Checking out the Czech Republic

The Czech Tourist Board (CzechTourism) in the UK supported its national Convention Bureau and 20 supplier partners from the MICE industry to host a 24-hour retreat for event professionals at the end of last year. They selected the DeVere Horsley Estate & Horsley Towers, reflecting some of their own 'fairy tail' castle hotels and medieval cityscapes.

Event professionals had the chance to make and bake Czech sweet (and savoury) treats and delighted them with a wine tasting of four different Czech wines from their two wine regions: Bohemia and Moravia. Planners also had the opportunity to meet hotels, DMCs and regional CVB in a series of selected 1-2-1 meetings.

Why Czech Republic for your events?

Event Professionals discovered that Czech Republic, or Czechia, is a compact country. Centrally located in Europe with direct connections to all key European cities, and no VISA requirements for citizens from 89 countries with 58 air carries coming in from 150 destinations, not forgetting international rail links with Vienna, Berlin and Budapest.

Trips outside the capital, Prague, are simple via their excellent rail and road infrastructure, all within a couple of hours, offering participants the contrast of the bustling urban, yet picturesque cityscape, with abundant natural forests, national parks and smaller medieval cities and towns.

The capital, Prague, City of a Hundred Spires, is an ancient seat of learning, housing one of the world's oldest universities, and Czechia can list several notable academics and artists. It is also one of the greenest cities, literally green spaces make up one fifth of its area. Sustainable practices are evident from: environmentally friendly buildings, green roofs, and cycle depots for deliveries to tree planting schemes, and reviving open areas to encourage enjoyment of the outdoors, in addition to thinking and acting sustainably from their hotels to conference facilities.

Prague is home to many major companies and industries, including automotive, electronics, biotechnology, software development, and film production. Some major employers in Prague include Skoda Auto, Siemens, and Honeywell, the latter manufacturing & tech company has three locations across Czechia.

There are strong business reasons to meet either in the capital, or in their regional cities, such as Brno, Czechia's second city, and one of the largest cities in Europe. Nestled towards the southeast of the country Brno is the former capital city of Moravia a political and cultural hub and the centre of the Czech judiciary. Brno Exhibition Centre is among the larges in Europe. Once industrial, more recently light engineering, science, research and technology have taken over. After 2000, foreign technology companies began establishing their branches in Brno, and many Czech companies with local or global reach were also founded in Brno.

Brno offers historic charm, with a number of medieval sights, and is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and designated "City of Music". With many festivals from theatre to film, Brno also hosts an international firework competition every June and, in September, the wine festival Slavnosti vína. In addition to a long history of motor sport Brno is also the transnational railway bub for the country, linking Vienna and the rest of Europe for those seeking more sustainable travel.

But hang on. There's MORE!

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