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Conference and Corporate
In the past, corporate clients were wined and dined but fobbed off with hideous ‘corporate hospitality’ as anonymous as Italy is charismatic. Now, inspired by changing tastes in the travel industry, a demanding clientele realises that it has a right to lovely venues that mix business with pleasure – and showcase the best of Italian lifestyle.
The corporate sector is booming, with international bookings holding strong in Italy. The thinking seems to be: if we have to work, let’s choose a lovely setting, where the hospitality will be great, the food and wine sumptuous, and the social side superb. Correct on all counts.
Added to this is the increasing sophistication of the services. Italy was always big on charm and professionalism but once lagged behind on the technical side. The best conference and corporate venues now offer state of the art conference and banqueting facilities, and a dedicated meetings planner. Expect sound-proof rooms, sliding partitions and plenty of natural daylight. In the hotel, hold out for a fully-equipped business centre, wireless access in your suite, and usually a spa or fitness centre to unwind in.
So much for ‘the business bit.’ What Italy really excels at is all the rest: the dolce vita lifestyle between meetings. The personalisation of the service. The charm of the welcome. The memorable regional cuisine. The stunning location that inspires any meeting. The beauty of the landscape. The extraordinary activities on offer for groups. The cultural visits laid on to local cities - which probably include as much designer shopping as Unesco World Heritage sites.
As for Incentives, Italy can handle anything. Delegates can indulge in activities as varied as sailing, ballooning, riding, skiing, mountain-biking or golf. There are also typically Italian pastimes such as Formula One racing, rally-driving, designer shopping, spas –and eating. Spending a day driving a red Ferrari is every boy racer’s dream –and this is business?
Italian hotels have smartened up their act, with the creation of new concepts, from urban style palace in Milan to industrial conversion in Venice. The business set can pose in a cutting-edge design hotel in Turin, Genoa or Rimini, or opt for a golf and spa resort on Lake Iseo, Lake Garda, or Lake Maggiore. The South can play climate as its trump card and tempt you to Taormina, Capri, Sorrento, Ischia and Sardinia.
Grand villa hotels still exist but now have to compete with hip spa-hotels, creative conversions, boutique bolt-holes – all open to business. A key trend is that many of the top business hotels are also the top leisure hotels: proof we are not so different. Who wouldn’t want to work in a Renaissance villa in Frascati or Como or meditate on a monastic island in Venice?
In sought-after cities, such as Milan, Rome, Florence, Venice and Vicenza, discerning business guests can opt for cool design dens, with slick interiors and sexy furniture. Or a restored monastery that still does the business. The days of business meaning boredom are banished.