the prague post's conferences & conventions 2014

JULY 2014

PRAGUE COMING INTO ITS OWN AS A GLOBAL CONGRESS DESTINATION

&ConferencesConventions

2014 &ConferencesConventions

2014

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With space for nearly 2,400 people, hotel in Vysočanska is one of Prague’s biggest conference venues

Choice Hotels International’s Clarion brand is clear-ly positioning itself as the premiere choice forone-stop business and lodging in the CzechRepublic. With five “congress hotels” across thecountry — in Prague, České Budějovice, Ústí nad

Labem, Olomouc and Ostrava — the chain is clearly targeting thebusiness community, although it also manages hotels in the coun-try that are not explicitly branded as congress facilities, such as inLiberec and in Špindlerův Mlýn. In Hradec Králové, the group ispreparing to reconstruct and rebrand the Hotel Černigov, which isalso the largest conference space in this north Bohemian city, as aClarion Hotel in the near future.

When it comes to conferences and congresses in the CzechRepublic, Choice Hotels International’s flagship is its Prague branch

(the group also has two other hotels in the city: Clarion HotelPrague Old Town and Clarion Hotel Prague City, both of which offermuch smaller conferencing facilities), located in the Vysočanskaneighborhood. The hotel is easily accessible from downtown, as thebuilding is situated almost directly on top of the Vysočanska stationon the metro’s B line.

The Clarion Congress Hotel Prague opened in March 2008, andwith space for nearly 2,400 people in total, it ranks among the Top10 largest venues in the Czech capital for congresses. In is also thethird-largest hotel on the list, with only the giant Top Hotel Prahaand the Hilton Prague outranking it in terms of capacity.

The conference facilities of this four-star hotel comprise some 27different meeting rooms, some a combination of multiple rooms.

Issuing a Clarion callto congress-goers

NICESPACESTEXT ANDRÉ CROUS

CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES 07/2014 www.praguepost .com 3

CLARION CONGRESS HOTEL PRAGUE IS A BIT OUT OF THECENTER BUT OFFERS AMPLE SPACE FOR BIG MEETINGS

http://www.praguepost

The largest space that can be booked is the 1,176 squaremeter hall made up of three rooms (the Meridian, the Zenitand the Nadir), which can also be hired out separately orjoined together in other combinations. This particular venuehas a ceiling 8 meters high and can accommodate up to 1,500people sitting down or 1,800 for a cocktail-style event.

For more distinctly formal settings, 11 halls andseven lounge areas are also available for boardroomsetups, in other words, with a long rectangular tableand chairs on either side. However, this is but one ofthe many layouts available to customers, and

besides those mentioned already, the hotel also offers theater,classroom, u-shape, banquet and cabaret formations.

All the conference rooms have a high-speed Internet con-nection, and there is car access to the main hall. The buildinghas underground parking with 600 parking spaces and a fur-ther nine spaces for buses.

Catering is on hand, and those organizing a function at thehotel have several options at their disposal, with many differ-ent choices ranging from food and drink for coffee breaks andfinger food to buffets, set menus, gala dinners and evening

receptions. The hotel also has two restaurants, one of whichseats some 570 people, as well as two bars and a club lounge.

One big name that was recently connected with the hotel isthat of filmmaker Tim Burton, whose work is currently beingexhibited at the House at the Stone Bell, comprising the four-month exhibition “Tim Burton and His World,” which runs untilAug. 3. When Burton was in Prague to open the exhibition atthe end of March, the cake for the occasion — weighing in at13 kilograms — was made by the hotel’s pastry chef, AndreaBožáková, and her team in the kitchen.

The Clarion Congress Hotel Prague is operated by CPIHotels, which runs the Choice Hotels International franchise inthe Czech Republic and Slovakia, including the Clarion andFortuna brands.

It was chosen as the best hotel out of the group’s Europeanbranches shortly after it opened, in 2009, and again receivedkudos as the best Clarion Hotel in Central Europe in 2012. Inthe same year, it was named Hotel of the Year in the congresshotels category of the Czech Hotel Awards. g

- André Crous can be reached at [email protected]

NICESPACESTEXT ANDRÉ CROUS PHOTOS CLARION CONGRESS HOTEL PRAGUE

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mailto:[email protected]


AS THESE IMAGES SHOW, THE INTERIOR OF CLARION CONGRESSHOTEL PRAGUE WAS DESIGNED WITH MICE TRAVEL IN MIND.


