After successfully containing the spread of the virus, Slovakia has now reopened its borders with Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Schools and institutions are operating under special conditions, and hotels and restaurants have opened again, under strict protocols laid down by public health authorities.
One of the most memorable projects that we organized this year was Bratislava Art and Wine. It was an inspiring activity for a multinational air conditioning manufacturing company, which chartered a Danube cruise for its associates.
A leading heating system manufacturer chose a springtime Danube cruise as its annual event. Our guests’ stopover in Bratislava lasted one day, during which we had a chance to make their time in Slovakia memorable. The program consisted of three parts. In the morning, our Royal Bratislava Walk took the delegates to all four corners of the city’s beautifully restored Old Town and included a visit to the Gothic St Martin’s Cathedral, coronation site of Hungarian kings for 250 years.
The Hall of Mirrors is the main reception hall of the Primate’s Palace, a grand neo-Classical palace in Bratislava’s Old Town. The palace was built as the winter residence of Cardinal Prince Batthyány and has witnessed many dramatic moments. On December 26, 1805, the French and Austrian foreign ministers, Talleyrand and Liechtenstein, signed the Peace of Pressburg between their two countries in the hall. The palace interiors are famous for their English tapestries, dating from the 17th century, and other art works.
Even during the winter period, you can enjoy interesting outdoor activities in Bratislava. In February, we organized our Bratislava Treasure Hunt for 140 delegates. A multinational logistics company chose our city for their meeting and wished to have a team-building activity that involved interacting with the local environment.
The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union was a big moment for Bratislava, and the many associated conferences and events have been a great experience for the whole MICE professional community in Slovakia. The city hosted the SME Assembly, the premier European event for small and medium-sized enterprises, in November. The conference takes place once a year during European SME Week. The role of Enjoy Slovakia DMC was to provide complete logistics for the event. A total of 650 delegates were staying at eight hotels during the assembly, and we provided constant support, including transportation and staffing, 24 hours a day throughout its three-day duration.
The automotive industry, which is a pillar of the Slovak economy, generates many great events for our destination. In May we hosted a conference for the best dealers from the Asian market, who were invited by a global automotive supplier. The conference, organized with careful attention to detail at one of Bratislava’s five-star hotels, was a big success. The highlight was a daytime excursion to the manufacturer’s plant, located outside of Bratislava.
A global distributor of medical supplies with a broad portfolio of activities in Slovakia chose Bratislava as the location for its annual top management conference. The conference venue was a riverfront five-star hotel and we therefore modeled the event activities around a Danubian theme.
Ten teams from a multinational IT firm enjoyed our newly developed digital Bratislava Treasure Hunt in October. Wandering around the charming Old Town, they encountered hints and memories of the musical geniuses who once frequented the city, and photographed the cannonballs which recall the French army’s bombardment of 1809.
At Enjoy Slovakia DMC we also organize small special events for VIP guests. In mid summer we arranged a special program for a business magnate who chose Slovakia as the destination to celebrate his birthday with a private circle of his closest friends. We exclusively booked the whole of a newly opened boutique hotel outside Bratislava.
A good way to cool off on a hot summer day is by taking a speedboat trip along the Danube. Especially if you sit at the front of the boat, the cool river water is truly refreshing. In August we organized a social event to follow an intense training program held by a multinational pharmaceutical company at one of Bratislava’s business hotels.
A leading professional services firm decided to organize a company retreat for 160 employees in Bratislava. After cruising to Bratislava on the Twin City Liner, the group stayed one night at their hotel in the modern Eurovea neighborhood. The next day was dedicated to sporting activities. We proposed, as the location for these, the water sports center in Cunovo, which is about twenty-five minutes by coach from Bratislava.
A leading professional services firm selected Bratislava as the destination for its annual event in September. We were there to help ensure it was a success! The highlight was a gala dinner at a local Art Nouveau hall. The venue was constructed in 1911/12 for the 5th Korpskommando of the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Army.
