Month: December 2022

Patagonia

Posted on by Al Slinn

As an event business based in the Alps, we are well aware of the impact our choices might have on the environment. That’s why we work closely with local businesses, encourage coach transfers, and run a paper-free office, among other things. One of the environmentally-driven decisions we are most proud of is our choice of clothing for uniforms and gadgets. We use Patagonia – a brand internationally recognised for its sustainability.

Patagonia’s decisions as a company never cease to amaze us. In recent months, the founder Yvon Chouinard gave up ownership of the company and used the profits to fight climate change. Over the past few days, Patagonia has closed all stores in the U.S. and Canada to give employees some deserved rest over the holidays.

Patagonia CEO’s words

CEO Ryan Gellert recently made an announcement on Linkedin. “In 2021, we closed our stores […] for the last week of the year and gave employees paid time off. The purpose was to provide […] a much-needed break, and our customers were overwhelmingly gracious about it. 
 
We’re doing it again this year. Our North America stores […] will be closed from December 25 through January 1 because we believe in providing quality of life for our people. I want to thank Patagonia’s incredible employees for an amazing year of working to save our home planet […].”

Our experience

We couldn’t be happier with our Patagonia products. They are fun, extremely colourful, and use great quality materials. Most importantly, they are good for the planet! We purchased our Patagonia-branded Ten80 uniforms at our local store in Chamonix. It’s very easy to take them in for repairs, and we could even give them back once used in exchange for credit. Not that we intend to return those amazing uniforms anytime soon!

We would highly recommend Patagonia to anyone, whether in search of trusted technical material, or looking for a stylish everyday look. We will be happy to point you to our Patagonia local store next time you are in town!

A guide to Chamonix

Posted on by Al Slinn

Having been based in Chamonix for almost 20 years, we are obviously very fond of this town and all it has to offer. It’s always exciting to show our clients around this incredible destination! We work constantly to build local connections and discover new gems for our future events here.

That’s why we were quite curious when discovering an article recently published by The Guardian, where a local shares his tips for a stay in Chamonix. It puts together a guide to Chamonix that’s both very accurate and personal, and we definitely agree with its suggestions.

Here are some highlights from the article.

Food

Cool Cats in the Rue de Moulins is best in the summer when you can sit outside. But as it does artisan hot dogs and street food such as nachos, it can also be good when you’re coming off the mountain in winter.

Le‑Cap‑Horn, in the same street, is a good option for sushi but a bit more expensive. Being able to get good sushi makes Chamonix a bit special for a mountain town.

Inspiration

The mountains here are unique but I think what makes Chamonix special is that they are so accessible from the valley. And because this is the birthplace of alpinism, when you’re in the mountains you’re either on a historic route or you can see one. I enjoy just being in the mountains with good friends and family, but in town, the Maison des Artistes, an artist’s residence dedicated to musical creativity, has a concert programme that changes all the time and can be quite unusual.

Neighbourhood

Chamonix is incredibly international: people from all over the world are brought together by the mountains. This part of the Arve valley is divided into three main towns: Argentière, Chamonix and Les Houches. I live in a hamlet called Les Bois, between Chamonix and Argentière. Closest to me is another hamlet called Les Praz, which has a nice bar, Le Petit Social, for coffee or après ski.

On the other side is Le Lavancher and a 30-minute walk from that hamlet is la Buvette du Chapeau. This is a mountain cafe with traditional food (cheese, charcuterie, chanterelle omelettes) and desserts such as fruit tarts and faisselle (local fromage blanc) with blueberry jam.

Nightlife

Chamonix is a busy mountain town with lots of tourists so the nightlife is good. But my preferred way of spending an evening is getting the cable car to Plan de l’Aiguille and watching the sunset from the Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille, which is a 15-minute walk from the cable car.

You can have dinner and stay the night there, too, but in summer I like to take a picnic and camp up there. It is my favourite refuge in the whole Mont Blanc range and the mountains are pretty steep from there on, so if I stay the night, I know I can soon be up and doing something interesting the next morning!

Stay

Pointe Isabelle, in the centre of town, is a hotel, bar and bistro with 72 rooms. It sits on a corner, so it’s a good place for apéro and people watching.

