Interopa Incentives UK

a division of Interopa Holidays Ltd for

Corporate Travel and Event Specialist

TOP CONFERENCE DESTINATION The debate about an international convention centre for London may continue to rumble on, but that doesn’t seem to have put off its fans. The UK capital is your favourite conference destination – not just in the UK, but in the world – for the second year running. With new hotels and quirky venues coming on board almost each week, London is one of those destinations that is continually changing. This year has seen the opening of numerous conference hotels, such as the luxurious Jumeirah-owned Lowndes Hotel in Belgravia, which offers the capital’s largest private screening room and a conference room for up to 350 delegates. This is in addition to a plethora of unusual options that add a twist to conventional meetings, such as the legendary 1960s concert venue The Roundhouse, now available for private hire, or the new Tate Modern galleries. It’s being able to continually ring the changes that has cemented London’s success. And, with £35bn worth of investment earmarked for infrastructure, including the redevelopment of the iconic Battersea Power Station and the long-awaited opening of Wembley Stadium, its winning streak should be ongoing. However, there’s no room for complacency. Barcelona, EIBTM’s host city, missed out on the top spot by just one vote. Its incentive attractions are well known, and with the relatively recent opening of the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona – which has an auditorium for 3,200 – its meetings credentials have enjoyed a boost too. Another city that’s had a boost is Paris, thanks to some extent to Dan Brown. Yet while the French capital may not have secured the Da Vinci Code, it has bagged the third spot as the industry’s best-loved conference destination. In fact, the top three positions exactly mirror last year’s results. However, it’s a reversal of fortunes for the next two in the ranking, Birmingham and Dubai – and one of the few occasions these are mentioned in the same sentence – but this year sees the Midland heavyweight and the Arab state swap spots. Meanwhile, Hong Kong must have cast its Oriental charms on the industry, securing itself a jump from 10th to sixth place. The remaining four places go to destinations that did not make the running last year. Geneva and Cape Town found themselves in joint seventh. Finally, European capitals Copenhagen and Lisbon occupy the final two places

1 London
2 Barcelona
3 Paris
4 Birmingham
5 Dubai
6 Hong Kong
7 Cape Town Geneva
9 Copenhagen
10 Lisbon

TOP INCENTIVE DESTINATION It seems that London curries favour as much for its incentive as its meetings product. The UK capital has jumped from being last year’s second most preferred incentive destination to this year’s top choice. However, it didn’t quite have the clout to outdo Dubai – the joint and incumbent occupier of the top spot in this category. Despite obvious differences, the common ground between the two winners is that they both have their sights firmly fixed on the future. In 2012, London will host the Olympic Games and the redevelopment of East London will offer a host of new incentive and hospitality opportunities. However, enhancements are springing up all the time. Next year will see the opening of the O2, which will see the former Dome become a centre for entertainment, and will incorporate a 23,000 seat auditorium. But, of course, London’s focus on the future is taking shape against its history and many of the capital’s historic attractions form the centrepiece of London’s success as an incentive destination. This is in complete contrast to Dubai. Go back 25 years and this emirate was nothing more than desert. Today, it is one of the most futuristic and iconic destinations in the world with a ‘wow’ factor that keeps groups flooding in. Its desert safaris and Bedouin nights are as much an incentive opportunity as the duty-free shopping and glitzy hotels. With so many plans up its sleeve – Dubailand, Festival City, The World (see feature page 75) – it will be a tough task for any other destination to push Dubai off the winner’s podium. However, Cape Town has shown steadfast popularity, holding on to its position in third. With amazing beaches, safari parks, wineries, cultural attractions and stunning scenery, dangling Cape Town as the carrot for an incentive programme is a surefire way to motivate. In fourth place is Barcelona. To add to the eccentric Gaudi-esque attractions, this year has been decreed officially as the year of Barcelona cuisine, triggering a raft of new cookery schools and gastronomic trails. It may be an old favourite with UK groups, but new incentive options ensure the city keeps its offer fresh. Recently introduced incentives include private flights over the city in twin-engine planes and taking to the streets on a fleet of quad-bikes. Mauritius came fifth, maintaining the Indian Ocean’s grasp on the ranking following the Maldives’ placing last year. Hot on its heels comes two contrasting cities – Rome and New York. They both share the sixth position in our industry poll, with New York dropping one place from its 2005 ranking and Rome leaping up from 10th place. The three destinations that complete the line-up are Paris, Prague and Marrakech. None of them were in the 2005 poll, and their popularity means the Icelandic capital Reykjavik loses out on a top-ten placing.

1 Dubai
2 London
3 Cape Town
4 Barcelona
5 Mauritius
6 New York
7 Rome
8 Marrakech
9 Paris
10 Prague