M&I Cannes!

Last month Becca had the opportunity to go on her first M&I Forum hosted at the newly refurbished Hotel Martinez in Cannes, continue reading to hear about Becca’s experience…

‘After a bumpy flight into Cannes I made my way to the hotel and checked into my room, only to discover I had been allocated a beautiful Junior Suite with amazing views of the beachfront and sea!! The Hotel Martinez has a total of 409 bedrooms and offers the second largest conference facilities in Cannes, accommodating 700 people in theatre in the Palmier Suite! The hotel is very impressive having been built in 1929 and after it’s refurbishment now puts a modern twist on the 1920’s theme!

That evening we had our first networking event, which took place at Annex Beach. Although the weather was not in our favour, the venue itself was lovely as it was located on the beach. It gave me the opportunity to network with lots of suppliers and event industry colleagues!

The next day I woke up bright and early for my meetings excited to learn about lots of venues! My meetings were a mixture of hotels, resorts and DMC’s. I had the chance to learn about La Perle, a permanent aqua themed stunt show filled with special effects located at Hilton Al Habtoor City, Dubai. I also learnt about the MGallery in Molitor, popular for it’s avant-garde ambiance and swimming pool located at the heart of the hotel. It was fascinating seeing the old black and white photographs of the hotel and pool in 1989. After a total of 13 meetings were complete we went to change before our activities began!

Due to the bad weather my activity of a boat trip to Honorat Island was unfortunately cancelled, so we instead began our walking tour of Cannes seat front ending at the iconic Palais des Festivals! It was really nice exploring Cannes, we even stopped to play a game of bowls taught to us by a group of elderly Frenchmen! - I don’t think I won!!

Later that evening I attended the final networking evening at the infamous Baoli! The restaurant and nightclub had been transformed for the evening with the M&I Forum logo projected onto the entrance. The evening went by very quickly filled with delicious canapés and champagne. It was a great atmosphere for networking and celebrating my final night in Cannes!

The following day I had my final 14 meetings. Two of the hotels which stood out the most were the eclectic hotel, Grand Hotel Palace Rome located in Rome which is filled with character and charm, perfect for those wanting a more personal and intimate feel to their events! The second was the Le Mirador Resort & Spa which offers breathtaking views of Lake Leman and the Swiss Alps and has a Givenchy Spa! This hotel has 11 meeting rooms in total with the largest accommodating 150 people in theatre perfect for small conferences!

After the meetings it was time for me to depart for the airport and return home!

I had a lovely time in Cannes overall! It was great to meet with so many hotels and venues whilst experiencing such an iconic location and it was amazing to see the Palais des Festivals in real life! I’d absolutely love to visit again next summer!

In the meantime I’m looking forward to being able to recommend to our clients the new properties I discovered during my time at the M&I’