Despite holding onto the 11th place worldwideas a conference destination, according to sta-tistics from the International Congress andConvention Association (ICCA), 2013 was atough year for Prague. While the type of specif-

ic events the ICCA tracks was up slightly, the overall numberof meetings was down.

There were 3,427 conferences with more than 50 partici-pants in 2013, down from 4,264 the previous year, accordingto the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ).

The number of participants dropped as well. In 2013, there

were 549,225 participants compared with 671,812 a year ear-lier. Average spending was €350 per person. Revenue fromconventions is estimated at €787 million per year.

MICE tourism — that is meetings, incentives, conferencesand exhibitions — accounts for 20 percent to 25 percent ofPrague’s tourism, the ČSÚ said.

The Prague Convention Bureau (PCB) surveyed several peo-ple in the industry about what happened last year andprospects for this one. Several people commented that book-ings were more last-minute and price competition was tough.Also, meetings had fewer participants.

Survey reveals congresstrends:

Smaller, shorter, cheaper and booked with less notice are the mainrecurring themes...

TRENDINGTOPICSTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

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“During the past two years, we have noticed a demand forsmaller events, but with great attention to quality and cost ofprovided services. Competition in Prague is tough and hotelsare trying to attract customers mainly on prices. Since this isoften at the expense of quality, the companies react morecarefully when preparing events,” Martin Božek, group andevent manager at Kempinski Hotel Hybernská Prague, said inthe PCB survey.

Cost sensitivity was also noticed by François Mary, regionaldirector for Prague and Pilsen at Vienna International HotelManagement,

“During the past year, we noticed that MICE inquiries weremore last-minute, and they were also more price-sensitive.Companies are pushed to radical cost savings, which shows inshortening total length of stay to a minimum. … Congressestaking place in our hotels during 2013 had a lower number ofdelegates compared with previous years,” he said in his sur-vey response.

Michael Specking, cluster general manager at Hilton Pragueand Hilton Prague Old Town, saw a similar trend. “In general, thebooking window is getting shorter compared with previousyears, and events tend to have fewer delegates. MICE clients aremuch more price-sensitive, and they are looking for good value

for money and flexibility. … We are also witnessing an increasingdigital media influence throughout the whole process — choos-ing, booking, experiencing and sharing,” he said.

Technology also may explain the lower numbers of partici-pants. “Thanks to the development of hybrid events (integrat-ing technology solutions), clients are able to share content ina much more efficient way and enable information access toanybody who cannot travel,” said Sylvia Neves, managingdirector at MCI Prague. She added that hybrid events couldhelp Prague to overcome the limitations of venue space forlarge events.

Hotels that focus on smaller events seemed to see lessimpact. “Despite the fact that the overall results of congress


KEMPINSKI HOTEL HYBERNSKÁ PRAGUE

“DURING THE PAST YEAR, WE NOTICEDTHAT MICE INQUIRIES WERE MORE

LAST-MINUTE, AND THEY WERE ALSOMORE PRICE-SENSITIVE. COMPANIESARE PUSHED TO RADICAL COST SAV-

INGS, WHICH SHOWS IN SHORTENINGTOTAL LENGTH OF STAY TO A MINIMUM.

… CONGRESSES TAKING PLACE IN OURHOTELS DURING 2013 HAD A LOWERNUMBER OF DELEGATES COMPARED

WITH PREVIOUS YEARS.” - FRANÇOIS MARY


TRENDINGTOPICSTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

8INTERCONTINENTAL PRAGUE

tourism significantly decreased in Prague throughout 2013,we rather perceived 2013 as a year with only slight changescompared with 2012 and earlier. This might be because ofour focus on smaller events, such as conferences and incen-tives rather than on congresses,” said Amin Massafi, directorsales and marketing at InterContinental Prague.

“It is important to stress that companies and various institu-tions that organize events will further focus on cost manage-ment and overall effectiveness. This may lead to a furtherextension of shorter events,” he added.

