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Written by MA
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Your Meeting. Our spirit.
The elegant Badrutt's Palace Hotel is situated over 1800 meters above sea level in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Set amid breathtaking unspoiled scenery, beneath a stunning mountainous backdrop. It overlooks the sparkling St. Moritz Lake, which provides a stage for many highlight events, such as Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow, White Turf horse racing and ice cricket on the frozen lake in winter, or sailing regattas in summer. This luxury hotel is in a class of its own and an oasis of calm and harmony offering its guests first-class service. Without doubt, the hotel is a perfect place for meetings and incentives in the heart of the Engadine valley. Badrutt’s Palace Hotel is a celebration of style, sports, cuisine and fashion, with excellent and discreet service, high quality cuisine and traditional elegance evoking an atmosphere of pampered luxury for all.
 Madonna Room Over 110 years old, the hotel was built in 1896. Today it is still privately owned by the Badrutt family who are renowned in the valley as pioneers. They are credited with launching the area as a winter destination. The unique Badrutt’s spirit is essential to the allure and operation of the hotel today. The illustrious history, deep-rooted tradition and excellent service are what keep the Badrutt’s spirit and passion alive and keeps the guests returning for this unforgettable and luxurious experience. The five star deluxe hotel boasts 159 individually decorated guest rooms including 47 suites, as well as seven restaurants, four bars and 8 meeting rooms. All rooms have breathtaking view of Lake St. Moritz or the Swiss Alps. The hotel offers its own Event Department who take care of every detail for your event from start to finish. It is possible to take over the entire hotel during specific periods for an event or to arrange smaller meetings or incentive programs. Conference and banquet rooms provide space for anything from small groups of 10 in the Bergeller Stübli up to 380 delegates theatre-style in the Embassy Ballroom. Meeting services include in-house florists, decorators and technicians, security guards, tours and site inspections, guest relations, local DMC and a free of charge business centre. Thanks to a rich offer of alpine summer activities, the hotel is an ideal destination during the summer months. Experienced local guides oversee group activities and sports including bike tours, water sports, hiking, paragliding, canyoning, glacier adventure, ice climbing, heli-fishing, mountain tours, Tyrolienne, canoe tours, mini olympics and much more in the stunning Alpine scenery surrounding St. Moritz. The ‘living room of St. Moritz’ is what the press calls the majestic lobby ‘Le Grand Hall’, which represents the heart of the hotel. It offers a fine view from the large window overlooking the lake making it the perfect spot for a welcome cocktail or break-out.  Hotel exterior Not forgetting the free time between meetings, St. Moritz offers some of the world’s top designer brands in boutiques which line the shortest luxury shopping mile in the world – Via Serlas – right in front of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel. The landmark property has long been a magnet for royalty, celebrities and the global elite. Recent guests have included Prince & Princess Michael of Kent, the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi, Claudia Schiffer and Faye Dunaway. Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and Alfred Hitchcock are just a handful of illustrious guest names from the past. It is easy to see why this legendary hotel has been awarded several accolades including 15 Gault Millau points for Le Restaurant, the annual Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Award for the 4th best European resort. Mr Hans Wiedemann, Managing Director, has also been awarded ‘Hotelier of the Year’ by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association. In addition it is a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World, Swiss Historic Hotels and Swiss Deluxe Hotels. All in all the elegant Badrutt’s Palace Hotel provides an excellent venue for Meeting & Incentive organisers. A memorable and special event within the beautiful Swiss Alps is guaranteed. www.badruttspalace.com
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Written by MA
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Executive Education – an asset
Executive Education – an asset
The Executive School of Management, Technology and Law of the University of St.Gallen (ES-HSG) has been the central point of contact for anyone interested in the HSG’s executive education programmes ever since October 2005 – not in competition with the HSG institutes’ executive education courses but in order to provide them with increased support and an improved market presence. The University of St.Gallen conceives of executive education as a core mission equivalent to (under)
graduate education and to research. The approach of Integrated Management, the St.Gallen Management Model, is the red thread that runs through the HSG’s executive education programmes andconstitutes their unique selling proposition.
