Flexibility is vital – groups can mix and match first class journeys on both Virgin Trains and Eurostar. “We have already taken a booking and we haven’t even launched yet, so there is clearly a market for this,” says Nankivell. “We are excited about it and it’s great to have a collaboration with another rail company that’s like-minded.”


Architect Simpson Haugh is taking a group of 100 people from Manchester to Antwerp travelling on Virgin Trains and Eurostar to celebrate the completion of its project to renovate the Queen Elisabeth Hall in the Belgian city. “It is a good deal,” says operations manager Tania Devlin. “We are going on an architectural field trip to look around the hall, attend a concert and see the city. There will be 97 of us and we will be having two carriages for exclusive use, which is definitely a treat.


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“We have a dedicated person from Manchester to Brussels and they will be pre-boarding us, which will be great because previously we got issued with one ticket for the group. Making sure everybody went through the barriers together to find their seats was quite a challenge,” she says.


NEXT STOP... For something more exotic, some organisations have looked beyond the UK and Europe when it comes to rail- orientated incentives, with South Africa proving to be a popular option. BI Worldwide took a group of 46 employees of an automotive finance company on a chartered trip on South Africa’s Rovos Rail to Pilanesberg National Park. A string ensemble played swing classics to set the scene and staff handed out drinks and canapes before the steam locomotive took the group into the bush.


Africa has also struck the right note for


BCD’s meetings and events division Live!. It has worked with Green Route to create itineraries on South Africa’s Blue Train and the Royal Livingstone Express in Zambia. “Luxurious surroundings, fantastic


food and beverage, and the chance to daydream looking out of the window is a winning combination,” says Alex James, Live!’s senior director, sales and account management EMEA. For luxury closer to home, those booking Belmond Royal Scotsman can choose a planned itinerary or a bespoke route, departing from Edinburgh. At first glance, holding an incentive trip on a train may not seem like the most obvious choice of venue, but exclusive carriages with VIP treatment, coupled with activities, can add colour to an event. It would certainly give a group a memorable experience on the way to an event, too.


2018 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 135


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