Our classic tour of the Ardennes

Michelle Chenery reports on a Southern Belgium ITCM fam trip that coincided with the volcanic eruption and produced more adventures than we bargained for!

Our MICE buyers’ adventure in Wallonia started with a bang. All the early morning news was of the volcanic eruption in Iceland and how many flights were cancelled. Heathrow closed at 12 noon, but our 11.15am flight on Brussels Airlines was one of the last to leave UK airspace, which was then to close for a further six days. On arrival at Brussels airport after a comfortable flight on time we were transferred to Trajectoire, where we had our first sight of the classic cars we would be driving for the next three days. The delegates were like children let loose in a candy store. Inside the building there were wall-to-wall classic cars.

Chantilly charmed the buyers

After hard but rewarding work at the Bedouk MC&IT exhibition in Paris, Chantilly showed the enchanting face of France. Briony Key reports

Evènement France 2010 took 13 UK event organisers on a four-day trip to France for Bedouk MC&IT – and much more. Briony Key accompanied the Fam Trip group, hosted by Atout France and ITCM, from the latest Paris hot spots to the charm of Chantilly.
Following an easy flight with Air France the group soon discovered Accor’s savoir faire. Its hospitality evening, at the Novotel Tour Eiffel, was a feast of fine food and French flair, with great views of the icon of Paris. Soon everyone was mixing and in the mood for finding out more about the excellent business opportunities that were about to be showcased.

Estonia – the great new MICE destination

Hosted by Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Tour-ist Board and Estonian Convention Bureau, ITCM escorted a group of UK buyers who were amazed at what they found in Tallinn and Pärnu on the Baltic

We were a group of 9 on the ITCM-Estonian Tourist Board and Estonian Convention Bureau  Fam Trip to Estonia. One of us had once passed briefly through the capital, Tallinn, but we were all completely unprejudiced by any previous knowledge of the country and its MICE facilities. There were mixed feelings about what to expect.

Dubrovnik and Split offer great value, singly or together

ITCM and some readers were invited to see for themselves the enticing offers of Croatia’s great cities on the Adriatic. Roger St Pierre reports

Croatia has one of Europe’s longest and most spec-tacular coastlines, dotted with resorts large and small. The best known are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Split and Dubrovnik, each of which can be very attractive in these straitened times.
Easy to access, with direct flights from the UK, both destinations offer great value, thanks to being outside the ever more expensive Eurozone.