Alpine sizes and alternatives

Despite the urban infrastructure, nature is the main protagonist of Davos.Davos: WEF as a driverAt the end of January, the attention of the international media is once again focused on Davos. With the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the modern congress center, the destination has an event with global appeal. "Our claim 'Davos - World's Finest Meeting Place' positions Davos as the clear leader in the global meetings market in the mountains," says Nuot A. Lietha, Head of Corporate Communication Destination Davos Klosters. The roots of meetings and conventions in Davos go back to the 19th century. According to Lietha, the much-cited "Spirit of Davos" is not a ghost in this regard. "Rather, it is one of the reasons for Davos' success as a place for meetings, " he explains. At 1560 m. above sea level, he says, nature is the main protagonist despite the urban infrastructure and gives congress participants the feeling of being just a small part of the whole. "It is precisely this atmosphere that makes it possible time and again to find compromises and solutions that would have been unthinkable elsewhere," Lietha says. While the destination's meeting and convention business focuses on medicine and health, business and finance, education and research, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, transportation and automotive, arts and culture, energy and the environment, and sports and events, it secures volume business in two- to four-star capacity and vacation rentals with a variety of events. These include the Spengler Cup, the Swiss Alpine Marathon, Davos Nordic, Blick Langlauf or Art on Ice. www.davos.chArosa: with hospitalityThe destination of Arosa wants to consciously celebrate the alpine lifestyle. "The hospitality and friendliness that is lived out in the villages and mountains should be highlighted," says Miriam Frei, MICE project manager at Arosa Tourism. In addition, the mountain region scores with a wealth of activities and events. The offer is aimed at all customers who are looking for an alpine experience and rely on a top infrastructure. As Frei explains, Arosa Tourism is very satisfied with the MICE year 2015. "In the first half of winter, we got off to a good start in the congress year and were then able to maintain the occupancy figures of previous years," says Frei. At the same time, she stresses that current times are challenging. But they are looking ahead and trying to convince customers with a wealth of ideas, simple handling and a large portion of flexibility. "For 2016, we can already point to a good occupancy rate in the incentive business. In the congress center area, we would be very pleased to receive one or two bookings," says Frei. Topical is a new seminar offer: During the summer, companies can exclusively rent the connecting railroad between Arosa and Lenzerheide for a meeting. "The railroad runs directly over a geological zone where the European and African plates meet. Definitely a very inspiring place for new creative approaches ", says Frei. www.kongress-arosa.chFlims: Combination of business and alpine experienceThe acquisition of the historic Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa by the American Z Capital Partners, which was announced at the end of 2015, once again put Flims Laax in the spotlight of the national media. Not bad publicity for the Graubünden destination, which wants to position itself as a cool alternative to the big players in the meetings and events sector. "We are closer to Zurich than other Alpine venues and can offer just as much," says Antonio Romero, market manager of the FLF-Meetings organization. The goal, he says, is to anchor the meetings region in the minds of event organizers as the perfect combination between business and experience. Although marketing efforts have been increasingly focused on the domestic market since 2014, the organization is also active in various foreign markets, including the United Kingdom, Benelux and Germany, he said. "Outside of Switzerland, our priority is companies that have an affinity for Switzerland and are not as price-sensitive," Romero says. Currently, he says, efforts are underway to find alternatives to Germany. "Our northern neighbors are booking only sporadically, although they were our main market until eleven months ago," Romero explains. Despite the strong franc, dependence on the euro market and the bankruptcy of the Waldhaus, however, the 2015 financial year did not go badly, he says. In the future, he said, the focus will be on Switzerland. "We are convinced that the domestic market still has a lot of potential," Romero explains. On a positive note, he says the Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa, the destination's flagship, now has a new owner. The entire MICE offering will benefit from the resulting synergies. The brand strategy is also new: "From now on, we will use the brands FLIMS and LAAX and no longer FLF Meetings," says Romero. www.flf-meetings.ch

Combining alpine experience with business: this is how the destination of Flims Laax positions itself.Engelberg: For communities of interest and unisEngelberg also relies on its proximity to Zurich and Basel, which advertises itself as the fastest region to reach in the meetings and events sector of the Alps. "Our region is perfect for events of any kind between 10 and 400 people," says Frédéric Füssenich, director and chairman GL of Engelberg-Titlis Tourism. With its own department for meetings and events, he said, it offers one-stop sales, covering everything from transfers to accommodation and conferences to social programs. "The meetings sector has gained in importance for Engelberg. We have defined Meeting & Incentive as a strategic business area with high priority and would like to grow further ", explains Füssenich. Especially in the area of large events lasting several days with up to 400 people, there is still potential, he said. With the conference offer, Engelberg-Titlis Tourism would like to address not only companies and associations, but also interest groups and universities. 2015 closed with a record year for conferences, and Füssenich is confident for 2016. Not least because of the new snowXpark, an environmentally friendly winter attraction. "Our electric snowmobiles produce no CO2 emissions and very little noise. The snowXpark is the highlight of every team outing in Engelberg, with its riders' feelings and exciting racing atmosphere," says Füssenich. Author: Denise Weisflog