There are few places in the world that enjoy the twin boasts of accessibility and outstanding beauty to quite the same extent as the region surrounding Lake Geneva. Located at the crossroads of southern and northern Europe, the region has hosted merchants, traders and travellers for centuries.
Famed for its gastronomy, natural beauty and industry, the region sits in perhaps Europe’s most central location. And crucially for the international events industry, it boasts a remarkable choice of options for organisers of business events and incentives. In an industry obsessed with finding new solutions and opportunities for clients with relatively open specifications for their events, choice counts for a great deal.
Stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc at the edge of the 73km-long alpine lake, the region offers a natural setting for sporting and recreational activities, while serving as one of Europe’s leading commercial hubs. The brightly coloured skiers, paragliders, trekkers and mountain bikers share lunch with the suits in the city.
The region’s cultural scene is truly multidimensional, counting a wide range of exhibitions, shows, and other forms of entertainment including numerous festivals. The Béjart Ballet, based in Lausanne since 1987; museums including the famous and revitalised Olympic Museum, and the Montreux Jazz Festival are all vibrant examples of this diversity. The nearby Lavaux region, with its renowned terraced vineyards overlooking the lake and the Alps, was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The region’s reputation for wine and gastronomy is well deserved. With many restaurants appearing in the Michelin and GaultMillau guides, the Lake Geneva Region is a culinary showcase. Wine aficionados will of course find much to enjoy derived from the rich soil of this wine-growing region.
The towns surrounding the lake are home to businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Nestle has its base in Vevey, there is a major technological institute in Lausanne that now houses perhaps the world’s most advanced congress centre, and the many global businesses located in Geneva itself include pharmaceutical brands and, of course, the world’s finest producers of chocolate and timepieces.
Geneva itself continues to be a major hub for international trade and negotiation, remaining very well connected in terms of European and international government bodies. The city is home to the United Nations, 20 major international organisations, 170 NGOs and 200 diplomatic missions.
Business or pleasure, the region is very well connected. Geneva’s international airport can be reached in little over an hour from Paris, London, Berlin or Barcelona and its railway station offers a high-speed train service to Paris, London and Milan.
In terms of major international events, Geneva is perhaps best known for its car show. The event’s continued success owes much to its home, next door to the airport at Palexpo; a recently-expanded 100,000sqm venue accessible by foot from the arrivals lounge. Geneva’s accessibility means the event can be attended on a fly in – fly out basis, within a day. Time is, after all, money as the adage holds, for today’s executives.
A source of comfort
Across the lake in Evian, home to the eponymous Danone-owned mineral water brand, there is another world awaiting event organisers. Here we find a world of tranquillity and activity on a rather different scale. The Evian Resort that dominates the picturesque town comprises lakeside hotels, spas, congress and sporting facilities, restaurants, a casino, auditorium and more outdoor activities than a person could feasibly attempt in a week of trying. The resort trades well on its environment; the majesty of its surroundings as clear in the resort’s surroundings as it is in the three peaks that adorn the brand’s bottled water.
For organisers of incentives, there are adventures to be had on land, water or in the air. The resort’s activity department prides itself on being as adept at leading teambuilding exercises in the mountains via foot or bike, as it is in the rivers by raft or kayak. The lake offers sailing and dinnertime cruises, while the surrounding cliffs provide ample opportunity for climbers, pot-holers and paragliders.
Nearby cultural spots such as Yvoire or Chillon Castle provide cultural tourists with their fill, not least as further flung potential locations for drinks receptions or cocktail openings. Gruyere and Gstaad and Annecy offer options for throwing the net wider still.
Those looking to Evian as a place to bring congress business have choice too. Its two hotels Hotel Ermitage and The Hotel Royal offer modest conference facilities with outstanding views, while the resort’s 1,200-seat La Grange au Lac is one of the largest – and most distinct – auditoriums in the region. Constructed entirely from wood, it may not be the most modern, but for conferences or performances, a memorable experience is guaranteed. Today the Grange is home to the renewed seven-day Evian Music Festival, as well as home to corporate events run by Danone. The hotel conference facilities are in turn home to events run by Rolex – sponsor of the Evian Golf Championship, as well as tobacco company Philip Morris International.