Hotels in particular are becoming more pro-active in theMICE sector to grab a bigger share of the business. “TheCzech capital is becoming more and more attractive for MICEmarket. We are promoting and supporting Prague as the bestchoice for any kind of event. Thanks to our new MICE depart-ment structure, we are seeing increase in the number of MICEleads with conversion compared with 2013. We now have onedepartment that is selling under one brand, ‘ViennaInternational Hotels & Resorts,’ more than 1,000 rooms and4,000 square meters of conference spaces in total, whichhelps us to be more effective and competitive on the market,”Vienna International’s Mary said.

The possible impact of the conflict in Ukraine divided the

PCB survey respondents. “Regarding Ukraine, the actual inter-nal troubles should not really affect the current [MICEtourism] situation. …So far, none of the events confirmed inPrague for this year were questioned in terms of safety orcanceled. Prague remains an attractive destination for con-gresses and events thanks to its level of safety, good value formoney and perfect accessibility,” MCI Prague’s Neves said.

However, Kateřina Hájková (Benešová), partner/sales direc-tor at Senator Travel, was sure the Ukraine situation wouldhave a negative impact. “For American and Asian clients,Europe is considered as one entity, where countries are con-nected, and there are short distances. We hope the situationwill get quieter,” she said, adding that people look for a placethat promises to be safe in the future.

Aleš Pejsar, director of sales and marketing at C-IN offered athird point of view. “Events in Ukraine are not likely to have anegative impact on the congress industry. Congress and con-ference venues are decided long ahead of time, usually severalyears, before the events actually take place. It may happenthat some of the pre-arranged congresses will head to differ-ent congress destinations due to security precautions. Thus,they represent a source of opportunity for Prague,” he said. g

- Raymond Johnston can be reached at [email protected]


HILTON PRAGUE



NICESPACESTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTONPHOTOS FORUM KARLÍN/BM MANAGEMENT

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ONDŘEJ ŠPALEK, DIRECTOR OF FORUM KARLÍN, IS PLEASEDWITH THE OVERALL CONCEPT OF THE FACILITY.

“THE HALL IN FORUMKARLÍN IS ALSOVERY FLEXIBLE ASFAR AS SIZEREQUIREMENTS FORORGANIZED EVENTSARE CONCERNED.” -ONDŘEJ ŠPALEK

After some delay, the newmultifunction spaceForum Karlín is open. Thefirst public event was aconcert by industrial

group Nine Inch Nails on June 11. Theopening had been planned for May 15with the band Kosheen but was delayedwhen the venue wasn’t fully ready. TheKosheen concert was finally held June 12.Future concerts include Queens of theStone Age, Colin Currie Group as part ofStrings of Autumn and Lara Fabian.

But the new forum isn’t only a concerthall. Its eight-story building also serves asa convention center and has offices. Thefirst conference there will be reSite, whichwill see urban planners and architectsfrom all over the world meeting June 19–20 to discuss making cities move livable.

Forum Karlín is also a symbol of therevitalization of that part of the city, whichis marked by disused industrial space andempty lots. Construction on the projectstarted in 2011. The complex includestwo buildings. One is a renovated formerfactory from the First Republic, whichsince 2013 is where publishing houseEconomia is based. The second is a newlyfinished modern building with a uniquemultifunctional hall with a capacity of3,000 people standing and 2,000 theaterseats. There are three permanent refresh-ment counters in the complex as well.

The forum is completely barrier-free,and the space is easily reconfigured. Thebuilding is close to the metro B line atmetro stop Křižíkova and to several tramstops. Intercity buses are a few minutesaway at the Florenc bus station. The com-plex does not include visitor parking, butseveral paid lots are nearby.

A specifically created 3-D model wasused to determine the optimum soundreflection throughout the 25,000 cubicmeters of the Forum Karlín auditorium. Amodel was used to select suitable typesof materials for individual surfaces withinthe whole auditorium, guaranteeing opti-mum acoustic comfort during events ofany type and size.

