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A Tale Of Two Cities: Madrid and Toledo.

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We were lucky enough to be invited away recently on a trip to Spain. Naturally, we wouldn’t dare turn down such a generous offer, or pass up on a chance to escape the office for a couple of days! So, a few weeks ago I found myself headed up to London, preparing to jet off and visit a part of one of my favourite countries that I had never been to before.

Arrival

After touching down in Madrid, I was quickly whisked away for a short, but comfortable ride to the hotel. I would be both inspecting and staying in for the next two nights, the stunning, Eurostars Madrid Tower. Although it was dark by the time I had landed, it was still easy to appreciate just how impressive a building the Madrid Tower is. The first thirty floors of the tower are operated by Eurostars, and during the day they grant guests some stunning views.

Introductions were made and dinner was served. We dined later then we are used to back in Britain, but one must always adhere to the customs of the country one visits! The menu was comprised of both classic Spanish and local dishes. My hosts were overly generous with the wine, causing my memory of the food to be rather foggy, with one marvellous exception. Carrot Cake is not usually my first choice for a dessert, but when served with the deliciously decadent, passionfruit twist that was our meals finale, it’s fair to say I have converted!

A Trip to Toledo

Thanks to a rather jam-packed itinerary for the next two days it was an early breakfast before setting off for Toledo. I was equally as curious to visit this stunning fortress-city as I was to visit Madrid itself. A fairly acceptable drive of about 40 minutes was all it took to put the capital behind us and bring us to Toledo’s stunning cityscape. I’d never seen an image of Toledo before we stopped off at the historic city gate. As a former Citadel, much of the interior layout to the old-town is still preserved, although the once thick curtain-walls are now broken in some sections.

Toledo is protected by the Tagus river on all sides. It’s an impressive natural defence but also a beautiful landscape feature. The view from the surrounding hills across the Tagus of the city is simply magnificent. The most beautiful landmark in a city filled with them has to be the cathedral at its heart. A stunning assembly of baroque and neo-gothic architecture. Filled with frescos, gold, and other precious objects that catch the eye as you wander around the cathedral’s vast expanse. I could have wandered around the cathedral, and indeed, most of the city itself for days. But, duty called, and after a brief tour of the local Eurostars site, it was back to Madrid.

An Evening of Entertainment

Following another brief tour of another property, and a very quick shower, the evening’s entertainment could now take centre stage. We were taken to a quiet street, just across from the cities cathedral, and entered one of the most packed restaurants I’ve ever been to. A legion of smartly clad serving staff attended the few hundred diners who occupied almost every inch of floor space. A podium took up one small corner of the restaurant, the stage as of yet, unoccupied. Soon, after gorging ourselves almost into a stupour the clock struck ten, and the real reason we had arrived at this establishment became obvious.

The Flamenco is one of the most passionate, intense, and fierce performances in dance that the eyes can witness. The crash of every step. The echo of every chord and note. It is both visually and audibly intoxicating to watch. I found myself in awe of the performers, both the musicians and the dancers. It is easy, in our mostly digital world we now occupy, to forget the power of a live performance. Our most-kind and generous hosts had provided a surprise well worth the journey.

More Of Madrid

We departed the restaurant for the more relaxed and less crowded environment of the Madrid Tower. A few drinks and friendly chats were had but there was nothing that could possibly top the earlier performance. We retired once again quite early, for we knew that although the next day was our last, we still had much todo. Another early start saw us take a walking tour of the city centre of Madrid. Our Tour guide was a chap named Sean, one-half Irish, the other Spanish. I can safely say he was the best tour guide I’ve ever had. The tour was slightly hurried, given our busy schedule, but Sean provided more than an insight into the history of the city.

Sadly, we left the beating heart of Madrid and ventured back to the tower. They really had saved the best until last with our final site inspection. The hotel boasts some truly first class meeting and breakout rooms. They have good reason to be proud of their property. It is no wonder why it remains so popular with everyone from foreign dignitaries to the giants of football. Liverpool FC stayed at the Madrid Tower during last years Champions League final in Madrid. I’m told any team who spends the night in the property before a match always wins the next day.

