Venues & Events

Aberdeen Convention Bureau showcases region to German event organisers

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Category: Venues & Events

Created on Friday, 11 May 2012 11:39

Aberdeen Convention Bureau regularly organises trips and site visits as part of its work to promote Aberdeen as an attractive business tourism destination.

New direct flights between Frankfurt and Aberdeen have proved to be hugely successful for operator Lufthansa, opening up opportunities for European delegates to fly to the North-east in just two hours.

The group of seven visitors included representatives of several influential event management, marketing and incentive travel organisers, who arrange meetings and reward trips on behalf of clients.

The two-day trip included visits to Fyvie and Crathes Castles, whisky tasting at the Glen Garioch Distillery at Oldmeldrum, lunches at Meldrum Country House Hotel & Golf Course and Malmaison Aberdeen, dinner at Howies restaurant and a tour of Skene House HotelSuites.

As well as overnight accommodation at the Mercure Ardoe House Hotel and Spa, the visitors were also taken on scenic tours of the city, Aberdeenshire and Royal Deeside, while the highlight of their trip to Crathes was a croquet lesson on the lawn by members of the Crathes Croquet Club.

The visit was hosted by Aberdeen Convention Bureau, Lufthansa and VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit, with in-kind support from the hotels, restaurants and venues.

Lis Schröder, of event planners S-squared GmbH, said she would be recommending Aberdeen to her clients. “Aberdeen is really a great destination. Following this trip, I will be trying to promote this region to my clients in Germany. There are so many reasons why Aberdeen and the region are ideal for them, including the variety of golf courses, distilleries, castles and great shopping.”

Amanda Henderson, Marketing Manager (Europe) at VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit said: “The launch of Lufthansa’s thrice-daily service from Aberdeen to Frankfurt is a great opportunity to really place Aberdeen and Shire on the map with corporate travel agents in Germany and beyond. 

“This collaboration with Aberdeen Convention Bureau and Lufthansa provided us with the perfect stage for German event planners to experience the excellent tourism product in the region first hand. 

“We were particularly impressed by the high quality of the hotels and venues we visited - business tourism clients tend to have very high demands. I was also struck by the genuine enthusiasm displayed by everyone who met us. There’s great hunger for tourism to work here, and this is really encouraging.”

Aberdeen Convention Bureau’s Sales and Marketing Manager Alesia du Plessis said the increased connectivity was beneficial to delegates travelling to events as well as organisers keen to utilise the North-east’s unique venues, castles and distilleries.

“Aberdeen is a strong contender in terms of business tourism and Aberdeen Convention Bureau is constantly out there raising the profile of the city, which has great connections to all of the major hubs,” she said.

“New air routes such as the direct service between Aberdeen and Frankfurt opens up the opportunities for meeting and event planners who are looking for a compact but major city which has so much to offer, with historic castles, unique venues and world-class golf courses on its doorstep.

“Aberdeen Convention Bureau provides free support that could help to secure a future event for the city, working in close partnership with our industry partners to promote Aberdeen.

“Developments such as the Trump golf resort, new international hotel brands and increased connectivity mean we can welcome a bigger share of the global meetings and conference market.”

The team at Aberdeen Convention Bureau proactively promotes Aberdeen City and Shire to attract new conferences to the region, organising and hosting site inspection visits with invited conference organisers, to showcase the North-east’s best venues and facilities.