Our team of international venue finders attended an excellent IMEX forum last week in Frankfurt. It was a great opportunity to meet new contacts, re-affirm existing partnerships and get a host of updates on changes afoot in our key destinations.
Everyone found that Frankfurt Airport was easy to negotiate as there lots of IMEX staff directing delegates to their transfer coaches. With bags labelled and delivered straight to the hotel to pick up at check-in in the evening, the process was very easy and the bus ride was only 15-20 minutes to the Messe. Despite the fact that we were unable to print off our badges prior to the event, the actual process of obtaining them from the support desk on arrival was very efficient and surprisingly quick.
Debbie Beresford was hosted by Hilton and stayed at the Hilton Frankfurt. A large hotel in the heart of Frankfurt city centre close to the Opera House. There are 16 meeting rooms that can host up to 585 people and nearly all have natural daylight. Despite its size the reception was very welcoming and large open area conducive to relaxed and informal networking.
Hilton host a wonderful networking event in the evening at the Mantis Rooftop Terrace. It was a fabulous space, and although mostly outdoor was kept warm with subtle heaters. There was also a circular bar/dining room that provided an ideal indoor alternative. The BBQ food was faultless and plentiful with a range of options for all dining requirements. The team at Hilton were welcoming hosts, passionate about their properties and went the extra mile to make sure their guests had plenty of opportunities to network but in a relaxed way.
Russell Price stayed at the Radisson Blu Frankfurt. The circular shaped hotel is a striking sight within the area and once inside it offers a very modern and quite stylish hotel. The hotel lobby area, where drinks reception for the evening was hosted, is large with high ceilings. All the meeting space is then self-contained on the first floor with the vast majority of rooms offering conference space with floor to ceiling windows and double height ceilings that made the meeting space seem large, airy and offered great spaces for meetings and conferences.
After the drinks reception food stalls were opened throughout the lobby and restaurant offering a fantastic range of food with enough quantity to substantially feed everyone after a busy day at IMEX. Then the entertainment moved through to the showroom where there was a live band and a fantastic party enjoyed by all the guests. It was a great event put on by Carlson Rezidor and their hospitality was great throughout.
George Harriman-Hardy thought that the layout of the floor at IMEX was very well done providing easy navigation around the event. The only time there was any difficulty was when there was a very large stand that incorporated multiple exhibitors within it. He was fortunate enough to being hosted by Rocco Forte. The Villa Kennedy by Rocco Forte in Frankfurt is a luxury 5* hotel that is situated approximately 10 minutes from the IMEX exhibition. The exterior of the property is striking with turreted towers and castle like features. Inside the property is far from castle like with luxurious rooms and a beautiful spa.
After relaxing in the room for a while and getting changed it was time for the evening event that was previously labelled “Kitchen Party” but I had no idea what I was in store for. Upon arrival we were handed personalised Rocco Forte aprons. Instantly making all people attending this event think that we were to be cooking our own dinner. After some champagne and cocktails we ventured into the kitchen. There was a DJ playing live music in the corner and we were invited into the main area of the kitchen to stand by the chefs, watch them in action and eat the food that was prepared there and then. The food was fantastic and is one of the main things I will take away from this is that the new Rocco Forte meetings package means that all delegates will get this quality of food at their meetings.
After the majority of the eating and drinking was done we headed to the deserts cleverly located in the area of the kitchen near the DJ. We were then joined by Sir Rocco who gave a speech and went around talking with all of us. Shortly after a band proceeded to arrive and play live music for the next few hours where everyone sung and danced and had a very enjoyable night even Rocco himself was throwing some shapes on the dancefloor. Rocco Forte where absolutely fantastic throughout and provided a truly memorable experience for all those involved.
Shani Lees was hosted by Marriott and met with several of their representatives. On their stand they had ipads set up for interactive sessions during a presentation of their Marriott Meetings Imagined so that buyers could actually experience creating their own customised meeting. Many of the exhibition stands were very creative with their hospitality and activities like chocolate sniffing from the Visit Denmark stand and salted liquorice treats from Sweden were both new to me.
The Marriott and the Maritim hotels are perfectly located, both just a few minutes’ walk from the Messe and IMEX. The Marriott Frankfurt is a contemporary hotel with a spacious reception, including a small café lounge where you can pick up a ‘grab and go’ breakfast coffee and pastry if you don’t have time for the full restaurant offering. My bedroom on the 47th floor gave me lovely views across the city. My hosts then transported us to the beautiful Kameha Suite, a listed building sandstone villa built in the 1890’s with traditional features including vaulted ceilings, marble pillars and a very impressive double staircase and balcony which lent itself perfectly to an evening of cocktails, canapes and networking. A very energetic female jazz violinist leapt onto the low table next to me to start the evening’s musical entertainment and was very well received. Day 2 started with a wonderful breakfast served in the Ballroom to set me up for another round of appointments.
We all returned from IMEX exhausted, but it was a really valuable trip in terms of learning about new hotels, venues and destinations, so time well spent.
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