The hall was built with acoustics inmind. “It now appears that the conceptof the multipurpose hall Forum Karlínwas the right choice," says OndřejŠpalek, director of Forum Karlín. “Thehall is suitable not only for the greatconcerts of pop and rock stars, but alsoextremely difficult acoustics for perform-ers like Lara Fabian.”

The designers of the project placedgreat emphasis on the selection of appro-priate building materials for properacoustics, as well as on details of acousticelements on the stage and in the audi-ence, according to Špalek. Attention wasalso paid to installing the sound system

so visitors can enjoy great sound witheach new event.

Furthermore, Forum Karlín has anadvanced suspension system with anextremely high load capacity. It is possibleto hang 180 tons, which offers wide possi-bilities for even the most demanding pro-gram elements.

“The hall in Forum Karlín is also veryflexible as far as size requirements fororganized events are concerned. Themodular divider system allows you to cre-ate a pleasant atmosphere for smallerevents such as corporate training, indus-try conferences or even graduation par-ties,“ Špalek said.

The building, designed by architectRicardo Bofill, offers six floors of modernoffices with 9,500 square meters on thesecond to seventh floors. Three of thefloors also contain terraces while the topfloor offers views. State-of-the-art tech-nologies available in the office spacereflect the latest trends in work and com-munication. The architect also took intoaccount the comfort of the users of theoffices, using modern insulation materials.The first tenants will move into the officesafter the summer holidays. g

- Raymond Johnston can be reached at

[email protected]

Forum Karlínoffers new space for congressesMultifunction building can handle more than just concerts




NICESPACESTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

12

FORUM KARLÍN ADDS A MODERN LOOKTO AN INDUSTRIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE INTERIOR OF FORUM KARLÍN CAN BE ADAPTED TO MANY PURPOSES.


THE FAÇADE OF FORUM KARLÍN WILL BRIGHTEN THE AREA AT NIGHT.


Pragueto host ICCA in 2017

Prague was chosen from a list of three locations to host the 57th ICCACongress in 2017, beating Gdańsk, Poland, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

INDUSTRYNEWSTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

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CITY BEATS GDAŃSK ANDST. PETERSBURG TO HOST

PRESTIGIOUS INDUSTRY MEETING

The decision was announced by Arnaldo Nardone,president of the International Congress andConvention Association (ICCA), in May. The ICCArepresents the main specialists in organizing, trans-porting and accommodating international meet-

ings and events, and comprises almost 1,000 member companiesand organizations in more than 90 countries worldwide.

ICCA specializes in the international association meetingssector, offering unrivaled data, communication channels andbusiness development opportunities, according to its website.

“As always, this has been another tremendously tough bid-ding competition between highly ambitious destinations, con-ducted in a wonderful ICCA spirit of friendliness and fairness,with all of the candidates showing creativity, professionalismand commitment toward ICCA’s strategic business objectives,

including our keenness to further develop the association’smembership in Eastern Europe,” Nardone said in a statement.

“With ICCA never having previously held our Congress in theCzech Republic, I have no doubt that our friends in Prague willput on a wonderful experience for our members, and thatknowledge and expertise will be transferred in both directions,from our global experts to local meetings professionals, andvice versa,” he added.

The bid presentations of the shortlisted destinations tradi-tionally take place during the ICCA board meetings in theweekend before IMEX, the world exhibition for incentive travel,meetings and events held every May.

Candidates are required to address ICCA’s strategic develop-ment objectives, identify innovative ways to boost delegates'business opportunities, as well as address a rigorous list offinancial and logistical criteria.

“ICCA delegates are possibly the toughest clients any desti-nation can host. They are seasoned professionals, notoriouslydifficult to surprise or impress, but I have absolutely no doubt,based on the creativity and commitment shown by the Czechteam, that they will be given an unforgettable experience in2017," ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said.

Prague Mayor Tomáš Hudeček presented the bid inFrankfurt alongside senior Czech meeting professionals. “Wewant to inspire ICCA delegates with the story of our city's suc-cess in the international meetings market, which has occurrednot just because we are a great cultural and tourist city, butbecause we have placed international meetings at the heart ofour economic development and knowledge economy strate-gies,” Hudeček said.

