LS Consulting

Next to the political events that have occurred in recent months in some countries of the Maghreb and Middle East, the impact on tourism has been considerable!

Within weeks, Egypt and Tunisia have lost over 80% of their income from tourism. In Egypt, three quarters of the vessels in Upper Egypt remain in port, the hotels have experienced a drop in the same proportions. The Egyptian Destination Management Companies had to lay off half of their staff. Although the situation appears to be stabilizing, it is undeniable that, once again, Egypt will keep in mind 2011!

Fortunately, consumers’ memory tend to fade quickly and Egyptian providers hope to recover in 2012.

Regarding Tunisia, the situation is substantially different. Closer to Northern Europe, Tunisia is a lowcost destination highly dependent on tour operators. If the political situation stabilizes, we can expect a quicker return to growth at the fall of 2011. The new Minister of Tourism of Tunisia, recently interviewed by French radios, seemed relatively optimistic.

Morocco, next the attack in Marrakech, lost nearly all of its reservations in a few days. Moreover, Marrakech was already over-capacity regarding demand, with significant investments in building high-end hotels and the opening of large international hotel chains. The occupancy rate of 4 and 5 stars hotels did not exceed 40% in 2010. The opening of these new hotels in the coming months will certainly not improve the situation. The year 2011 will be a very difficult year for Morocco in general and Marrakech in particular. Last year I wrote a note to the Moroccan authorities about the development of business tourism in Marrakech. This document is available upon request by e-mail: [email protected].

I bet that the situation will improve. These serious political crises in Muslim countries are behind us and all these countries will recover a political stability and a strong rebound in tourism, of which their economy is totally dependent.

LS Consulting has been charged with the organisation of a business trip for a large company, from the 13th to the 17th of June 2011. Istanbul, the mythical capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, has been chosen. For this trip, we have opted for a mix of private visits of the most beautiful sites and monuments, dinners in the best restaurants, but also conversations with charismatic personalities. This original format meets a great success: our customers are now expecting greater authenticity.

Program

• Visit of  Hagia Sophia
• Private tour of the Basilica Cistern with private show of whirling dervishes
•  Dinner at Karakol (Tokapi Palace)
• Visit of the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque, meeting with the “Imam”
• Lunch at the Green House (Ye he Ev)
• Visit of the Topkapi Palace
• Visit of the Egyptian Bazaar
• Private tour of the Chora Church
• Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
• Lunch at Zeyrekhane
• Cruise on the Bosphorus
• Walking tour of Pera
• Cocktails and dinner at the Ulus 29

Eventives, a division of Creative Spirit and LS Consulting, organized last week a seminar of an exceptional quality in Barcelona for 50 alumni of the “Harvard Business School”.

Professor Dick Vietor made a remarkable presentation on the U.S. economy and the economic crisis Greek.

Three studious days, some visits of the capital of Catalonia and dining experiences made this a memorable event that will certainly be repeated in the next few years.

For more than two years, I have had some real pleasure to help my clients and friends in the organization of their professional and individual travels.

After many successes in 2010 and beginning of 2011 (cruise along the Amalfitan coast, cruise on the Nile, vacations in the Maldives and in Mauritius, seminar in Istanbul, musical program in Vienna, discovery travels in South Africa and on the American west coast), I am now working on some exciting projects for original programs in Burma, Cambodgia, Vietnam and Mongolia.

I remain at your entire disposal to help you in creating some exciting future projects: [email protected] or +33 (0)607 326 216.

I have been involved lately in the promotion of two spectacular properties in the south of France:

• The Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, one of the best resort in the world, located on the Cap d’Antibes.
•  The Chateau St Martin & Spa, member of the Relais & Chateaux, located on the hill above Vence.

Both hotels are owned by the Oetker Collection group (Hotel Le Bristol Paris, Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa).

What we are looking for is to optimize the shoulder or low seasons in the  future, specially during the months of April, May, June, September and October.

Those two hotels, fully renovated, will also be willing to privatize their properties before the opening (March, early April) and after the closing (end of October, November) with extremely attractive rates.

Should you have an opportunity for a meeting, product launch or an incentive program, please contact me at the following email address : [email protected]

Should you wish, we would be pleased to send you  a presentation of both resorts.

Hotel du Cap Eden Roc

Chateau Saint Martin

Finally some good news!

Cannes has been chosen to host the G20 in November 2011 and Deauville to host the G8.

Rumors let us think that Bordeaux might welcome the G20, which might seem particularly alarming given the weak hosting capacity of the hotels.

Cannes was the ideal candidate, with many assets:

• Cannes has hosted several major summits in the past,
• The hosting capacity in medium and high range hotels,
• An ideal configuration and a small size, making security easily manageable.