Extensive range of programmes
Hardly any European business school has such an extensive range of executive education programmes as the HSG, whose portfolio runs from seminars, certificate, diploma and postgraduate courses to customised corporate programmes. Certificate courses consist of a minimum of 150 hours of attendance and cover management issues of considerable complexity. The HSG’s postgraduate courses take one to two years and are concluded with the award of an academic degree, as a rule an
MBA-HSG or an Executive MBA-HSG. In terms of subject matter, they are located in the field of General Management and enable participants to assume complex management and leadership tasks. The MBA-HSG is a one-year full-time course, whereas the Executive MBA-HSG is an 18-month part-time course. Unique learning atmosphere
One segment of the ES-HSG’s portfolio that is experiencing particularly strong growth is the customised corporate programmes, the so-called in-house programmes. Companies are increasingly turning to the HSG because they are looking for executive education programmes that are tailored to their own requirements. In this respect, the HSG’s competence with regard to subject matter is accompanied, in particular, by its ability to create a unique learning atmosphere. Customised corporate programmes
can be understood as genuine learning partnerships. Executive Campus HSG In late May 2008, the University of St.Gallen set yet another executive education milestone in the German-speaking region: it extended its Executive Education and Conference Centre by a seminar building and 54 business rooms for overnight accommodation. Thus the HSG is the first university in German-speaking Europe to have an integral campus reserved for executive education. Thanks to donations from private individuals and companies, the HSG Alumni Foundation was able to contribute CHF 14m towards the overall costs of CHF 25.6m. University of St.Gallen
Internationality, practical relevance and an integrative perspective have been the trademarks of education at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland ever since it was established more than a century ago. Today, the University of St.Gallen (HSG) educates more than 5,300 students in the fields of Business Administration, Economics,
Law and Social Sciences. The HSG has shown itself to be highly successful, having been consistently ranked among Europe's leading business universities (Financial Times - Ranking 2007: Ranked 1st in German-speaking Europe and ranked 25th out of the best business schools in Europe). Its holistic education, which meets the highest academic standards, has earned it the seal of approval of the EQUIS and AACSB accreditations. Academic
degrees can be obtained at the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Levels. In addition, the University of St.Gallen offers first-class and comprehensive courses in Executive Education. Thanks to an increasing number of programmes taught in English, the HSG has shown itself to be attractive to international students. The focal points of research at the University of St.Gallen are crystallized in its 30 institutes and research centres, which constitute an integral part of the University. The institutes, which are largely autonomous and mostly self-financing, still remain closely connected to university operations. www.unisg.ch
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Written by MA
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LAUSANNE, THE BUSINESS AND CONVENTION CITY Lausanne - a business city with superb quality of life infrastructures and services, as well as a host of tourist and cultural attractions. A multifaceted metropolis par excellence, replete with places that are great do business in – and are good for the body and soul, too. A city that’s strategically placed at the crossroads of Europe and that has its own robust identity and is a bastion of the classic Swiss values of reliability, stability and security.  Bel Air tower, Lausanne
The ideal strategic geographical location of Lausanne, in the heart of Europe and on the main North-South communication routes between the North Sea and the Mediterranean, explains why, from the beginning of the century, important meetings always took place here. The educational centres, the medical and research environment, the Olympic institutions, the sports federations, the cultural organisations and facilities, tourism and leisure are all subjects of the many professional meetings held. Here are some important congresses recently hosted in Lausanne: -EUROHAND - Congress of the FESSH (Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand), June 2008, 1000 participants
-Beaulieu Congress Center.
-Euroem 2008, European Electromagnetics, July 2008, EPFL, 500 pax.
-Eusipco, European Signal Processing Conference (European Society for Signal Processing) August 2008, Beaulieu Congress Center, 700 participants A major incentive destination
Lausanne, with its hotel facilities (60 hotels, 5'000 beds) and of course its quality environment on the shores of Lake Geneva, has also made its name in the very specific area of incentive travel. The entertainment (restaurants, attractions, excursions) provided are also decisive in the choice of an incentive destination. From winter sports to the joys of navigation, from extreme challenges to cultural offers, from dolce far niente to hyperactivity – the city has all of the amenities and resources you need to create Unforgettable experiences. From the small seminar to the big "turnkey" convention Beaulieu-Lausanne is a highly specialised convention and exhibition centre with all the facilities required for this type of event. Around splendid gardens, there are seminar and convention halls with a total seating capacity of 5’500, exhibition halls (50'500 m2), restaurants, a theatre, a cinema and an underground car park. The Convention and Exhibition Centre overlooks Lausanne while being at walking distance from the city centre. In a quiet green setting, with a view over the Alps and the old city, it offers ideal working conditions for congress delegates. It combines style and technology for both small and big events. With its airy, elegant architectural design flooded in daylight, Beaulieu offers your leading- edge facilities. Focusing on security, access to the Congress Centre and its halls can be fully monitored,
Lausanne Tourisme, a privileged partner
Lausanne Tourisme and Convention Bureau is a privately owned organisation and the city of Lausanne’s official tourist office. Hence, if an organiser is planning an event of any kind, whether it be an international congress, a seminar, an incentive or a get-together, the Convention Bureau is the first contact. Why? Because it is ideally positioned to help anyone make all or a part of the necessary arrangements for an event, which can include official manifestations or recreational activities adjusted to every circumstance.