“Bidding for this prestigious congress has helped us to forgea stronger and more creative team, involving public and pri-vate sector organizations all across our country, and we arehonored that ICCA has placed its trust in us to deliver an out-standing event,” he added.

Hudeček wasn’t the only person pleased with the victory.“The competition was really tough, and we are very happy thatwe succeeded,” Lenka Žlebková, managing director of PragueConvention Bureau, said in a statement.

“After last year’s failure, we are absolutely excited aboutPrague’s win, especially because we managed to create astrong team consisting of representatives of the private andpublic sectors in the course of last year. The support and per-sonal participation of the mayor of Prague also helped us alot,” she adds.


PRAGUE WON THE RIGHT TOHOST THE 2017 ICCA CONGRESS.


“It was not easy to compete with such strong destinationslike Gdańsk and St. Petersburg. Their candidacies were careful-ly prepared and presented with great enthusiasm. It will bepleasure for us to cooperate with them at the 2017 Congressin order to deliver the most successful ICCA congress held inthe region in ICCA’s history.

The ICCA congress in 2017 thus could become an exampleof an efficient strategic partnership at the international level,”Žlebková added.

Prague Deputy Mayor Václav Novotný made a significantcontribution to the bid and actively participated in pushingthrough the modernization and extension of the PragueCongress Center, one of the largest congress facilities in theCzech Republic.

“Prague’s success shows that the city really belongs to thetop of the world congress destinations ranking,” Novotný says.“ICCA congress is good publicity for the destination and it alsoguarantees that the city is able to provide the meeting organ-izers first-class services. In recent years, Prague has returnedamong the best congress destinations. Compared with 2010,when it ranked as the 19th destination in the world, the citymanaged to move up eight rungs within three years. In 2012, itranked as the 11th destination in the world and maintained

this position last year as well,” he adds.

All three shortlisted destinations spent the previous sixmonths working hard to win the competition. They managedto raise the quality of final bids and demonstrate that theteams listened intently to all ICCA feedback and took onevery piece of advice after site inspections held in the region.

The team from Gdańsk put a positive spin on their loss, call-ing their bid highly professional and competitive. Prague hadthe advantage of losing the bid for the 2016 Congress andhad a chance to learn from previous mistakes, the GdańskConvention Bureau said in press release.

“The whole process was extraordinarily competitive. The

16

“PRAGUE’S SUCCESS SHOWS THAT THECITY REALLY BELONGS TO THE TOP OF THE

WORLD CONGRESS DESTINATIONS RANK-ING. ICCA CONGRESS IS GOOD PUBLICITY

FOR THE DESTINATION AND GUARANTEESTHAT THE CITY IS ABLE TO PROVIDE THE

MEETING ORGANIZERS FIRST-CLASS SERV-ICES. PRAGUE HAS RETURNED AMONGTHE BEST CONGRESS DESTINATIONS.”

- PRAGUE DEPUTY MAYOR VÁCLAV

http://www.pupp.cz/

Gdańsk team feels no shame in having been closely beatenby a tough competitor who themselves learned a great dealfrom earlier losses. They cordially congratulate the fantasticcompetitors from the Czech Republic, who are an inspirationfor all Central and Eastern European region. What’s more, allthree destinations within a process that lasted almost a yearmanaged to create a strong network, especially the Gdańskteam has gained an enormous amount from going throughit,” the GCB stated.

The 2017 ICCA Congress in Prague is a win-win situation foreveryone: Gdańsk, Prague, St. Petersburg and last but notleast the ICCA delegates, according to the GCB.

“There surely will be a strong cooperation set between

especially two neighboring countries, the Czech Republic andPoland. The congress held in Central Europe will showcasetheir innovative approach to business in the region thatremains one of a few economies worldwide performing reallywell despite economic situation,” the GCB said, adding thatEastern European countries together build a great environ-ment for the meetings business and attract more meetingsevery year.

The ICCA Congress bidding process is a competitionbetween the 90 countries that have ICCA membership.