Incentive and more restrained business activity can be found on Evian’s championship golf course.The Evian Masters Golf Club offers delegates, and those who prefer to let their putters do the talking, access to 18 of the most scenic greens in Europe. Business with a backdrop for those familiar with their woods and irons. And with its well furnished Evian Resort Gold Club Academy, there’s also scope to involve the uninitiated; a surprisingly satisfying teambuilding exercise in itself.
While golf is a social game, it’s also a wonderfully reflective pursuit. And of course there’s also a fair spectator angle in the second week of every September, at the Evian Championship.
For those who regard golf as still too boisterous an activity for their needs, there is always the spa. The Marquis de Lessert discovered the benefits of the crystal clear and allegedly ‘easily absorbed’ water in 1789, but it took almost 40 years for the first thermal baths to open, inviting the European bourgeosie to ‘take the waters’ and, true to Evian’s brand, live young.
Reaping the benefits of each drop’s 15-year journey from the surrounding plateaus can be done in both Les Thermes d’Evian, Evian’s unattached thermal spa, or at Le Spa Quatre Terres, based in the Hotel Ermitage. Both venues offer massage and treatments above and beyond the needs of delegates and other very important persons.
Celebrating regional technology
Decadence aside, the Evian resort must not be viewed in isolation. Just 35 minutes across the lake by ferry, located on its northern bank, lies Lausanne, which recently made its bid for most high-tech conference centre with the unveiling of the SwissTech Convention Center. The venue, funded by Credit Suisse, designed by Richter Dahl Rocha & Associés and built by HRS Real Estate, sells itself on the region’s scientific heritage and commitment to sustainable development. The western façade of the building demonstrates one of its numerous green initiatives; an array of colourful photovoltaic cells developed by Professor Michael Grätzel at the Ecole Polytechnic Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the institution to which the venue belongs.
Swisstech’s promotion of renewable sources of energy, careful management of waste disposal and support for eco-friendly mobility and human safety, demonstrates a transparent adoption of policies that are respectful of humans and their environment. “Research in the 21st century is essentially collaborative,” said EPFL VP of planning and logistics, André Schneider. “As one of the few convention centres in Europe to be established on a university campus, it will also serve as a smart conferencing lab – a place to experiment with the most innovative technologies for improving the flow of ideas in scientific conferences and making these exchanges more fruitful.”
The venue is perhaps most remarkable for its high level of modularity, making it incredibly adaptable for events of varying sizes. Its 3,000-seat amphitheatre can be turned into an 1,800sqm banquet hall through the use of technology from Canadian infrastructure firm Gala Systems., and the adaptability doesn’t end there. It can also be used to divide the amphitheatre into different configurations at the touch of a button. Exit a large raked seating auditorium for a coffee breaks and return to a banqueting room on a level floor, with a separate auditorium several rows up divided by a Skyfold wall, all in the space of 15 minutes.
It features a ground floor centre where modular walls can be retracted, a 3,780sqm hall that can accommodate exhibitions, banquets, workshops and other events.
“The interest of the business world is of prime importance to us, because this will lead to greater technology transfer,” said Schneider.
There are 3,000 hotel rooms in the vicinity and an additional 20,000 rooms less than an hour away, Lausanne and the Lake Geneva Region offer a wide range of quality accommodation.
Preparations are also under way for the construction of a 400-500 bed, three-star hotel adjacent to the convention centre, scheduled to open in 2015. And as host to one of the world’s most prestigious hotel schools, Lausanne has form in the hospitality sector.
There are of course a multitude of options for business tourism in the Lake Geneva Region, but these contrasting examples of ultra-modernity and regional institution truly show its potential.
This was first published in issue 76 of CMW. Any comments? Emai Annie Byrne
