car has become a collector’s item, and as we rumbled around Berlin in an excur- sion organized by TrabiSafari, we were as much tourist attraction as tourists. That afternoon, we traveled by bus
to Potsdam, whose palaces and gar- dens — including Sanssouci, Frederick the Great’s summer palace — are on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list. In the summer of 1945, the Cecilienhof Palace hosted the Potsdam Conference, where the Allied Powers divided Ger- many and the city of Berlin into four zones. The city’s charm and natural beauty — it sits on the River Havel, 15 miles from Berlin — make it a popular meeting place today. We stopped for lunch and a tour at
Kongresshotel Potsdam, which sits on the shores of Lake Templiner, on the forested grounds where Count Zep- pelin built his namesake airship. The architecture of the airy, 485-room
hotel pays homage to the Zeppelin, seeming to sail toward the lake. A con- ference hall and 45 meeting rooms are built on what formerly were produc- tion and maintenance plant areas for the airships. We spent our last evening at Estrel
Berlin, Germany’s largest hotel and conference center, with 1,125 rooms, more than 161,000 square feet of meet- ing space, a waterfront beer garden, and its own Las Vegas–style “Stars in Con- cert” dinner and show. A large scientific conference was getting under way as we arrived, yet the venue still felt roomy. Candlelight — and some of the warm- est hospitality of our trip — made our farewell dinner inside a soaring glass atrium with five restaurants and bars feel cozy.
. — Barbara Palmer For more information: gcb.de TIPSTER
Cocktail Chatter An expert mixologist on creating a signature drink for your next event.
Simple In designing any drink, I focus on simplicity and elegance. Simplicity means choosing no more than five ingredients that deliver a balanced yet complex cocktail. Elegance reminds me to introduce the guest to a cocktail that is delicious and refreshing, one that delivers flavor and not punch.
Colorful If the decorations have a special color theme, including that color in the drink can be an excellent choice. However, be careful that the ingredient delivering the color does not overpower the cocktail. It is more important to have a balanced drink than a drink that matches the tablecloths.
Seasonal Most importantly, the time of year and location get top billing. I like to include fresh ingredients whenever possible. Fresh-berry purees inspire bridal-shower cosmopolitans, cilantro delivers surprising spice to summer cocktails, and a pineapple-jalapeño margarita is perfect for adventurous guests who like their drinks with a little heat.
Lucy Brennan is the owner of Mint bistro and 820 lounge (mintand820.com) in Portland, Ore., and the author of Hip Sips: Modern Cocktails to Raise Your Spirits.
IMEX Turns 10 IMEX, the global exhibition for meetings and events, held May 22–24 at Messe Frankfurt, celebrated its tenth anniversary with a record-breaking 64,000 booked appointments by hosted buyers. Initial attendance figures, IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom said, indicate that “just under” 4,000 hosted buyers attended the show.
In addition to a gala dinner, the exhibition’s anniversary was marked by a “Celebration Hour,” as many of the show’s exhibitors, who came from more than 150 countries, hosted simultaneous parties on the show’s second day.
The educational program also set records. Over three days, IMEX presented 140 separate seminars, workshops, and informal short- session “campfires” — the most in the event’s history.