www.lausanne.biz
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Written by MA
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The new glow of Europe Why Switzerland is still smiling. The Swiss banks might have taken a battering in the last few months, but this small but perfectly formed nation is still one of the world’s finest business assets. With a population of just 7.6 million – around the same as that of London before the rush hour – mountainous and landlocked Switzerland punches way above its weight in terms of influence.  Panoramic view of the Minster Cathedral The mighty banking institutions of UBS AG, Zurich Financial Services, Credit Suisse, and Swiss Re are still forces to be reckoned with despite their recent multibillion dollar losses. And Switzerland is ranked as having one of the most powerful economies in the world. Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations, the biggest of which are; Glencore, Nestlé, Novartis, Roche, ABB and Adecco. Liberal fiscal policies have enticed a clutch of international corporations like Hewlett Packard, General Motors, and Google into Switzerland – all of which have embedded themselves in Zurich’s bustling business landscape. Taxation is one of the smallest of developed countries. Switzerland is an easy place to do business. In fact, the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report currently ranks Switzerland's economy as the second most competitive in the world. An expansive commercial and bank law system makes Switzerland one of the most secure investment places in the world. The nation is a byword for its high standard of banking and financial services, and the Swiss franc is one of the world's soundest currencies. Despite resisting all urges to rescind its famous neutrality and join the EU, Switzerland is a member of a number of international economic organizations, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, being so closely linked to the economies of Western Europe and the United States, Switzerland’s economy has mirrored the slowdowns experienced by its trading partners. For example, around 60% of Swiss exports are destined for the EU market, with Germany mopping up over 20% of Swiss goods and services. In return, Germany exports more to Switzerland each year than to all the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe combined. Exports are of hugely important to the Swiss economy, since it earns roughly half of its corporate earnings from the manufacturing exports like: machinery, chemical products, and precision instruments. However, insurance and banking services still account for well over half of Switzerland's export revenues. Despite the recent headlines the outlook for the Swiss economy hardly makes for gloomy reading. The Economist notes that GDP growth hit its peak of 3.2% in 2006, falling to 3.1% in 2007, driven by exports and private consumption. This is expected to further drop to 1.9% this year, and 1.3% in 2009. Switzerland’s central bank, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is expected to keep official interest rates at or close to 3% over the forecast period to meet its target rates of inflation of 2.7% this year and 1.8% in 2009. The major cities of Zurich and Geneva have respectively been ranked as having the first and second highest quality of life in the world. Both are extremely well connected with Zurich airport acting as Switzerland's largest international flight gateway. Flights from here connect with 108 destinations and include 51 intercontinental flights. The crime rate is low and education standards are high, with 20 world-class universities, colleges and higher education facilities in Zurich alone. It’ll take more than a lousy credit crunch to wipe the smile from Switzerland’s face.
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Written by MA
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 The Olympic Games have long been used as a catalyst for urban planning and regeneration. You need look no further than London’s 2012 games for evidence of that. The event will give planners the perfect opportunity to wave a magic wand over great swathes of Stratford in the city’s East End, a region that’s been underachieving for the last century. Of course, with the Winter Olympics it’s a slightly different kettle of fish.
Sochi’s average winter temperature is just 6°C – practically a heat wave for most Muscovites  Running tracks and state of the art stadiums can be conjured once the budget is in place, but snow is a little more difficult to produce. All the more reason then that eyebrows should be raised last July, when the Russian seaside city of Sochi was chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. This Black Sea resort – a favourite of Dictator Josef Stalin – Sochi beat South Korea's Pyeongchang and the Alpine city of Salzburg in Austria to receive the honour.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was credited with helping Sochi's bid, after he personally addressed delegates at the presentation in Guatemala. Putin, a keen skier, qualified the decision by saying: "Winter sports are popular in Russia and our sportsmen have won many competitions and have made a big contribution to the Olympic movement.”
