venue profiles: unusual venues: Breaking with convention
Breaking with convention
Are you bored with the same old board room? Fed up of booking the more obvious event venues in town? And under pressure to put the ‘wow’ factor into your next corporate gathering or incentive? Well, there’s good news – the Middle East is full of hidden gems and they’re waiting to be discovered by planners with a penchant for something different.
From meetings in the sky to dining by the Dead Sea, there’s an unusual venue out there for everyone. Here, Meetme provides a few pointers to get your creative juices flowing
Meetings in the sky
Dubai-based helidubai is the first committed VIP helicopter service provider in the Middle East to cater to corporate and private needs including ‘aerial meetings’.
The firm can transport guests from hotel to airport or city to city and is the only commercial helicopter operator permitted to land on the helipad at the Burj Al Arab.
“Helicopter travel is a valuable timesaving tool for busy executives taking you direct to your destination efficiently and thus significantly cutting journey times” says Captain Andrew Masterson, director of operations, helidubai.
“Although flying time is relatively short, depending on the destination, we have had occasions when the passengers have actually spent the entire trip discussing business matters, turning the cabin into a mini boardroom. The helicopter is entirely private and very comfortable so holding a meeting during a trip is not beyond the realms of possibility; in fact it makes perfect sense.”
helidubai operates a fleet of Agusta 109E Power and the AS 350 B3 helicopters, all of which are fitted out with leather interiors, air-conditioning and offer outstanding viewing. The company not only transports government officials, visiting heads of state, business leaders and celebrities, it also runs an aerial tour operation departing daily from the Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah.
High designs
If you’re looking to fashion a design-focussed gathering, then the brand new Hotel Missoni, Kuwait is the answer. The property has six meeting rooms and a 550-capacity ballroom and they are all decked out in unique designs of the iconic Italian fashion house, Missoni.
Each individual meeting room has been adorned with specially-made Hotel Missoni fabrics. They are also equipped with a nifty remote control for the curtains, allowing you to dim the lights, choose the colour of the lights and even control the projector. The chairs in the meeting rooms are by legendary designer Fritz Hanson and covered with linen designed especially for Hotel Missoni, Kuwait.
The break-out area features an outdoor terrace as well as a large indoor space with Panini station, coffee-break station, a special kitchen area, and a-la-minute coffee (made on spot). Even the cutlery used in the area is especially made for the hotel by Missoni.
The meetings and events space has its own private entrance. If it’s a large event you’re organising, you can select the fabrics and chairs you would like to use — there are 46 different pattern combinations from which to choose. Similarly, the cutlery and crockery is available in a variety of colours and patterns, allowing you to mix and match. The buffet tables can also be personalised; you can choose between a Korean-style, glass or wooden buffet table. The Korean buffet table has iPads installed inside the table, meaning you can really create a unique atmosphere.
The fast and the furious
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has to rank amongst the most unique venues given that planners can ‘privatise’ certain rides or attractions or, if they so wish, hire out the entire theme park.
The facility boasts more than 3,000 square metres of meeting space that can accommodate up to 1,500 delegates.
Exciting attractions for events and conferences include state-of-the-art racing simulators, thrilling gravity-defying rides and even a quiz-based challenge that tests your strategic racing skills.
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is home to six cafes and restaurants providing authentic Italian delicacies to fuel all-day incentive trips.
Companies can also book meeting rooms kitted out with the latest technology, as well as Cinema Maranello with its giant HD screen (the largest in the UAE) for corporate presentations.
Other unique attractions include the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa, which catapults passengers to 240km/h and hits 4.8Gs.
Cruise control With cruise ships ramping up their activity in the UAE it presents a prime opportunity to use these vessels for meetings at sea. Options range from staging a meeting or event while the ship is in port to chartering an entire ship for a dedicated company or client cruise. Team-building options can also be incorporated into a ‘meetings at sea’ package, such as beach Olympics, as offered on several Royal Caribbean vessels.
The cruise line’s Brilliance of the Seas will operate 18 seven-night round-trip sailings from Dubai and 12-night sailings from Dubai to India for the 2011-2012 winter cruise season from November 2011 to April 2012.
The ship features dedicated meeting space to accommodation theatre, classroom and boardroom-style functions; meeting and breakout rooms; high-tech presentation rooms; and technology including colour-touch screens, wireless remote controls and teleconferencing equipment.
In 2012, Royal Caribbean will replace Brilliance of the Seas with Serenade of the Seas. This will offer 17 seven-night UAE and Oman itineraries from December 2012 to April 2013. Serenade of the Seas has similar meetings facilities to Brilliance and also offers an indoor/ outdoor country club with golf simulator; themed bars and lounges; plus the Colony Club — a unique British colonialstyle lounge with self-levelling pool tables.
