Dec. 10, 2024
By April, even the hardiest New Year's resolutions have crumbled to dust, and clients are ready to embrace festivals that celebrate Europe’s world-beating brewing, distilling and fermenting. Locations to die for, populations brimming with pride and glasses to raise – pilgrimages dressed up as incentive events.
Incentive events designed around the three festivals take in some of Europe's finest rural and urban destinations.
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival – April
With 51 distilleries in the Speyside region, the Whiskey Festival is something of a pilgrimage for Whiskey lovers. The festival is a sum of its parts with over 500 separate events taking place over a week from the end of April into May. There is even the chance to go to Whiskey School and spend 3 days getting deeper insights into this celebrated tipple.
Incentive events organised around the Speyside Whiskey Festival include regional dining to complement the drink, activities amongst the superb nature of the area and social events with local music and customs.
As an alternative, the Limoncello Festival takes place each May in the celebrated town of Monterosso in the Cinque Terre. This wonderful location is amongst Instagram’s most hashtagged scenery.
Bordeaux wine - festival June
There are endless reasons to visit this urban utopia in the southwest of France, but few times are more perfect than during the Bordeaux Wine Festival – a celebration of the world-famous wine, on the waterfront of central Bordeaux.
There are bands playing, yachts moored and firework displays to accompany the delightful stands where wine professionals are on hand to share their delights.
Incentive event programmes include time at the festival plus the chance to visit the wine region, dine on sublime seafood during a tour of Arcachon Bay, or surf some of the finest waves in Europe on the Atlantic coast.
La Dolce Vita can't be better illustrated than with a wine festival in Tuscany. Each September the Chianti Classico Wine Festival welcomes visitors for wine, food and concerts. Tuscany is the stuff of fairytales and incentive trips can include trips or stays on the magical coast.
Oktoberfest - September
One of the world’s greatest celebrations of alcohol. Oktoberfest (or the Munich Beer Festival to the Anglo-Saxon world) attracts over 7m visitors, all there to pay homage to this world-leading region of beers. A place for serious business as well, it is entirely customary for executives to take their teams and clients to private beer tents for a night of celebration.
For those really wanting to test their immune systems, Bruges hosts its beer festival in the middle of September, just days before the action starts in Munich. Bruges has a remarkable beer tradition and a few days in Bruges are offers the chance some serious calorific indulgence.
Take the plunge in Austria
For beer lovers not wanting to be shackled by dates, Imst in the Austrian Tirol offers beer baths in one of its premiere breweries. Beer is reckoned to be beneficial to the skin, and the large baths can accommodate private groups to float in the warm, frothy delicacy.
