In recent weeks, Prague has presented its incentive and luxury travel capacities to prominent buyers from the United States of America and France. A total of seventeen professionals from the field of MICE and luxury travel had the opportunity to be acquainted with the Czech capital not only as an attractive tourist destination, but above all as an inspiring place for organizing corporate events, incentive trips and exclusive meetings.
Prague Convention Bureau, in cooperation with the CzechTourism / Czech Convention Bureau agency, has organized a program for two familiarization trips, which brought participants not only to Prague, but also to other regions of the Czech Republic.
Following one of the largest B2B trade fairs in the meetings industry – IMEX Frankfurt – between 21 and 25 May, Prague was visited by ten buyers from the United States of America, whose business activities focus mainly on small and medium-sized incentive events and the luxury travel segment. Less than 14 days later, from 4 to 7 June, the meetings Prague welcomed seven similarly focused buyers from France, who were joined by a journalist representing the French publishing house Parnasse Edition. The trip of French MICE buyers was also organized by the Czech Convention Bureau, this time in cooperation with the foreign representation of the CzechTourism agency in Paris and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris.
The program of both fam trips combined the presentation of state-of-the-art infrastructure with authentic experiences that can be part of future events of their clients. In addition to tours of four- and five-star hotels, participants had the opportunity to get to know Prague as a backdrop for Dan Brown’s latest novel The Secret of Secrets, try preparing traditional Czech specialties, ride through the historic centre in vintage cars and a historic tram, and discover the city from a unique perspective during a cruise on the Vltava River. The program also included a workshop on making decorations from glass beads and a visit to the architectural gems of the Czech capital, including Prague Castle and the Strahov Monastery.
In addition to getting to know the destination, direct contact with local suppliers of meetings services was also an important part of the program. As part of both fam trips, buyers had the opportunity to meet suppliers at networking evenings, and a specialized B2B workshop was also prepared for the American fam trip. These meetings gave space to establishing new business contacts and presenting specific possibilities of cooperation in the organization of future events in Prague.
Both fam trips have confirmed that Prague can offer an attractive combination of first-class services, historical heritage and original experiences, which are increasingly important for the segment of incentive travel and luxury travel. It is the connection of professional infrastructure with the authentic atmosphere of the city that is one of the main reasons why foreign organizers choose Prague for their events.
We would like to thank the following partners of the Prague Convention Bureau for their assistance in organizing both fam trips, namely: The Julius Prague and Radisson Blu Prague hotels for providing accommodation for buyer groups, Senator Meetings & Incentives, DZK Travel, Liberty Incentives & Congresses, IMS Prague, Kuoni Destination Management, Guarant International and Passion for Prague for organizing incentive programs, as well as Fairmont Golden Prague hotels, Sir Prague, Augustine Hotel Prague, Hilton Prague Old Town, Mama Shelter, Innside by Melia Prague Old Town, Novotel Praha Wenceslas Square, Hilton Prague Atrium, NH Collection Prague Carlo IV, Almanac X Alcron Prague, Andaz Prague, Prague Marriott Hotel and Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Boats, Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience Prague, and Signal Space for the possibility of network inspections, provision of refreshments and space for various other networking and incentive events. Transfers for both fam trips were provided by ADO services.