Christmas markets

Posted on by Al Slinn

Christmas is approaching and one of our favorite activities this time of year (aside from skiing!) is Christmas markets shopping.

We are lucky to be located a stone’s throw away from Italy and Switzerland, as well as Geneva airport – a gateway to most European destinations. This means we can easily organise trips to the best Christmas markets around Europe!

You might be wondering which markets are worth a visit this year – so we have found this list by The Times, compounding the best 24 Christmas markets in Europe for 2022. Here are the top 10 on the list.

1. Cologne, Germany

Cologne has several Christmas markets, the largest of which is in the city centre, beneath the cathedral. Markt der Engel provides some of the most magical moments, with hundreds of twinkling lights suspended overhead like stars, and angels flitting between elaborately decorated gables.

2. Salzburg, Austria

The pretty hometown of Mozart comes into its own at Christmas, with snow-sprinkled renditions of Silent Night (the carol was written and first performed nearby) and market stalls that look much as they did when they were first set up way back in the 15th century.

3. Berlin, Germany

For a more modern take on tradition, arty Berlin has it covered. The city centre is festooned with around 80 Christmas markets (there’s even one specifically for dogs), so don’t try to cover them all.

4. Budapest, Hungary

Igniting the Christmas atmosphere in mid-November, Budapest brings two Christmas market contenders to the table: Vorosmarty Square and Basilica. Vorosmarty Square is Budapest’s oldest Christmas market. Here, you’ll find plenty of food stalls, handicraft shops and free concerts. Basilica has all of the above, but with the slight edge: Christmas laser projections on the Basilica and an ice-skating rink that circles around a grand Christmas tree.

5. Prague, Czech Republic

Postcard-pretty Prague is perfect for the festive season. Make like a local and swap your mug of mulled wine for a glass of grog — rum, water, lemon and sugar.

6. Strasbourg, France

France’s “Capital of Christmas” looks like a real-life nativity scene at this time of year. You’ll find 300 traditional market stalls crowding the city’s central squares, doing a strong line in hand-painted wooden Christmas decorations.

7. Gothenburg, Sweden

Liseberg, Sweden’s most popular amusement park, morphs into one of the world’s classiest Christmas open-air markets — no creaky Ferris wheels, plastic Christmas trees or drunk elves here.

8. Bratislava, Slovakia

Christmas in the Slovakian capital is a time of childlike wonder. Fairy lights are draped around Christmas trees, while market stalls sell traditional wooden toys and handsome Christmas decorations.

9. Bohemia, Czech Republic

In search of Christmas decorations and Christmas lights beyond Prague? Head for the southern Bohemian cities of Ceske Budejovice and Cesky Krumlov and you’ll find two of the most atmospheric markets in Europe.

10. Vienna, Austria

Come Christmas and Vienna sparkles with fairy lights. Snowy streets glow as light spills out from vast palaces; icicles dangle off grandiose Habsburg buildings. Add in steaming drinks in made-to-linger coffee houses and you’ve got a city full of festive atmosphere that doesn’t feel twee.

Amsterdam

Posted on by Al Slinn

There’s a moment every event planner loves: receiving that confirmation e-mail where the client finally gives the go ahead for their next event. We have recently experienced this thrill in the office when one of our large corporate groups confirmed an event in Amsterdam for next summer.

Amsterdam is perhaps not your usual summer destination as clients tend to choose the mountains or seaside, especially for incentives. However, the city is perfect for an urban escape and extremely corporate-friendly.

Reasons to host an event in Amsterdam

In this article on Iamsterdam.com we found 7 reasons why Amsterdam is just the perfect event destination.

  1. Amsterdam is easily accessible by international train and plane (the airport is only 20 minutes away from the city centre by public transport). On top of that, it is a very compact city with short travel times between hotels, venues and restaurants. 
  2. It has great digital connectivity: Amsterdam is a tech hub with one of the strongest internet backbones in the world and a leader in innovation and applying new technology.
  3. There are more than 500 beautiful venues.
  4. There are more than 40,000 hotel rooms, all located close to the venues.
  5. It is an iconic international destination with 750 years of history to discover and countless things to see and do.
  6. It has an extensive knowledge and business network coupled with world-class universities and research centres.
  7. Amsterdam is known for its commitment to collaboration and social connectivity. Parties involved in your event are well-connected and accustomed to working together.