Departure

After a fantastic lunch, it was time to be on our way again. Despite having just over an hour until the flight home, I did have a nervous glance at my watch anticipating traffic en route to the airport. I needn’t have worried. The journey once again, lasted barely 20 minutes, and still left time to quickly browse duty-free! During the flight, I reflected on the last two days and all that I’d seen during my enjoyable, but brief stay. You can never spend enough time away on trips like these. But of course, the whole point of the trip was to leave me wanting more.

Our hosts were fantastic. The itinerary was put together in order to give us as much to see and do as possible. In that, it definitely delivered, as did our fantastic Eurostars hosts in showing off their properties. Both Madrid and Toledo have much to offer any visitors. For myself, I’ve found another part of Spain to love, and explore. Hopefully, I won’t be waiting too long to return there.

To read more about other destinations, check out our blog, or to view the Eurostars Madrid Tower click here.

Incentive Travel: Make The Most of Out-Of-Office Opportunities.

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Employees are happier when they are in dynamic, inspiring, and sometimes even exotic working environments. Now, this does not mean you need to suggest relocating the whole office or even separate departments. You don’t have to move your R&D team to the Canary Islands. Accounting does not have to take up residency in The Emirates. Pulling in new business from abroad does not have to be a priority either. What you can do is far more simple and that is exactly where Incentive Travel comes in.

Incentive Travel Group

We are familiar with the age-old sales team prizes. The Range Rover Sport going to the top sellers in departments each week. We have seen the quarterly all-expenses-paid trip away to the Mediterranean. I am sure there are many people we all know who have enacted all manners of subterfuge to secure an invite to the bosses annual golf trip. All of these methods and carrot-dangling tactics are tried, tested, and proven to work. Yet they are just one-side of the Incentive Travel equation. How often have you thought about rather than leaving the office to get away, go away, and take the office with you?

Creating More Incentives to Travel.

Incentive Travel does not just have to apply to your own employees. You have some new clients that are due to arrive in town for a pitch. Rather than bringing them into the familiar environment of your workplace, why not take them, and the whole of the creative team to a more neutral setting? Put them at ease but also build their anticipation. Give your team a little more room to flex their muscles without all the usual pressures of the home office. Creating incentives doesn’t just have to apply to your people, but travelling with them and the people you’re pitching too is an entirely new way of doing business.

Cheese and Wine tasting.

It’s approaching the end of the financial year. Accounting is crunching their way through the books and gradually sagging into their chairs with each passing day. Pack them off for a week working where they can see the sun and sea out of their window. Give them a break from the usual stress and the chance to relax.  It’s mid-winter. Your team are starting to flag, the usual coughs, colds, and other forms of influenza. Get the jump on inevitable sick days that are coming. Why not find a wellness spa and move them to work there instead of seeing them deteriorate in the office? You don’t have to travel far, or for long, to increase productivity. But sometimes any change of environment is a welcome change indeed.

The Good, The Bad, and The Obvious.

Now it is obvious that Incentive travel comes with a nasty word that unfortunately, must always be considered, Budget. It is an intimidating word to contend with when it comes to ordering the cake and flowers for someone’s birthday, let-alone justifying a work trip of any kind outside of the office zip-code, let alone country. There will always be some who argue as to why Incentive Travel is not a worthy investment for you. But the fact of the matter is that Incentive Travel can offer you a fantastic ROI and boost productivity. Let us not forget an obvious return point also. Morale.

When someone mentions “earnings” or “net profit” next, show them HR’s reports on employee welfare and motivation. Look at the numbers on how much your company or business is losing each year due to “lack of productivity”. Mental Health is now more under more scrutiny in society and the workplace than ever. Providing a positive working environment and motivation to your employees to continue their hard work is difficult. Incentive Travel is a means of letting your employees know you care about them but does not have to result in reduced levels of productivity.

Cocktail glass on terrace.