As of October 30 there are options to sail from Abu Dhabi too with MSC Cruises’ MSC Lirica operating 19 seven-night Gulf cruises taking in Dubai, Muscat, Fujairah and Khasab until March 4, 2012. MSC Lirica has the capacity for 2,069 guests in 780 cabins and offers meeting rooms, events space as well as the Broadway Theatre.
Back to nature
The newly launched ‘Meetings by Nature’ package at Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara on Sir Bani Yas Island offers a refreshing twist for businesses wishing to get their strategic juices flowing in a unique setting.
Planners can choose from unique meetings indoor overlooking the island or outdoor locations for inspirational brainstorming. From AV equipment to special dietary requests, the resort takes care of everything that is needed for a successful corporate gathering.
Ideally suited for a group with a minimum of 10 people, the ‘Meetings by Nature’ package comes with a onenight stay in one of the resort’s deluxe rooms.
The day begins a breakfast buffet, to get pumped up for power meetings or team-building outdoor adventures. To keep energy flowing, the package includes two coffee breaks and lunch at The Palm Restaurant, which also serves as the venue for a grand dinner experience. Delegates also have the chance to explore the vast nature reserve at the desert island resort with recreational activities on offer including kayaking and mountain biking. More leisurely pursuits include game drives or a walk along the island’s guided trails.
The resort can also arrange a tent on the beach for a private meeting, a wadi dinner in the nature reserve of an ‘amazing race’ around the resort.
Anantara is also opening a new conference centre and two luxury lodges on the island later this year. Desert Islands Conference Centre, located next to the resort, will be the island’s first and only venue to accommodate larger groups (340 guests). Facilities will include a ballroom; eight break-out rooms, a reception lobby and circulation corridors; and a sea-facing shaded and non-shaded external courtyard.
A sporting chance
Abu Dhabi has opened the doors to a brand new sports resort that is already carving out a niche as one of the region’s top facilities for both corporate events and team–building exercises.
Al Forsan International Sports Resort showcases five world-class sports that cater to all abilities, from novices to professionals. Facilities include a shooting area, a water sports area featuring the first cable ski lakes in the Middle East, an equestrian centre, motor sports and themed indoor air-conditioned Paintball fields. Additional facilities include a full-size football pitch, tennis courts and basketball and volleyball courts.
There are five specialty restaurants and lounges plus meetings and events space suitable for meetings, conferences, incentives, team-building events, gala dinners and corporate gatherings. These include a conference centre; a ballroom seating up to 200 people; meeting rooms for up to 30 people; and ‘unique’ outdoor function spaces including a full-size polo field, catering to thousands.
A camp with a difference
Arabian Adventures has introduced a unique, high-end desert experience for groups both small (from two guests) and large (up to 400 guests). The desert experience is completely tailored to the group’s requirement.
As an example, at around 3pm, safari vehicles pick up guests and transfer them to a camel farm situated at the edge of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Tours of the farm are available and there is an in-house shop where guests can taste and purchase camelmilk chocolate.
Guests are then transported to the heart of DDCR – Arabian Adventures is the only DMC allowed venture into this reserve, which is a 225-square-kilometre area of pristine desert.
During the dune drive there is a chance guests might spot an Arabian Oryx or Gazelles in their natural environment. At sunset, champagne is served on a dune top before the entertainment begins – a falcon show, belly dancer, oudh player, Arabic band, catering by a five-star hotel, plus a “very high end” camp set up.
The desert meeting is part of Arabian Adventures’ Exclusive Collection - a new bespoke service offering a range of tailor-made excursions and experiences.
Mountain magic
When it comes to offering tailor-made experiences and unique venues, Six Senses Resorts & Spas is an expert in the field.
Its resort in Oman – Zighy Bay – is no exception, offering a myriad of one-off or unusual options for gatherings.
For starters there’s the Private Reserve (3,000 square metres), located at the secluded end of Zighy Bay on its own stretch of private beach, with its own entrance leading to a spacious Arabic courtyard and its three villas. There are four bedrooms, a variety of separate living and dining areas for entertaining, a gym, wine cellar, maids’/nannies’ quarters, private security quarters, and an oversized infinity swimming pool. The resort also offers the services of both a live-in butler and a personal chef who will cater to your every need at any time. The reserve can sleep eight adults (in four bedrooms) and two children below 12 years (in day beds).
Also catering to small groups, a meeting on a traditional Arabian Dhow might fit the bill with breakout sessions set aside for snorkelling or diving in the Gulf of Oman. Or for an exclusive dining option, the resort can set up meetings at Senses on the Edge – the restaurant that sits 293 metres above sea level on the mountain top.
And to get the adrenalin pumping around the veins ahead of a high-powered meeting, suggest that your delegates paraglide into the resort from the mountain top – an arrival option offered to all guests to Zighy Bay!