…And some rankings

On top of these very valid reasons to organise your event in Amsterdam, here are some top rankings involving the city:

#5 among world’s best cities for smart mobility

#6 city for international association meetings 2021 in Europe

#1 safest city in Europe and #6 worldwide

#1 sustainable European city

#3 best airport in Western Europe

#1 for direct connectivity and hub connectivity 

Needless to say, we are thrilled to explore this destination thoroughly and polish our local connections in preparation for our upcoming event!

Best ski resorts in Europe

Posted on by Al Slinn

We always strive to take our clients to incredible ski resorts all over Europe – and, recently, we discovered we might have selected just the best ones.

In an article on the Evening Standard we found a list of the 8 best ski resorts in Europe. To our delight, they have all been part of our event destination portfolio for a long time!

Here’s a shortened version of the list, in case you’d like to take a peek.

Val d’Isère, France

Best for: High-altitude style.

Party place: Cocorico at Rond Point — riotous ski-in après at the bottom of the piste.

Val d’Isère gives you everything you want in a resort, including snow-sure slopes for all levels and lots of breathtaking off-piste. There’s the buzzing social scene, with lots of live music and (expensive) champagne flowing at La Folie Douce.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Best for: Mountain magic.

Party place: Hennu Stall on the Furi-Zermatt slope — order the metre-long “ski” of shots.

It’s hard to take your eyes off the Matterhorn here, one of Switzerland’s most gorgeous images. For a classy alternative to après ski, try the boat-shaped Snowboat Bar beside the River Vispa in the centre of town, where gorgeous sushi is served with a huge selection of cocktails.

Les Arcs, France

Best for: Families, powder hounds… just about everyone.

Party place: Red Hot Saloon in Arc 1800 — live music and late-night partying.

What Les Arcs lacks in glamour it more than makes up for in incredibly varied terrain — think fun slopes, steep blacks, air-thinning peaks and sheltered woodland runs. Extend your lift pass to include La Plagne and take advantage of the new high-speed chairlift to Champagny-en-Vanoise.

Courchevel, France

Best for: Glitzy celeb-spotters.

Party place: Funky Fox in Courchevel 1650 — the place to see and be seen.

Don’t let Courchevel’s bling blind you to the superlative skiing in this starry corner of the Trois Vallées. This winter, expert skiers can tackle a new black run, Eclipse, which plunges into Le Praz at a drop of 970m and a 30 per cent gradient. Not for the faint hearted.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Best for: Old-school glamour.

Party place: Janbo in the town centre — for late-night good times.

The classy queen of the Dolomites rivals anything in the Alps for its jaw-droppingly beautiful granite mountains. And now those pink-tinged peaks will be easier to reach with the new gondola linking Tofane with Cinque Torri’s fabulous Super 8 circuit — and, ultimately, the Sella Ronda circuit.

Verbier, Switzerland

Best for: Off-piste heaven.

Party place: Hotel Farinet in the town centre — look out for flame throwers and bar dancing.

Verbier offers an exhilarating taste of the high life — its off-piste is among the best in the world. The new high-speed Médran gondola between Verbier and Les Ruinettes will make life so much easier. This winter’s new Mont 4 Zipline, the highest in Europe, starts at 3,300m and whooshes you at 100km/h until your head spins.

Kitzbühel, Austria

Best for: Medieval beauty and World Cup racing.

Party place: The Londoner — an English party pub, not for the faint-hearted.

Every January, crowds descend on Kitzbühel to watch the World Cup’s most thrilling downhill race on the Hahnenkamm course. But there’s so much more, including an enchanting medieval centre and 233km of varied slopes. Mileage-hungry skiers can test the new circuit between SkiWelt and KitzSki, the longest in the world.

Morzine-Avoriaz, France

Best for: Village atmosphere.

Party place: Hotel Le Tremplin at the foot of Pléney — the annual closing party is not to be missed.

These neighbours in the Portes du Soleil make a perfect couple. You’ve got pretty Morzine with its traditional Savoyard chalets and can also hop on the cable car to futuristic Avoriaz and its high-altitude slopes.