Invest In Your Image with Incentive Travel.

Most importantly, employee welfare should not be something which is settled by digits and decimals. There should not be a number that quantifies their value to a business. Incentive Travel should be exactly that, an incentive to work harder, to work better, and to be rewarded accordingly. Any company that invests so much into their employees will only attract the best applicants for the future. If your business is seen to invest just as much in their clients then who is to say how many more may come your way?

Motivation Vacation: Why Team Building Matters

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Team building amongst colleagues is a valuable method of improving co-operation, productivity, and positivity in the workplace. It’s an opportunity to get people out of the office, and their comfort zones, to encourage them to interact and develop better relationships with their colleagues. But is there really more to team building then a break from work?

Causes For Concern?

Sometimes, yes, we all need a break from work. From the pressures and confines of the office, from the constant scrutiny of supervisors, managers, and directors, or just from the people you sit next to every day. It’s natural we are all human, we all cope with stress and expectations in different ways. But if you’re the person in charge, and you see that there are very real divisions if not outright conflicts going on in the office, what do you do?

You might feel like you should step in, but won’t out of fear of escalating the situation, a very real problem and not one to be taken lightly. You might feel that some behind the scenes subterfuge, shakeups in the chain of command, relocating warring colleagues from each other, or thinly veiled directives for everyone to stop causing problems and get on with their jobs or else is the best way to handle a tricky situation.

Different situations call for different measures but, sometimes, it’s better to take these problems out of the office. Put them and the people with them, in a different territory where they can be wrong-footed, challenged, put-on-the-spot and made to step-up and tackle issues in a more productive and hopefully, more positive manner. Perhaps I’m overselling it to you at this point and what you actually have is an office or workspace full of disgruntled, unmotivated, and anti-social colleagues who really just need a chance to lighten up.

Enter: The Team Building Trip

Team building getaways are an ideal way of beating all of these problems if not just short of being a guaranteed solution. Raft building in Tenerife. No one would ever think they would be there doing it, let alone doing it with the people they spend 40 hours a week with, yet here they are. Having the time of their lives, on an expenses-paid trip with work, learning to laugh and get on with each other. A fire-pit at night, people are actually talking to each other, engaging in levels of discourse previously unheard or even thought of, helping to embolden employees to communicate with each other in a way they never had previously.

Picture this. The first day back at work, post-trip, and people are smiling. There is laughter, genuine laughter being heard in the office for the first time in months, unforced, as people chat with each other with genuine interest and enthusiasm. Colleagues who were once animous are now amicable. The relationship between management and staff is more relaxed and informal, more open, communicative, better for both parties. The team-building process is complete and you now have a happier and better-connected staff then you did previously.

But Can We Really Achieve That Much From Team Building?

Beach Team Building

If I have said it once I’ll reiterate it now; there are no guarantees when it comes to these trips. You cannot always pick a venture or an itinerary which satisfies anyone (which is also why in my opinion you are better off going into these things blind and leaving it to the pro’s like us), and some issues just cannot be resolved in a weekend or a week, and neither should you try to force them to be, because your focus shifts away from the enrichment of your staff as a whole, and you will end up scrutinising (possibly unfairly as well) a few select individuals.

But if you’re smart, you pick the right time of year, end up in the right environment and atmosphere (which should come courtesy of yours truly at Conference-Desk) then there is no reason why you will not end up going on the team-building adventure of your workplace lifetime. In fact, the only problem you should ever have after a successful motivation vacation is that everyone won’t stop asking you when the next one is!

To enquire about booking your next team-building trip click here.

ABU DHABI Conferences & Events – Ever thought of holding your event here!?

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Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest of seven oil-rich states, it is the Jewel in the United Arab Emirates, cultural crown- a multi-island, mega flush destination for 5-star play and stay where event the police drive Rolls Royce Phantoms.

