Visit MICEpoint at EIBTM 2007 in Barcelona, Spain

Stop by at our booth O522 during EIBTM in Barcelona, Spain (27-29 November 2007) and participate in our great lucky draw where you can win beautiful prizes!

The prizes are:

• Magic weekend in St.Petersburg, Russia
• Discover Essen, Germany
• A weekend at the Casino, Pfaeffikon (near Zurich), Switzerland
• Meet with our history in Athen, Greece
• Feel the heart of Europes Financial City, Frankfurt, Germany

How to participate: visit micepoint.com for more information...

Ready for Halloween - The world's most creepiest place

Ever heard about the Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, USA? No?

So let me introduce you the world's most perfect venue for a Halloween MICE Party.

From the sliced human head floating in a glass case, à la Damien Hirst, to the gruesome collection of preserved presidential tumors and a plaster cast of Siamese twins Chang and Eng (as well as their actual conjoined livers), Philadelphia's Mütter museum is a must-see, especially for those who found the movie Dead Ringers oddly compelling. Part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest medical school complex in North America, it combines exhibits of pathological objects, surgical tools, and anatomical curiosities. Other wonders on display include the tallest skeleton in North America and a collection of 2,000 objects removed from people's throats, each with its own case history. There is an almost gleeful disconnection between the museum's mission—"to advance the cause of health, and uphold the ideals and heritage of medicine"—and the often shocking displays. High on the ugh-list are the painted papier-mâché models of the effects of gangrene and the wax faces with various eye injuries; the air outside is bound to seem fresh afterward, no matter what the weather.

2008 U.S. Business Travel Overview & Cost Forecast Report

Interesting report from the National Business Travel Association of the US. The report is based primarily on data from a survey of 215 NBTA member travel buyers.

Key findings of the report are as follows:

• Business travel will continue growing in 2008, though the rate of growth will level off somewhat.
• Published airfares will increase 6-10 percent over 2007.
• Published hotel rates will increase 5-7 percent.
• Published car rental spend will increase 5-7 percent.
• Overall travel costs will increase 6-8 percent.
• Fewer travel managers than one year ago are projecting an increase of more than 10 percent in travel spend.
• More travel managers are projecting travel spend to remain flat.
• 73 percent of respondents expect travel spend to increase 5-10 percent.
• The percentage of travel buyers reducing non-essential travel in 2008 will remain level (just under 8 percent), while the percentage restricting business class air bookings will increase from 7 percent to 16 percent.
• The top three international destinations with highest potential for growth in corporate travel spend in 2008 are China, the United Kingdom and India.

Find more details soon on NBTA.

Kaizen

I would like to share something I believe in with you:

Kaizen

Kaizen is a daily activity whose purpose goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work (both mental and physical) "muri", and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes.

To be most effective Kaizen must operate with three principles in place:

• consider the process and the results (not results-only);
  

• systemic thinking of the whole process and not just that immediately in view (i.e. big picture, not solely the narrow view);


• and a learning, non-judgmental, non-blaming (because blaming is wasteful) approach and intent.

People at all levels of an organization participate in kaizen, from the CEO down, as well as external stakeholders when applicable. The format for kaizen can be individual, suggestion system, small group, or large group.

Try it out (if you don't do it already), you and your company will benefit!

Conde Nast Traveler Announces Results of the 20th Annual Readers' Choice Awards

The November 2007 issue of Conde Nast Traveler celebrates the 20th annual Readers' Choice Awards. The results are derived from the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences, the Readers' Choice Survey, second in size only to the U.S. Census. A record number of travelers, over 28,000, voted this year.

There is some big news this year: for only the second time in Reader's Choice history, there's a perfect 100 score. The honor goes to the La Scalinatella Hotel on Capri. The hotel isn't new and has been recognized by readers in the past, but with a 33% increase in votes cast from last year, the 28-room hotel was propelled into the number one spot with an impressive perfect score!

Below are results for the top three winners in each category. The complete results of the awards can be found in the November issue, on newsstands October 25th. The Readers Choice Awards gala took place on Wednesday, October 10th in New York City at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Top Cities - United States:
1. San Francisco
2. New York
3. Charleston, SC

Top Cities - Europe:
1. Florence, Italy
2. Rome, Italy
3. Venice, Italy

Top Cities - Australia/Pacific:
1. Sydney, Australia
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Queenstown, New Zealand

Top Cities - Asia:
1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Hong Kong
3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Top Cities - Africa/Middle East:
1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Damascus, Syria
3. Jerusalem, Israel

Top Cities - The Americas:
1. Buenos Aires, Argentina
2. Vancouver, British Columbia
3. Victoria, British Columbia

Top Islands - Europe:
1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece
2. Capri, Italy
3. Sardinia, Italy

