Budapest, one of the most picturesque cities in Europe, was the backdrop for M.I.C.E.-in-the-bag’s latest pop-up event. As with the previous ones held in London, Stockholm and Florence, it used the unique recipe of MICE-in-the-bag: a one-stop meeting environment for delivery-ready suppliers and budget-ready buyers of MICE.
The formula is to match pre-selected suppliers and buyers, providing savings in prospecting costs to suppliers, enabling them to offer buyers more attractively priced packages.
Similarly to the Florence one, this event was geographically diverse, with attendees from Germany, Russia, Denmark, Dubai, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Italy and Greece. Initial matches were arranged between Buyers and Suppliers, according to their needs, and then meetings took place throughout one whole day in a relaxed environment. To be noted it was the very first time that some buyers and suppliers came also from outside Europe, specifically from Dubai, the Emirates’ flagship destination, thus certifying the fast growing awareness and reputation of MICE-in-the-bag in just 13 months after its debut.
The venue was brilliant: Spoon the Boat, a specially designed, 75 meter long boat restaurant beside Budapest’s Chain Bridge just in front of the Buda Castle. This set the ideal scenery for a new twist: a Relationship building activity; something more than a traditional team-building, conceived to let all the attendees know each other and interact before starting off with the workshop. It was carried out by an English actor, James Coakes, director of Organize Events, whom, playing the role of a Scotland Yard’s detective, challenged the audience in solving a murder case, unleashing clues one by one, in the classic whodunit format. Prior to the relationship-building, the two founding partners of M.I.C.E. in the bag, Ayse Sabbatini and Rosy Burnie, both of whom have extensive experience in both sides (demand and offer) of the meeting industry, provided the attendees with unique tips on how to successfully hit the market, in addition allowing an engagement with the audience in exchange of ideas.
Spoon the Boat hosted the lunch and a pleasant wine break on the upper deck at sunset with a beautiful view of Danube’s coastline.
The attendees’ stay in Budapest was made exclusive by a welcome dinner, the day before the event, at the beautifully designed Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, and by a final dinner at the amazing Corinthia Hotel Budapest, with live music. All participants stayed at the Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget, on a little island very close to one of the most picturesque points of Middle Europe: the bend of the Danube.