A leading camera manufacturer invited a group of clients to spend a late-August weekend in Bratislava in order to familiarize them with its new product. A short voyage to Bratislava aboard the Twin City Liner fast riverboat from Vienna, then one night at a centrally located landmark hotel comprised the trip.
A leading retail bank chose Bratislava as the location for its annual event: we helped to make it a success. A gala dinner took place on the Friday night and the client opted to spend the evening on a ship anchored on the Danube River. We converted the venue into a “beer ship” serving a wide selection of beers produced by small Slovak breweries.
How much fun can you have in just a single night on a MICE trip to Slovakia? A Belgian company gave us the chance to show them, and we delivered a well-balanced program accompanied by smooth logistics.
A group of delegates came to inspect one of the major car plants in Slovakia. ENJOY SLOVAKIA DMC organized for them a special speedboat trip during their stay in Bratislava. After a short journey by 20-seater coach, the party boarded three brand new high-speed motorboats that took them on an excursion along the mighty Danube River.
At the end of December we welcomed a group of one hundred guests who came to spend New Year in the Slovak capital, and to enjoy a feast of fine music.
A series of new destination videos presenting two key Slovak regions, Bratislava and the Tatra mountains, and the opportunities for MICE events in both, have been produced thanks to cooperation between the Slovak Tourist Board and the Meeting the World creative team.
A global pulp and paper manufacturer had been planning for several months to hold its annual conference in Bratislava. The client was using the five-star Hotel Kempinski located on the Danube embankment, so ENJOY SLOVAKIA DMC recommended holding a gala dinner on a former riverboat which has been converted into a waterside club and venue space.
An international financial institution chose Bratislava for a meeting in May of its offices located in the CEE region. The seminar was held in a local five-star hotel and ENJOY SLOVAKIA DMC coordinated all the logistics for the external service, including limousine and bus transfers, and Bratislava sightseeing services.
We are proud to announce that Marek Farkas, Managing Director of ENJOY SLOVAKIA DMC, has passed the necessary examinations to qualify as a DESTINATION MANAGEMENT CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL (DMCP®). By doing so he has become the first person in Slovakia to achieve the DMCP qualification.
An association of retired Dutch businessmen and professionals chose Bratislava as the destination for its annual trip, and Enjoy Slovakia DMC was entrusted with preparing an enjoyable long weekend for its members in October.
A major tire producer chose one of Bratislava’s five-star hotels as the venue for its conference event in September. An excursion to the company’s production plant was an integral part of the program, but all other arrangements were chosen by the client upon the recommendation of Enjoy Slovakia DMC.
This conference was held at one of Bratislava’s five-star hotels in early July, with Enjoy Slovakia DMC responsible for all ground-handling services including transfers and accompanying programme.
Just a few days ago it was announced at the 19th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2012 in Guimarāes that the 20th edition of this prestigious international wine and spirits competition will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 10-12, 2013.
Enjoy Slovakia DMC collaborated with a Moscow-based partner agency to host a dealers conference for a major Russian car distributor in Bratislava on March 1-3, 2012. A chartered plane with 260 delegates on board landed at Bratislava Airport, just 20 minutes’ drive from the city centre.
Bratislava Tourist Board was established in Bratislava at the end of February. Enjoy Slovakia DMC plays the active role in this important organisation since its foundation as one of the members in MICE section. This helps us to positivelly influence the development of conference and incentive products in Bratislava Region.
As part of a conference in Bratislava for its collaborators across the broader CEE region, our client asked us to organize an interactive, teambuilding and Bratislava-related activity which could be held at any time of the year. We agreed to arrange an evening version of our Bratislava Treasure Hunt.
The capital of Slovakia – Bratislava – is easier to reach now for MICE business as ENJOY SLOVAKIA DMC, a leading local Destination Management Company, joins Ovation Global DMC organisation as an Ovation Strategic Partner.