Top Islands - Caribbean / Atlantic:
1. Bermuda
2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
3. St. Barthelemy, French West Indies

Top Islands - Asia / Indian Ocean:
1. Maldives
2. Bali
3. Phuket

Top International Route Airlines:
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. Virgin Atlantic

Top Car Rental Agencies:
1. Hertz
2. Enterprise
3. Avis

Top Small Ship Cruise Lines:
1. Regent Seven Seas
2. Grand Circle Cruise Line
3. Seabourn

Top Hotels - Australia / Pacific:
1. Crown Towers, Melbourne
2. Park Hyatt Sydney
3. Treetops Lodge, Rotorua

Top Hotels - South America:
1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco
2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires
3. Ritz Carlton, Santiago

Top Hotels - Canada:
1. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
2. Fairmont Vancouver Airport
3. The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, Victoria

Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico:
1. Lapa Rios Ecolodge, Osa Peninsula
2. Hotel Twin Dolphin, Cabo San Lucas
3. Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua

Top Hotels - British Isles:
1. Milestone Hotel, London
2. Chewton Glen, Hampshire
3. The Merrion, Dublin

Top Resorts - Africa/Middle East:
1. Burj Al Arab, Dubai
2. Mombo and Little Mombo Camps, Moremi
3. Khwai River Lodge, Moremi Reserve

Top Resorts - Atlantic Ocean:
1. One & Only Ocean Club, Bahamas
2. Point Grace, Turks & Caicos
3. Pink Sands, Bahamas

Top Islands - Pacific:
1. Maui, Hawaii
2. Kuai, Hawaii
3. Great Barrier Reef Islands, Australia

Top Islands, North America:
1. Vancouver Island, Canada
2. Kiawah, S.C.
3. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Top Domestic Route Airlines:
1. JetBlue
2. Midwest
3. Hawaiian

Top Foreign Route Airlines: (no U.S. route)
1. SilkAir
2. Virgin Express
3. Virgin Blue

Top Large Ship Cruise Lines:
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas
3. Disney

Top Hotels - Africa:
1. Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2. Cape Grace, Cape Town
3. Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza

Top Hotels - Europe:
1. Hotel La Scalinatella, Capri
2. Four Seasons George V, Paris
3. Four Seasons Gresham Place

Top Hotels - Caribbean / Atlantic:
1. Eden Rock Hotel
2. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France
3. The Caves, Negril

Top Hotels - Mainland U.S.:
1. Ritz - Carlton Chicago
2. The Peninsula, Chicago
3. Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach

Top Hotels - Asia:
1. Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, Rajasthan
2. The Peninsula, Hong Kong
3. Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Top Hotels - Middle East:
1. Four Seasons, Amman
2. David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem
3. Grand Hyatt Dubai

Top Resorts - Canada:
1. Pan Pacific Whistler, Village Centre
2. Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, Vancouver
3. Four Seasons Resort, Whistler

Top Resorts - Central / South America:
1. Lodge at Chaa Creek, Macal River
2. Four Seasons Resort, Carmelo
3. Explora Patagonia, Torres del Paine Nat'l Park

Top Resorts - Mexico:
1. One & Only Palmilla, Los Cabos
2. Secrets Capri Riviera, Cancun
3. JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Cancun

Top Resorts - Hawaii:
1. Four Seasons Maui at Wailea
2. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island
3. Four Seasons Lana'I at Koele Lanai

Top Resorts - Europe:
1. Hotel du Palais, Biarritz
2. Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
3. Sheen Falls Lodge, Co. Kerry

Top Resorts - Mainland U.S.:
1. Lodge on Little St. Simons Island
2. Sundance Resort, Sundance
3. Inn at Thorn Hill, Jackson

Top Resorts - Australia/Pacific Rim:
1. Huka Lodge, Taupo
2. Hotel Bora Bora, Polynesian islands
3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Top Resorts - Caribbean:
1. Curtain Bluff Hotel, Antigua
2. Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda
3. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis

Top Resorts - Asia:
1. Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan
2. Banyan Tree, Phuket
3. Four Seasons Resort at Sayan, Bali

Austria's most beautiful castle - Schloss Schönbrunn

I was invited to attend an Austrian MICE trade show called access 2007 in Vienna last week. I must admit that the austrian hospitality is not far away from what we European percieve as "the perfect hospitality service". The warmth of the local people combined with the professionalism of the MICE trade show organizers made my trip to Vienna special!

I managed to get away for a short moment from access 2007 (the trade show) and grapped a taxi who brought me to Schloss Schönbrunn.

Wow!

The charme and majestics of this place is enormous, I have been carried away with my thoughts to long time ago milestones in our European history, to our writers and composers, painters and sculptours.

Well, if you are planning a congress or event, go to Vienna and become a part of world history.
The photo is take from a fine website called www.foto-julius.at. Thank you