The annual Switzerland Meeting Trophy, designed for prospective meeting planners, is a week-long journey through Swiss cities of Bern, Gstaad, Montreux and Grandvaux

 

 

By Kevin Woo | One+

 

By the time a meeting planner’s plane is on final approach and the wheels touch down, chances are they’ve already begun to put the final touches on their to-do list and are preparing to spring into action when they arrive at the event venue. But for 80 meeting planners from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, North America, Russia and Scandinavia, the arrival in Switzerland represented their time to be wined, dined and looked after.

 

In July 2011, the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau hosted the seventh annual Switzerland Meeting Trophy. The week-long journey through Switzerland was designed for meeting planners to take self-guided tours of Bern, Gstaad, Montreux and Grandvaux to see how they could utilize various venues for their own events.

 

“The Switzerland Meeting Trophy is designed to show the meeting planners the diversity that Switzerland has to offer,” said Caroline Pidroni, director of sales and marketing for the Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau. “It’s an opportunity for us to show meeting planners the destination.”

 

Upon arrival in Bern, the group held an informal welcome dinner at the Restaurant Kornhausekeller, which was built in the early 18th century and is widely considered to be among the best examples of Bernese High Baroque.

 

Its interior resembles that of a church. Its long-arched ceiling makes the interior of the restaurant look a bit like a subway tunnel, although priceless art adorns the walls. The upper three floors of the Kornhousekeller were once used as a granary, while the main floor served as a market on market day. The cellar houses an extensive collection of tithed and domain wines. Many years ago the locals boasted, “Venice sits on water but Bern sits on wine.”

 

On the first day’s morning, attendees hopped aboard kick scooters and zipped their way through the city streets to visit some of Bern’s most famous tourist attractions. They visited several chocolate factories, the Zytglogge Clock Tower (which was built in 1191 and once served as the gate to a medieval town wall) and Bärengraben (translated as The Bear Pit) an area where wild bears once roamed but is now part of the city zoo.

 

As the planners made their way around the city, they discovered that Bern has the vibe of a college town, an abundance of evening options including bars, nightclubs and live music and is easy to navigate by foot (or scooter!).

 

After whizzing around Bern, the meeting planners were given Eurocars to experience  the countryside. They spent the afternoon at a farmhouse as guests at a barbecue where they also practiced their bow and arrow skills by shooting at apples as part of a William Tell-like activity.

 

After lunch, the group was taken by bus to Gstaad (about 60 miles south of Bern) where they were VIP guests at the 2011 FIVB Swatch Beach Volleyball World Championships.

 

That evening, they dined at one of Switzerland’s most famous hotels, the Gstaad Palace. The Scherz family has owned The Palace for three generations, and every visitor is treated like an honored guest. The hotel is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps and for nearly a century has hosted the rich and famous from around the world. The hotel is an ideal year-round destination because during the winter guests are just minutes away from some of the world’s best ski slopes and during the summer guests can hike, go white-water rafting, golf or just sit back and enjoy the panoramic views of the Swiss Alps.

 

There are five restaurants in the hotel and one of them, La Fromagerie, has become famous for its champagne truffle fondue. Gstaad’s most popular nightclub is GreenGo, which is also located in the hotel. On any given night, hotel guests can find themselves partying with famous international celebrities as they dance the night away.

 

On the second day the meeting planners experienced first hand the diversity of Switzerland’s climate. The group visited Les Diablerets, a village and ski resort located in the canton (a canton is a region) of Vaud. Vaud is the French-speaking part of Switzerland and its largest city, Lausanne, is its capital. The area is the second-largest producer of Swiss wine, predominantly white.

 

Most of the vineyards are located just above the shores of Lake Geneva where the weather can be quite warm during the summer. Later that afternoon the group rode the Col de Pillon gondola to check out Glacier 3000, one of Switzerland’s most famous ski areas whose highest peak, Les Diablerets, has an altitude of 10,500 feet. Pidroni says that it was important to show the event planners that in Switzerland it’s possible to see snow in the morning and palm trees in the afternoon.

 

“I had no idea that in the middle of a Swiss summer you could experience a glacier—closed-toed shoes and warm jacket required—and then within a little more than an hour’s journey experience a warm palm tree-type experience with shorts, sandals and the possibility of a sunburn,” said Judy Henrich, director of recruitment and industry relations for Scottsdale, Arizona-based Global Cynergies LLC. “Switzerland has it all—scenery, amazing hotels and wonderful cuisine all backed up by a first-class service ethic.”

 

Switzerland’s diverse culture was further showcased for the attendees when they attended the 45th annual Montreux Jazz Festival. Montreux is also a city within Vaud. In the past, the festival has featured some of the greatest musicians of all time, including Ray Charles, David Bowie and Prince. The festival, which is held each July, is a 16-day event and more than 1,000 musicians play in 12 venues (10 of which are free) for 18 hours a day. Nearly a quarter of a million people attend the event each year.

 

And for those who think 18 hours of music per day is a bit much, they can head to Harry’s Bar, which is located next to the popular Le Fairmont Hotel, or try their luck gambling at the Casino Barriere de Montreux. Harry’s is especially popular among locals (and visitors in the know) because it’s known for serving the best variety of cocktails in the city. Both Harry’s and the Casino Barriere de Montreux are located along the shores of Lake Geneva and are within walking distance of the jazz festival.

 

The little village of Villette (population 593) was the final stop on the tour. In July 2011, the municipalities of Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux, Riex and Villette merged into a new municipality called Bourg-en-Lavaux. The size of the village is a sprawling .53 square miles.

 

This area is popular because it is another of Switzerland’s major wine-producing areas, close to the jazz festival and just steps away from Lake Geneva. Pidroni says it was a highlight of the trip, because there was music playing in the background, beautiful scenery, the lake and, of course, the wine.

 

The best time to visit Switzerland depends on your meeting objective. Those who want to include some outdoor winter activities should plan to visit between December and April. Those who want to organize an event that includes summertime activities such as rafting or golf should plan an event between June and September. Pidroni warns that it can get a bit toasty during the summer but adds that a quick gondola ride up to the mountain peaks will cool you down quickly.

 

Getting around the country is easy. The Swiss Pass allows for unlimited train travel in Switzerland. It takes about three hours to travel between Switzerland’s two biggest cities, Zurich and Gevena. Other popular train routes include the GoldenPass (which runs between Lucerne and Lake Geneva), the William Tell Express (which begins in Fluelen and winds through the Reuss Valley and Bellinzona) and the Glacier Express (which begins in St. Moritz and ends in Zermatt).

 

Pidroni reminds meeting planners that Switzerland is not a homogenous experience.

 

“Just because you’ve been to one part of country doesn’t mean you’ve seen it,” she said. “Switzerland is such a small country with borders along France, Germany, Italy and Austria, and those neighboring countries have influenced it. Every time we take people around through the different parts of the country, it’s this ‘wow’ factor that they have. They tell us, ‘Oh my, I didn’t imagine it to be so pretty, diverse, with so much to do and there’s something for everybody.’”

 

And for Pidroni, although she’s been living in London and New York for the past two decades, going home always holds new surprises.

 

“I have been living abroad for more then 20 years but I discover something new and stunning in my home country every time I go back,” she said. “It’s small and compact but yet so diverse and exciting.” One+