UNITED KINGODM: Hold Your Meeting in the English Countryside

DENMARK: Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Expands Conference Facilities

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre

SWEDEN: Scandic Nyköping City

SOUTH AFRICA: Sun City – Maybe It’s Time for Another Visit

Finnair Codeshare with Icelandair

SAS introduces carbon offset program for meetings

EIBTM is accepting entries for its 2008 WorldWide Technology Watch (WWTW) competition. The WWTW is looking for new, innovative technology for use in the meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions industry. If you or your company has created such a system, enter to win a free stand at the MPI Technology Village at this year’s show.
EIBTM will take place from 2 to 4 December at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. The closing date for entries is 5 September 2008. For more information, go to the EIBTM website at www.eibtm.com.

Leipzig, Germany has a new website for MICE events called ‘Do It in Leipzig, www.do-it-at-leipzig.de. The site highlights many of Leipzig’s fine hotels and attractions such as St. Thomas Church where J.S. Bach was choirmaster, the Porsche factory and its event venues, museum and hands-on driving programs, and the Leipziger Messe with its beautiful all-glass exhibition center. In October 2011, the 50th ICCA Congress will take place at the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) located in the Leipziger Messe www.leipziger-messe.de.

Until next time
Best

Helena Miele, CITE
Editor electronic newsletters

In 2007, Britain’s National Trust opened eight of its glorious countryside estates for corporate group hire. Today, nine stately homes and castles are available for exclusive hire. The venues, which include Palladium mansion Basildon Park, neoclassical Osterley Park, and the Jacobean Blickling Hall, accommodate 100 attendees indoors and up to 500 attendees on the grounds using a marquee. The National Trust properties provide unique and lavish settings in the English countryside that are perfect for hosting gala dinners, product launches, meetings and trainings. Each venue has a dedicated function manager and top caterers to provide food and beverages.
For more information on the venues, go the National Trust website and click on the ‘Hiring a Venue’ link located on top of the home page.
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

The Clarion Hotel Copenhagen opened a new conference center earlier this year. The Center has 7 conference rooms, which accommodate from 50 to 90 attendees, ten breakout rooms accommodating from 8 to 12 attendees and a conference hall that seats 550 theater style and is divisible into three separate rooms.
The 4-Star property is located between the airport and city center and is situated between the Bella Center and City Hall Square. The Clarion Copenhagen has 215 guest rooms including two accessible rooms. There is free Internet access in all rooms. The hotel is a non-smoking hotel in line with the chain's policy under which all of its hotels became smoke-free on January 1st 2007.
Additional facilities include the restaurant, which seats 200, and Finnish sauna, whirlpool and gym.

E-mail: cl.copenhagen@choice.dk
Website: www.choicehotels.dk

The Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) has 60,000 sqm/548,959 sqft of flexible meeting and exhibition space located all on one level and placed across nine interconnected halls.
The Sheikh Rashid Hall offers 7,703 sqm/82,914 sqft of column-free, flexible space with 12.65 meter high ceilings. Configured as an auditorium, the hall seats 2,500 in retractable-tiered seating and an additional 2,000 seats can be added on the flat surface bringing seating capacity up to 4,500. The hall can also be sub-divided into six large meeting rooms, which together can accommodate up to 6,500 delegates.
There are 30 additional meeting rooms available for use as hospitality suites, boardrooms, pressrooms, organizers’ offices and speakers’ reception rooms, as well as for conferences and seminars. Additional venues within the DICEC include 18 smaller breakout rooms accommodating from 50 to 220 attendees, the glass-encased, oval shaped Bubble Lounge, which accommodates 300 attendees for cocktail receptions, luncheons, dinners and parties, an upper level lounge, business center and Press Conference Centre.
Two on-site hotels; the Novotel World Trade Center and the IBIS World Trade Centre Dubai are situated at either end of the center’s concourse that house banking, postal, travel and rental facilities, restaurants, coffee houses, retail stores, and registration desks for organizers’ use.
A new AED 3.35 Billion construction project that will include 240,000 sqm/2,583,600 sqft of office space, four new hotels and meeting, retail and hospitality facilities will take place in the area surrounding the DICEC.
The DICEC is a 15 minute drive from Dubai International Airport and a 30 minute drive from the new Jebel Ali International Airport.
Website: www.dicec.ae

