North by northwest


Seattle is a thriving business and cultural hub ringed by


spectacular scenery. No wonder airlines are eager to fly there By PAUL REVEL


its cashierless ‘grab’n’go’ grocery store – also in Seattle – where customers simply fill their shopping bags from the shelves and the items are automatically charged to their Amazon accounts. In July this year, the company passed a milestone US$500 billion valuation, making it a member of an exclusive club of four mega-corporations. Another member is Microsoft – headquartered just a dozen miles from Amazon in the Seattle metropolitan area of Redmond. And speaking of Microsoft, cofounder and local boy Paul Allen is a big presence in this town, his influence vividly marked by the spectacular Frank Gehry- designed Museum of Pop Culture (Mopop). Allen established the museum and its priceless guitar collection, ‘Sound Lab’ rehearsal spaces and live music programmes reflect his love of rock’n’roll. With its





eclectic, interactive exhibitions – currently featuring David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Henson and Star Trek – Mopop also serves as a distinctive and memorable MICE venue. Senior event sales manager Janelle Doig says the hands-on aspect of the exhibitions is able to engage all demographics and creates a fun atmosphere conducive to


Mopop: a distinctive MICE venue


destination, driven by corporate expansion in the area.


 


networking. “Mopop has the ability to take a creative approach to corporate events, by incorporating unique entertainment – from headliner bands to aerialists pouring champagne,” she says. Doig says Mopop, which can host up to 3,000 delegates, is seeing an increase in requests for larger capacity events as the city becomes an increasingly popular business


Mike Leeson is general manager of Event Travel Management, the MICE division of CTM, which has an office in Seattle. He agrees that business is “booming” in Seattle and says an influx of major tech companies,


including Facebook, “has driven further growth in the technology sector in the area, as more organisations are able to recruit hi-tech talent.


“The growth in businesses in the area generally – tech or otherwise – has increased demand for corporate events, including sales kick-offs, training sessions and user conferences,” he says.


 


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158