ICCA's future Congress destinations are Antalya, Turkey, in2014; Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2015; and Kuching,Malaysia, in 2016. g


ST. PETERSBURG WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL COMPETITOR TO HOST THE ICCA MEETING. PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

GDAŃSK DIDN’T WIN BUT SAYS IT LEARNED FROM THE COMPETITION. PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA


Prague held steady at number 11 in the ICCAranking of most popular destinations for con-gresses in 2013, according to statistics releasedin May. The International Congress & ConventionAssociation tracked 11,685 regularly occurring

association events that rotate between at least three coun-tries identified by ICCA members and ICCA’s in-houseresearch team as having taken place during 2013. This wassome 535 more than in the previous year.

The Czech capital has a long-term goal of reaching the Top10 worldwide by 2015 and being in the Top 5 by 2020. Thecity has shown significant movement so far, despite stalling

this year. Prague was at number 19 worldwide in 2010. It roseto 14th place in 2011 and 11th place in 2012.

“I consider it a huge success that the number of interna-tional association conferences Prague hosted in 2013 slight-ly increased, especially when the statistics for the congressindustry for the past year published by Czech StatisticalOffice were not very positive. Moreover, Prague not onlymaintained its position as the 11th congress destination inthe world but also moved up in the ranking of Europeancongress destinations,” Lenka Žlebková, managing directorof Prague Convention Bureau, said in a press release. Heractivities include the collection of statistical data on the

Parisnew top city for meetingsPrague still knocking on the door of the Top 10

INDUSTRYNEWSTEXT RAYMOND JOHNSTON

18

PARIS IS THE NUMBER ONE IN HOSTING LARGE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESSES. PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

Prague congress industry.

“I attribute last year’s results to our team cooperation withthe members of Prague Convention Bureau and other entitiesactive on the congress market. Thanks to this cooperation, wehave improved our collection of statistical data on congressesand conferences held in Prague. I am also convinced that thepositive results of our strategic steps in attracting importantcongresses to Prague have begun to show,” she said.

“The increase in the number of association events held inPrague from 112 to 121 indicates that Prague is becomingmore and more competitive in the international congressmarket. I strongly believe our strategy focused on attractingcongresses especially from the field of science and research,new technologies and innovations will not only result inaccomplishing our goal — to get Prague among the10 bestworld congress destinations by 2015 and to the top of theranking by 2020 — but will also help to increase the compet-itiveness of the whole country,” she concluded.

In 2013, Lisbon and Seoul both tied for ninth/10th placewith 125 meetings, meaning Prague missed the Top 10 byjust four congresses. There was a big jump to get to eighth,though, as Istanbul had 146. The top city, Paris, had 204.

The new ranking was a blow to Vienna, which had held or

shared the top spot in the ICCA rankings since 2005. It lost toParis, which was second in 2013 and had previously sharedfirst place with Vienna in 2008. It also sank further.

Madrid, fourth in 2012, is now second, and Vienna is third.Barcelona climbed one place to fourth, and Berlin movedfrom third to fifth place. Singapore remains sixth, and Londonfell from a shared sixth place to seventh. Istanbul climbed oneplace to eighth.

“It shouldn’t be surprising that our 2013 figures havedemonstrated the strength of the international associationmeetings sector, since the overall picture for our industry issignificantly better than has been the case for quite sometime. But it should be remembered that this is a sector thathas shown significant growth in every single year since thefinancial crisis hit the world economy in 2008,” ICCA CEOMartin Sirk said.

“The international association meetings sector is a solid,reliable performer in good times and bad, and the longer-term trends are the most critically important factors whenpreparing strategic plans and investment decisions. I am con-vinced that every serious meetings destination, international-ly ambitious venue, and forward-thinking meetingsmanagement company should include international associa-


THE PRAGUE CONGRESS CENTER HOSTS MANY OF THE CITY’S LARGEST INTERNATIONAL GATHERINGS. COURTESY PHOTO


tions in their marketing and development strategies,” headded.

Significant congresses and conferences held in Prague lastyear included the Conference of the World Organization ofFamily Doctors (WONCA 2013), the 12th European Congressof Internal Medicine, the 31st World Veterinary Congress, the13th World Congress of the European Association forPalliative Care, and the Conference of the InternationalAssociation for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE 2013).