The Scandic Nyköping City opened on 1 May. The re-branded property, formerly known as the Stora Hotel, is receiving a major refurbishment that includes the addition of a new relaxation area and a swimming pool.
Located in the city center of Nyköping, close to the harbor, the 98 room property is one hour south of Stockholm and only 7 minutes from Stockholm-Skavsta Airport. Meetings at the Scandic Nyköping take place in the hotel lounge or in the city conference facilities across the street, which are owned and operated by the hotel. The conference center has seven meeting rooms that accommodate from 10 to 200 attendees in beautifully appointed rooms with high ceilings, natural daylight and natural wood floors.
Additional hotel facilities include a restaurant, a malt whisky bar, a café and relaxation area. The hotel is in close proximity to Nyköping Harbour and Kolmården, Scandinavia's largest wildlife park. The Nyköping golf course is just 5 km/3 miles from the hotel.
With Scandic Hotels green meetings are a breeze. The properties are eco-friendly and the Scandic team will assist you in making your meeting as environmentally responsible as possible.
E-mail: nykopingcity@scandichotels.com
E-mail: meeting.group.se@scandichotels.com
Websiite: www.scandichotels.com

Sun City seems tailor-made for the MICE market with four luxury hotels (The Palace of the Lost City, Cascades Hotel, The Cabanas and the Sun City Hotel) with a total of 1,300 guest rooms, year-round good weather, South Africa’s favorable exchange rate, two championship golf courses, world-class entertainment and 39 conference venues. And if that is not enough, Sun City borders the Pilanesberg National Park, home to the South Africa’s Big Five - Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo.
The Palace of the Lost City, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, is simply opulent. Each of its 338 guest rooms is outfitted with individually crafted furniture. The Cascades Hotel has 243 guest rooms overlooking verdant gardens. The Cabanas are a group of individual two-level Cabanas in pool and garden setting placed around the hotel reception and restaurant areas. The Sun City Hotel, the first hotel built in Sun City, overlooks the Gary Player Golf Course and has 340 guest rooms. The Sun City Casino and the Sun City Theatre are also located here.
For conferences, Sun City venues can accommodate from 20 to 2,000 attendees. The video conferencing technology at the resort can link all the conference rooms in Sun City and the Lost City to create a conference for 4,300 attendees. Among its leisure facilities, Sun City boasts two international-standard 18-hole golf courses; the Gary Player Country Club and the Lost City Golf Course, both designed by Gary Player.
Sun City is located in the Bushveld of South Africa's North West Province, 187 km/116 miles from Johannesburg.
Website: www.suninternational.com

Finnair and Icelandair began a codeshare on Icelandair’s Helsinki-Reykjavik flights, which started in May. Icelandair’s flights between Helsinki and Reykjavik will carry a Finnair flight number and Icelandair’s flight number, on the other hand, will be added to the flights on the Helsinki/Warsaw route operated by Finnair. The Helsinki-Reykjavik route now operates four services a week, up from two services weekly last month.
The Helsinki/Reykjavik connects Finnair’s growing Asian route system to Iceland. For the Nordic airlines, the best routes to Asia pass through Helsinki.
Finnair is also partnering with Cimber Air of Denmark and Skyways of Sweden. With Cimber Air, Finnair cooperates in terms of prices and timetables on the Helsinki–Norrköping route. With Skyways, Finnair codeshares on the route between Helsinki and Sundsvall. There are six flights per week from Helsinki to Norrköping and the Helsinki–Sundsvall route is flown five times per week.
Websites:
Finnair: www.finnair.com
Icelandair: www.icelandair.com

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) launched a carbon offset program for international congresses & events. With this new program, planners have the option of creating carbon neutral events in several ways. Carbon offset programs can be included as part of the online registration for the event, giving individual attendees the option to pay for the carbon offsets when registering for the conference; the corporation can pay for the carbon offsets for all of the travel associated to the program or the program can be sponsored by a third party. Plus, the carbon offset program is also available for events held in Scandinavia.
Sus Nygaard, Manager Conventions & Events for SAS said, "We are very pleased to be able to offer this in connection with our SAS Group Official Airline program. We believe this will meet the increased demand amongst conference organizers for environmental friendly products and services."
SAS is partnering with The Carbon Neutral Company (TCNC). Planners and attendees will receive a certificate from TCNC for their Carbon Neutral Travel.
Website: www.flysas.com