A good and wise decision!

The Harvard Business School 1st International AMP177 Reunion is taking shape. The registration website is now online. Have a look to : http://events-creativespirit.eu/hbs/ . And the invitation to registrer to the event. Great website and great organization!

Dear AMP177 classmates,
Greetings.  It has been a year since we completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.  The program provided a unique opportunity for each one of us to break-away from our busy personal and professional lives to fully be immersed in a world-class executive program with access to global leaders in business and academia.  Significantly, it was an occasion to create lasting personal and professional relationships with peers from around the globe.
As you have seen in the quarterly updates kindly prepared and delivered by Michael Fieldhouse, many of our classmates have gotten together in smaller groups over the past year on a number of occasions including drinks and dinner, the World Cup in South Africa, and a three-day weekend in the south of France at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc.  From the pictures alone, you can tell a great time was had by all at each gathering.
We now have the opportunity to gather as an entire class and build upon the relationships we established at Harvard.  We are pleased to invite you and your loved ones to the 1st International AMP177 Reunion at the Hotel ARTS in Barcelona, Spain from April 28 through May 1, 2011.
We have developed an incredible program encompassing various activities ranging from a case study discussion and a lecture, a debate on business and world affairs, to leisurely activities throughout the weekend.  Regarding the case study and lecture, we will have the one and only Professor Dick Vietor as our honored guest.  Group meetings will be organized to allow the class to reconnect and share re-entry stories and business presentations and discussions will be led by several of our classmates.
Upon to your arrival on Thursday evening, a welcome reception at the Hotel ARTS will be waiting you and your loved ones.  On Saturday evening at the Cavas Cordoniu, an amazing gala dinner with local entertainment has been organized.  In addition, we have also scheduled optional leisurely activities, including a tour around Barcelona, museums and cathedrals, and a shopping tour, with a professional shopper services.
This will be truly an unforgettable weekend with memories to last for years to come!!
In order to assist you with your planning, we created a dedicated website (http://events-creativespirit.eu/hbs) which provides reunion details, including specifics on Barcelona, the hotel, local restaurants, the program agenda and optional leisurely activities.  The website has also been enabled to allow on-line registration for the reunion itself as well as the leisurely activities.   In addition, we have engaged Mansour Travel to assist with flights arrangements.  We hope that you will find the website informative and user friendly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or Lenny Spangberg, our event director.
Please note that we have negotiated special room rates at the Hotel ARTS that extend just before and after the reunion weekend for those intending to arrive early or stay later.
We truly hope you all will attend and kindly request that you submit the reunion registration form and the associated deposit no later than December 15th.   An earlier response would be greatly appreciated, helping us with further planning.

Personal souvenirs…

You are planning an incentive travel? Feel free to contact me: [email protected] or +33(0) 607 326 216.

A memorable incentive travel…

A dear friend charged me with the organization of a cruise on the Nile cruise ending with a night at the famous and legendary Winter Palace in Luxor.

32 persons participated in this unique travel: Private sound and light at Philae and Carnac, special opening of tombs of kings and queens usually closed to the public, cruise aboard the Alexander the Great, one of finest vessels on the Nile, ballooning over the Valley of the Kings and Queens, lunch on 4 felucca sailing on the river…

A top-notch speaker Egyptologist captivated during these five days everyone’s interest.

Perfect organization thanks to the effectiveness of a friend of 35 years: Elamy Al Zayat, who owns the agency Emeco, the best agency in Egypt.

A successful trip, wherever it is, depends on the quality of providers who will open the doors at the right time thanks to their privileged relationship with the relevant authorities.

I was fortunate during these past 35 years to build unbreakable bonds with real friends who have proven over time their efficiency and expertise.

A event consultant, I have the big pleasure to organize weddings. A wedding is not a classical event. Of course we have to make a dream come true, the stress of the planning, the unexpected that inevitably happens… But, amongst all that makes an event, we have the responsibility to organize what has to become “the most beautiful day of your life”.

This time again, we have succeeded. Here are a few testimonials after a wedding I, and my team, organized this summer:

“Merci, Lenny, grâce à toi, nous avons pu offrir aux gens que nous aimons la plus belle soirée de leur vie le 24 Juillet  2010. Elle restera gravée à jamais dans nos souvenirs!
Merci encore mille fois!”

“Bonjour Lenny,
Je tenais à t’écrire ce mail afin de te dire à quel point le mariage de P. et T. avait été réussi.
C’était grandiose! Tout était parfait et Dieu sait si j’ai vu des événements et assisté à des fêtes diverses et variées…
Ce mariage restera inoubliable !
Encore félicitations, bravo !!!
Bien amicalement”

Just contact me to organize your wedding, it makes me happy too!