President Putin insists that the nearby Krasnaya Polyana Mountains will guarantee snow Sochi, Russia’s most ritzy beach resort, has a humid subtropical climate with winter temperatures rarely falling much below freezing. In fact, the average winter temperature is just 6°C – practically a heat wave for most Muscovites. However, the Western Caucasus that provide Sochi’s scenic backdrop are known for their high amount of snowfall. And President Putin insists that the nearby Krasnaya Polyana Mountains will guarantee snow.
“We have never won the honour to celebrate the Winter Olympic Games,” he said. “You know we can turn sports competitions into a really spectacular show and we are good at it.”
 Jean-Claude Killy, the former French champion skier headed the International Olympic Committee that visited Sochi. He admitted that hosting the games in what is essentially a beach resort might present something of an uphill struggle, but was upbeat about the task ahead: “It’s probably the most challenging Olympics ever, as far as what has to be built to deliver these Olympic Games. We have a lot of work to do together.”
Early estimates put the cost at 8 billion Euros - more than double the preparation costs of the three previous Winter Games combined. The Russian government are set to provide 5 billion euro, with the rest coming from private sources backing and the state-controlled energy giant Gazprom.
The Games will be held in two locations. In Sochi, authorities plan to build a 480-acre Olympic park that will include a village to house the athletes and six stadiums for indoor events and the opening and closing ceremonies. In the mountains, 27 miles away, another Olympic village is planned as well as facilities for skiing, luge and other winter sports events.
Getting people to and from the pistes will require 60 miles of new roads and rail as well as 37 miles of tunnels, according to Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin. But that’s not all. There are also the 440 miles of fibre-optic cable, a light-rail system, an expanded airport, two new power stations, 30,000 new hotel rooms, a new seaport and new sewage treatment plants.
Sochi, a city of 400,000 residents, is well known as a getaway to Russian elite and real estate has soared in advance of the expected construction boom. Apartments are already selling for 1,800 Euro per square metre and even Stalin’s former dacha, where the tyrannical former leader would visit each summer, is now a hotel where visitors can stay for up to €300 a night. Stalin still keeps a watchful eye over the paying guests from a portrait hanging in the dining room.
The organisers are hoping the new Russian President will keep similar tabs on the construction budget in Sochi. Krasnaya Polyana is Russia’s premier ski resort. President Putin comes here regularly to ski and several billionaire oligarchs have luxurious residences in the mountains. It’s being boasted as 'Russia's Courchevel', and by the time the 2014 Winter Olympics take place, the boast might just be a reality.
Right now, however, the reality is somewhat short of the ideal. The town, high in the Caucasus and two hours drive from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, has just four ski lifts and is mainly a ragged jumble of traditional wooden Caucus chalets joined by unpaved tracks, which are impassable during the winter - hardly ideal for a ski resort. Thankfully, the authorities are busy replacing these with 360 miles of brand new roads.
The skiing is an entirely different matter, this is arguably the best resort not just in Russia but the whole of Europe, and is fast becoming a legendary spot amongst professional skiers and snowboarders. The terrain and climate is perfectly suited for off-piste skiing. Above the town lies bowl after bowl of perfect, untouched powder. The region is devoid of glaciers, so there are no safety concerns regarding crevasses, and after 600m skiing down open powder fields you enter widely spaced virgin silver birch forests.
What’s even better is that good snow is almost guaranteed. Last season, when snow in the Alps was thin on the ground, Krasnaya's skiers were bounding through thigh-deep powder week after week. The only snag is you need a helicopter to get to it, and the price tag of 3,000 Euros for a week of heli-skiing is out of range for all but deep pocketed oligarchs.
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Written by Claire Quinn
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 As the global credit crunch filters its way up the economic ladder some of the wealthiest employees in Britain have been notified to tighten their belts. City financiers famous for their extravagant expense accounts finally have to err on the side of caution during lunch hour as the world's largest investment banks restrict their spending.
These latest rounds of cuts were initiated by Deutsche Bank’s chief executive Josef Ackermann in a memo issued to its staff around the world. The memo includes restrictions on first class travel, adult entertainment and an upper limit of £52 per person for lunch, unless prior permissions have been granted. The figure sits in stark contrast to £1,000-a-head set single meal introduced earlier this year by city restaurant Vivat Bacchus. The seven-course meal clearly aimed at the lucrative banking and business lunch includes royal Sevruga caviar and Japanese steak.
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Business Affairs 