Majlis is Arabic for a top-level meeting place and in Abu Dhabi; the traditional majlis – a tented meeting place where hospitality abounded before negotiations began – it has been the setting for business meetings from the heyday of the silk route. The tradition, which characterised the early signing of petroleum concessions, lives on today and our majlis is now among the most advanced and competitive around. Abu Dhabi has taken the best of the past and refreshed it with the finest for the present and future.

Overview of Abu Dhabi….

What was 50 years ago no more than a fishing village, Abu Dhabi now straddles some 200 islands in the Arabian Gulf. Most of the action is in the west, around pristine beachy corniche. The finance district sits astride Al Reem and Al Maryah Island and NW is Arty Smart Saadiyat (with the imminent Louvre & Guggenheim). East is the water Parks, Mega Malls and Motor madness of Yas Island.

Here are some tips & facts!

Weather. Best Time to visit is November – April, pack a shawl for cooler eves. July to September soar to the high 40s.

Don’t use suncream USE SUNBLOCK!

English is widely spoken and the locals are very friendly

The city is very safe  there’s virtually no crime

EVENTS: Volvo ocean race  (Jan)  Hot Yaughts; Abu Dhabi Food Festival (Feb)  Abu Dhabi Classics (Oct May)  Raising the Baton Art Fair ( Nov) F1 ABU Dhabi Grand Prix ( Nov)

The weekend is Friday to Saturday, Sunday is their first day of the week.

Conference Venues in Abu Dhabi

At Conference Desk, we have chosen and selected only the very best hotels in which we wish to work with and here are a few…

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr 

   

Modish dandy for work and play with spacious suites, vast toe dipper, stagger waterside views of the grand mosque, plus top tables Marco Pierre White and Frankies Italian. The  Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. Offering superior hospitality, state-of-the-art technology and more than 2,500 square metres (26,900 square feet) of meeting space, the business-friendly hotel in Abu Dhabii is your gateway to the wonders of the Middle East.

Ritz Carlton

  

Set against a backdrop of the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal offers a wide array of facilities including 447 luxurious guestrooms and suites, 85 private villas, ten food and beverage options, and an expansive outdoor pool. With 14 meeting rooms and the magnificent 1,550-square meter (16,685 square foot) Roma Ballroom that is divisible by three, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal can accommodate groups of all sizes for an inspiring meeting experience

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

   

Dazzly, a comtempo corniche side pillar of swish apartments with private beach, label stable avenue and fab Talise Spa.

Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche

Gaze over the Arabian Gulf from Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche a skyscraping luxury 5-star hotel in Abu Dhabi with 280 rooms. Discover pan-Arabic opulence blended with French art de recevoir. Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche is a landmark of Abu Dhabi. Its chic facade and modern interiors are inspired by French Art Deco and designed by London WA International.

Emirates Palace

  

The premier meeting and conference destination in the city, Emirates Palace attracts business drivers and key decision makers from around the world to its beautiful front steps. A royal wedding, an auditorium hosting the world’s greatest orchestras, operas and 42 meeting and conference rooms, Emirates Palace offers a world-class award winning venue and the most flexible and technologically advanced conference expertise.

ACTIVITIES 

If you are looking for a destination that offers fun-filled activities for your Team then Abu Dhabi has it all..! We work with only the best Destination Management Companies in Abu Dhabi who will provide you and your team a bespoke activity and event package.

   

Explore the seemingly endless Empty Quarter on a desert safari with an exhilarating ride over sand dunes in a four-wheel drive. Followed by a sunset barbecue at a Bedouin-style campsite, where you can climb aboard a camel, have a go at sandboarding and watch peregrine falcons in flight.

If you’re after an active experience, leave the city behind and take a kayaking or paddleboarding trip through Abu Dhabi’s vast and peaceful mangrove forests.

Yas Island is the emirate’s entertainment hub. Non-stop fun awaits at Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, which has 45 rides and slides across four thrill levels, and budding Lewis Hamiltons will love racing go-karts around Yas Marina Circuit. Adrenalin junkies can ride the world’s fastest rollercoaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and little ones can enjoy the driving school.

CONTACT US NOW FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOLDING AN EVENT HERE.

info@conference-desk.com