It’s perhaps a little embarrassing to admit, although I’m probably not alone, but when anyone mentions the Netherlands I think of city breaks in Amsterdam or shipping conferences in Rotterdam, not of a beach holiday.
But Noordwijk is about 30 minutes outside of Schiphol airport and is a lovely resort on the beach.
Having never attended an M&I Forum before all I knew was that I had preselected from the supplier list so I could attend meetings relevant to The Phoenix Partners.
We arrived throughout Tuesday and enjoyed a stunning cocktail and buffet held on the beach front patio at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin where I was staying. With great entertainment and a fantastic buffet including a huge tuna fish carvery we had our first conversations with the suppliers and other European buyers. Everyone was commenting on how few buyers were there from the UK... perhaps they were attending over the weekend once we had returned home?
After an early night (honest!) we had a beautiful breakfast and briefing before a busy day of meetings. These were really useful. I’d picked hotels and chains that I had no real knowledge of and came away with a couple of instantly useful contacts for our clients and projects.
Later that afternoon we reconvened on the beach for team building. The choices included sand sculpture, rafting, beach games, power kiting and a seminar on organising conferences. In a dare devil moment I opted for power kiting. It was difficult to walk along the beach as it was so windy! We had to tether each other to the beach as the kites dragged us along. Hard work but lots of fun!
After a shower to remove the beach from the ears and teeth we regrouped in the foyer to transfer to a boat that cruised along the canal. Again more food and entertainment – far too much wine and dancing followed - but I managed to be up for breakfast at 8am. More meetings before I transferred back to Schiphol for the journey home.
I think this is an ideal format to meet with hotels, DMCs and tourist boards to ensure that we stay ahead of the competition with regards to proposals or to enable us to differentiate ourselves to our clients – offering them a little extra knowledge or an amazing offer. A big thank you to the organisers.
The end result - some great contacts and a slightly stiff neck from the kiting!!
Jo Fahey - Sales Manager
t: 01509 815026
e: joanne@thephoenixpartners.com
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