The list also ranks the top countries, and the CzechRepublic did not make the Top 20. The countries in the Top10 stayed the same, but some shifted positions. The UnitedStates, Germany and Spain remain respectively first, secondand third. The gap between United States and Germany hasbecome significantly smaller though; from a difference of 184meetings in 2012 to 107 in 2013.

France and United Kingdom have switched places: France isnow fourth and the United Kingdom fifth. Italy remains sixth.Japan climbed one place to number seven and China climbedtwo places to number eight, at the cost of Brazil, droppingfrom seventh to ninth place, and the Netherlands, droppedone place to number 10. g

RANK CITY MEETINGS1 Paris 2042 Madrid 1863 Vienna 1824 Barcelona 1795 Berlin 1786 Singapore 1757 London 1668 Istanbul 1469 Lisbon 1259 Seoul 12511 Prague 12112 Amsterdam 12013 Dublin 11414 Buenos Aires 11315 Brussels 11116 Copenhagen 10917 Budapest 10618 Beijing 10519 Rome 9920 Bangkok 93

Stockholm 93Sydney 93

- Source: ICCA

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DESIGN HOTEL YASMIN

CAPAC

SUPERIOR

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offers 3 multifunctional conference rooms for up to 200 persons few steps from Wenceslas square.

• Suitable for press conferences business meetings, corporate trainings and other events

• 196 luxury design rooms on seven floors• Catering services – Restaurant Café Bar

Noodles• Complimentary high speed WiFi internet• Full audio-visual equipment• Secretarial and concierge services• Enhanced fresh air conditioning


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CZECH HOTELS:Getting full before summer holidays Tourism and conferences are already putting pressure on availability

REGIONALNEWSTEXT ČTK

22

BELLEVUE – TLAPÁK IN PODĚBRADY

Hotels and boarding houses in the CzechRepublic are getting full before the startof the summer holidays but many stilloffer rooms, spa hotels are very popularand they are mostly fully occupiedalready, according to a poll ČTK madeamong hotel operators.

Summer is also the time of conferences so business clientsare interested in hotel stays as well. Foreigners mostly prevailamong guests in spas and towns with important historic mon-uments. Czechs predominantly order stays in the nature.

Hotels in the Karlovarský region, where Karlovy Vary, themost renowned spa town in the country, is located, reportgood occupancy. Interest is not falling, but the origin of theguests is changing moderately. Fewer Russians arrive after therouble's fall to the euro and also due to the situation inUkraine. Prague hotel operators are also concerned about thisfact, four-star hotel Olympic, for example, expects a year-on-year drop by up to a tenth.

Company CPI Hotels is of the opinion that the number ofguests from the USA and Great Britain will decrease as well asthey rank the Czech Republic into the same "eastern region"as Ukraine.

On the other hand, Prague hotel Mandarin Oriental (below),focused on demanding clients in particular from Englishspeaking countries, expects a successful summer. Potentialoutflow of Russian tourists will be offset by a significantly high-

er number of visitors from Spain, according to reservations,said Lenka Rogerová, director of public relations at the hotel.

Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary expects a higher number ofArab guests with respect to the time of Ramadan. Hotels inKarlovy Vary are practically sold out for the first week in Julythanks to the international film festival.

Some spa hotels in the Stredočeský region are already full,for example Bellevue – Tlapák in Poděbrady has alreadyreserved all 60 rooms for July and August, mainly by touristsfrom Russia and Israel. Hotels and boarding houses in thisregion have reservations for some one half of their capacitythus far.

Hotels in the Ustecký region have enough room thus far buthotels that offer wellness stays are getting full fast. Nationalpark Czech Switzerland also ranks among popular localitiesand occupancy of hotels there is roughly at 50 percent.

Hotel operators in Moravia rely on linking wellness stayswith natural beauties. Hotels in traditional spa town ofLuhačovice are also getting full. Tourists heading for Moraviacan visit the town of Olomouc that travel guide book LonelyPlanet recommends.

In southern Bohemia, hotels are getting full in Český Krumlovwhose center is on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Hoteloperators say, however, that many people are waiting forrebates or for the weather forecast. Interest of foreigners islower also due to higher prices, in particular food prices. g


MANDARIN ORIENTAL IN PRAGUE.


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