Spring M&I Forum Disneyland 2017
Read all about Ceyda's first forum at the M&I Disneyland Paris in our latest blog...
'Three months into working at Bell Events, I was lucky enough to have been given the chance to go to Disneyland Paris for my first M&I forum on 28th March - I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of it!
Just a short flight from Manchester to Charles De Gaulle Airport followed by a 35 minute transfer we arrived at the infamous Disneyland Paris. After checking in to Disney’s Newport Bay Club Hotel, we had plenty of time to get settled into our rooms and a chance to explore Disneyland Paris before our evening started with a transfer to Vienna House Magic Circus. We had an impressive welcome with a red carpet, a jazz band, fireworks and of course, a glass of champagne! Once inside, we made our way to the buffet where there was a selection of food, along with my new favourite dessert...macaroons!! The circus entertainment soon began - the first performer was famously known for her pole dancing performances all over the world in locations such as Vegas - she was amazing!! Followed by a hula hoop performer and a solo dancer! It was such a great start to the M&I forum with lots of buyers and suppliers enjoying themselves on the dance floor, before heading back to the hotel for a well needed sleep ready for a full morning of meetings.
My first day consisted of 13 meetings with hotels from Scandinavia, Amsterdam and Czech Republic to name a few. Each meeting was 16 minutes long giving us plenty of time to get an insight into the hotels and destinations and to share with them what we do here at Bell Events, the morning flew by!
After the meetings had finished we had the afternoon to take part in a range of activities including VIP guides, treasure hunts and guided tours, these can all be used for team building/afternoon activities for an incentive or maybe even after a morning meeting! I chose the guided tour around the Disneyland Park - learning about the secrets behind the magic and what inspired Walt Disney to open the very first park in California in 1955, I found this really interesting as I have not been to Disneyland before. It was very tiring after a lot of walking but was definitely worth it, we finished the tour off by watching the Disney Magic Parade, which has to be the best part for me!
Later that evening we made our way to the Walt Disney Studios for our final gala dinner, this was closed to the public and open exclusively for us so felt very special!! We were greeted by a line of staff down a long red carpet who were dressed up in old Hollywood style ‘Bell boy’ costumes which was a great welcome! We were also given exclusive access to the Tower of Terror and Ratatouille rides for an hour before going into the studio to enjoy a delicious 3 course meal and awards ceremony for the best buyers and suppliers! Each park and each individual ride can be privatised for a group in the evenings, this offers something different for a gala dinner and is guaranteed to make your event a memorable one!
On the last day we had another full morning of meetings with hotels from Dubai, Lisbon, Greece, Iceland and many more. There was plenty of time to have some lunch and a look in the hotel gift shop before leaving on our transfer to Charles De Gaulle airport.
Overall I would say Disneyland is a great destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and even exhibitions! With so many activities to do, including excursions out into the city of Paris (which is approx. 40 minutes drive away) as well as VIP tours around the parks. They also have a wide selection of meeting spaces in both Newport Bay and Disney’s New York Hotel Convention Centre along with the purpose built Disney Event Arena that can seat 4,000 people in theatre style! My experience of Disneyland M&I forum has been very useful and a great way to gain knowledge about destinations and new hotels, I definitely look forward to the next one!!'
