Interlaken - An extraordinary blend of Swiss nature, adventure and culture

A small group of delegates from incentives agencies in Belgium were treated to a wonderful action-packed three-day programme (Feb 27-Mar 1) in Interlaken and its surrounding areas organised by Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB).

Long reputed as Europe’s premier resort destination, Interlaken with its surrounding areas including the Jungfrau region is more than just about sightseeing and skiing. As the journey unfolds, participants found that there’s a lot more to Interlaken than the famous Swiss Alps and the pristine lakes – all of which serves as a great backdrop to some of the best meeting venues Switzerland has to offer and a vast array of incentives ideas and activities.

Relaxing & carving
After arrival in Zurich from Brussels, the group of nine were quickly transferred by train to Lake Brienz, one of the two lakes of the Bernese Oberland known for its turquoise blue waters and mountain peaks capped with eternal snows. After a relaxing lunch at Restaurant Steinbock, the group were taken to Jobin, famously known as “the village of carving”, where the group carved, decorated and painted their wooden cows with traditional woodcarving tools at the Swiss Woodcarving Museum.

The next stop was the neighbouring Lake Thun, situated west of Interlaken. For their first night, the group checked into the airy and stylish Congress Hotel Seepark Thun, with picturesque views of the lake and mountain.

The second day kicked off with a transfer to the village of Grindelwald where the group built their igloos or snow sculptures against the beautiful scenery of imposing, snow-capped mountains. To further take in the sights and fresh mountain air, adventurous participants snowshoed their way one step after another to Restaurant Ischbodenhütte. While snowshoeing might look intimidating to laymen, the activity is available in different levels of difficulty so everyone can enjoy nature and being active.

Skating & bonding
The group then headed back to Interlaken where they checked into the elegant Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, suitable for events for up to 500 people. It was followed by a visit to the newest attraction in Interlaken, Ice Magic, a new ice-skating ring in front of a unique mountain backdrop.

Afterwards, the group walked to the nearby Congress Centre Kursaal Interlaken for a culinary site inspection. The venue features a new auditorium with its innovative architecture and stylish, historic ambiance in the halls of the Kursaal with a total event area of 5,000 m2 and a capacity for over 1,500 people.

On the last day, participants got a good taste of James Bond awesomeness on their visit to the magnificent Mount Schilthorn. First they visited the Schilthorn, a panoramic restaurant at the altitude of 2,970m where the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” was filmed. The all-in-one venue is perfect for a summit meeting and ideally suitable for a variety of events with great views of the Bernese Alps. Bond fans shall not miss the summit’s new attraction “Bond World”, an interactive exhibition showing scenes from the movie, artifacts and an in-house cinema.

www.interlaken-congress.ch
www.jungfrauregion.ch
www.schilthorn.ch
www.myswitzerland.com/meetings