trip exceeded
their expectations and that this year's event will be a hard one to beat!
For further information on special trips to Iceland, click here.
Bibby Factors Borehamwood spent a lively two days
in Le Touquet with their clients. We had croissants and coffee in a
luxury coach travelling through the Channel Tunnel before stopping off briefly on Boulogne
sea front. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the lovely resort of Le Touquet
before enjoying a gourmet dinner at the splendid Westminster Hotel, where
we stayed overnight. The next morning after an enormous brunch everybody tried their
skills at sandyachting on the beach. Although the wind kept changing direction most
participants managed quite a speed along the hard sand. After a quick shopping stop for
French food and wine, we returned to London early evening.
A large accounting firm celebrated the completion of a long project with a
day trip to France with a difference. Although the budget for the event was kept as low as
possible, everyone had a great day out. We crossed through the tunnel in a luxury coach
then stopped for lunch at a country restaurant only forty-five minutes drive away. The
ambience was rustic, as it was set on a large working farm, but the meal consisted
entirely of all fresh farm produce. Our local wine expert gave a wine tasting with the
enormous four-course meal and then took orders. He delivered the cases to our meeting
place outside the hypermarket. Everyone returned to London, well wined and dined, and with
a large stock of wine and country cheese.
Bibby Factors Slough had an exciting day trip to Paris,
travelling on Eurostar to arrive in time for lunch at the bustling Terminus Nord. Then
some of the group went on a guided sightseeing tour of the city, whilst others enjoyed
shopping and chilling out on the Champs Elysees before returning to the
Gare du Nord for the return journey.
Technicolor returned for a second time to the luxurious Chateau
de Berne for the Provencale Experience. Everyone chilled out around the beautiful
landscaped pool and enjoyed balmy nights wining and dining out on the terrace with views
over the vineyards. We arranged "Dejeuner sur l’Herbe", a splendid country
picnic in the woods by the side of a stream. Seated at long tables with a delicious meal
and chilled Rose wine, everyone enjoyed the entertainment French style with an
accordionist in local costume playing during the meal. We visited Tourtour,
the prettiest village in Provence, on market day and it was hard not to
be tempted by the large display of typical Provencal dishes and tableware, not to mention
the stylish clothes in the boutiques. The Gala Evening, which turned into a travelling
dinner so that everybody mingled, featured a splendid gastronomic meal with a Jazz band
playing and dancing into the early hours. The climax to the evening was a fantastic
firework display, lighting up the swimming pool and fields in the background.
Bibby Factors Slough enjoyed two days of hot sunny weather
entertaining their clients at a chateau in Northern France. The competitions began
with a quiz, whilst travelling through the tunnel, then continued with a lively petanque
tournament in the gardens. Fine wines seemed to provide the perfect prizes! Later, a wine
tasting led by the head waiter was followed by a superb gastronomic meal. The next day a
group visited the historic old town of Arras for sightseeing and shopping. After another
delicious meal and a shopping trip to the supermarket we returned to England.
Biarritz proved to be a popular destination for Technicolor
where they entertained their clients on a golf trip, playing 5 top golf courses in 4
days. We stayed at the brand new Crowne Plaza Biarritz, which provided luxurious
accommodation and efficient service, and a lovely rooftop swimming pool for those with
enough energy left after numerous holes of golf in the heat! The high spots of the trip
were without doubt playing on the world renowned golf course at Seignosse with its
spectacular views and enjoying a gourmet dinner at Campagne et Gourmandise, where the
well-known chef Andre Gauzere served a superb meal in his delightful restaurant
overlooking the Pyrenees. The general feeling was "Biarritz and its attractions
definitely deserves another visit".
A large pharmaceutical company held a very successful two day teambuilding
event in Le Touquet. Everyone enjoyed sandyachting followed by a super
gourmet meal at the Westminster. An early start was agreed on for the meeting next morning
to allow time for everyone to stock up on drink at the Hypermarket before returning
through the Channel Tunnel.
The London Office of Salans, Hertzfeld & Heilbronn, the
international law firm, had a very enjoyable day out and gastronomic lunch at the
Westminster Hotel, Le Touquet.
Andel Consulting took their staff on an exciting week-end
teambuilding and fun to Le Touquet. They had excellent food, wine and accommodation at the
luxurious Hotel Westminster. The girls chilled out at the Thalassotherapy Centre whilst
the boys sampled the thrills of sandyachting along the vast sandy beach, before setting
off to enjoy the resort’s nightlife!
Technicolor Ltd took their clients on The Provencale Experience
at Le Chateau de Berne in July 2000. This is a beautiful country auberge set in the
midst of the vineyards. The 19 bedrooms including 6 Suites are all air-conditioned and
luxuriously appointed. There is a swimming pool, tennis and gardens, as well as a wine
school. This is a beautiful area of France, about an hour and a half from Nice, well away
from the bustle of the Cote d’Azur. All the wine served is from their vineyards. We
went down into the Caves to taste the local wine. The next day, we travelled by luxury
coach to the Gorges du Verdon with its stunning scenery reminiscent of the Grand Canyon,
ate lunch outside on the terrace of a local restaurant, then stopped for some shopping in
Moustiers, famous for its fine porcelain, and Tourtour the prettiest village in Provence.
At the Gala Dinner entertainment was provided by a typical Provencal duo in traditional
costume. This was a relaxing way in which to entertain their clients.
Corporate Entertainment Consultancy organised a very
successful two day trip to Burgundy for a large insurance company who invited their
major clients. We chartered a private plane to fly to Dijon, only a short distance
from the Burgundy vineyards. Lunch was served in a candle-lit cellar in Beaune,
followed by a guided tour of the famous Hospices de Beaune, where the wine sales are held
each year. We then enjoyed a wine tasting in Gevrey Chambertin, where guests could
buy cases of wine to be delivered to the plane the next day. A gala dinner was held in the
Chateau de Gilly with overnight stay before departing next day.
A large financial company entertained their Parisian clients at a splendid
venue in the Bois de Boulogne. Everyone appreciated this unusual and innovative
venue. After a computer presentation, a superb cocktail and gastronomic buffet was laid
out in the refurbished old stable block of this former chateau, set in the Parc du
Bagatelle. A lively evening was enjoyed by everyone.
SG entertained guests at the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de
Triomphe in Paris in October. It was a very full day, travelling by Eurostar
from London and back on the Sunday, but a great day's racing and excellent hospitality
much enjoyed by everyone.
Vauxhall had a fun week-end away in Le Touquet. In addition
to a successful conference, the men took part in adventurous sandyachting, played golf and
went cycling around the resort whilst the ladies relaxed with Thalassotherapy. An
excellent gala dinner was enjoyed by everyone. |