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Editors Message . . .

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers first powered flight. Their plane, the Kitty Hawk took flight one hundred years ago, on December 17, 1903. We have come a long way and it makes you wonder where we will be one hundred years from now. Two more aviation notes: Finnair is celebrating it 80th birthday. The airline was founded in 1923 and made its first flight from Helsinki to Tallinn in 1924. Lastly, Virgin Atlantic announced it will fly to from London to Australia via Hong Kong in the summer, pending final approval of the European Commission. Virgin expects to eventually fly the A-380 Super Jumbo aircraft on the route. Wonder what Wilbur and Orville Wright would think of that?

Until Next Time . . .
Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays and a Peace-Filled World.
Best, Helena
Helena Faith Miel, CITE
E-mail: editor@i-mi.com

In This Issue . . .

• Starwood Warsaw - A New Take For Programs In Europe
• Maritim Conference Hotel Berlin Coming In 2005
• Dubai WTC Wins Top Honors
• ArabellaSheraton Cape Town Officially Opens With 5-Star Rating
• EIBTM Associations Make A Better World Awards
• Two Prestigious Accolades For Fortes Hotel De Russie

  In The Air

• Qatar Airways Adding Routes
• Emirates Flies To Glasgow
• Austrian Increases Asia Pacific Routes 25%

InterContinental Malta Is The Ultimate Meeting Place

InterContinental Malta, located in the cosmopolitan area of St. Julians, redefines the meaning of elegance, hospitality and service. It is contemporary in design with a modern ambience. The hotel has 451 guest rooms of different categories set around 4,000 sqm/43,060 sqft of mature gardens. Each room has a private balcony and features a separate shower. The international traveler will appreciate the international electrical and fax/modem console. A fully equipped Business Centre, staffed by multilingual personnel, and wireless Internet connection hotspots are also available. InterContinental Malta is a premier venue for meetings and conferences of any size. 18 separate function rooms, with capacities up to 770 delegates, are complimented with a comprehensive range of built-in audiovisual capabilities. Special Group Offer: For all bookings until 31st March 2004, subject to availability   Single Room Euro 99 / Double Euro 143 inclusive of full buffet breakfast Please contact: Christine Bartolo Parnis Conference Services Sales Director Tel: +356 2376 5767 Email: christine@intercontinental.com.mt Website: www.malta.intercontinental.com

If you are planning a program in Europe, why not consider Poland. Warsaw, birthplace of Chopin, is filled with history, museums, palaces, art and culture. Old Town Warsaw, rebuilt from the destruction of WWII, is a UNESCO listed area. Starwoods two properties the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel & Towers and the recently opened The Westin Warsaw offer a range of pricing and amenities from which to choose. The Sheraton Warsaw Hotels & Towers is situated on the historic Plac Trzech Krzyzy (Three Cross Square), close to the Polish Parliament, the diplomatic district, Lazienki Park, and cafés and bars. Meeting and event facilities at this property comprise 16 meeting and function rooms accommodating from 10 to 650 delegates. The Grand Ballroom is 500 square meters (5,383 sqft) with a 4.3-meter (14ft) high ceiling and is divisible and soundproof. The meeting and event rooms have natural light and complete A/V and production services. The Sheraton Catering Service is available to cater off property events such as dinner in a palace or lunch in is Kampinos National Park. The recently opened Westin Warsaw is located in the heart of the citys central business district. Guest rooms at the 361-room, 20-story property are equipped with Westins Heavenly Bed, data ports, bathrobes, in-room safes, nightly turndown service, separate bath and shower stalls, speaker telephones, and work desks. Meeting & Event Facilities include 12 meeting rooms, accommodating from 20 to 560 attendees. A dedicated Convention Services Staff oversees the facilities, which include complete A/Visual and production services.
Web site: http://www.starwood.com

Maritim Conference Hotel Berlin Coming in 2005

A new Maritim Conference Hotel large enough to accommodat 5000 delegates and simultaneously host two major events will open in Berlin in the summer of 2005. The new 4-Star property will have 505 guest rooms. Meeting and conference facilities will comprise a large ballroom accommodating 2600 attendees, a smaller ballroom accommodating 1250 attendees, and a conference area with more 12 function rooms with mobile partition walls for flexibility and accommodating up to 1000 attendees.  The Maritim Conference Hotel will be located in the Tiergarten area of Berlin within easy walking distance to the Philharmonie, the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Potsdamer Platz with its Underground and S-Bahn stations. The existing Maritim proArte Hotel in Berlin has conference facilities for over 1,500 attendees.
Web site: http://www.maritim.de

Dubai WTC Wins Top Honors

The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) was named Best Conference Centre in the Middle East at the World Travel Awards held at World Travel Mart in London last month. The Dubai World Trade Centre Complex includes the Tower, the Exhibition Centre, the Dubai International Conference Centre (DICC), and the Catering Centre. Accommodations at the DWTC Complex include the 412-room Novotel World Trade Centre, the 210-room Ibis World Trade Centre Hotel and the Dubai International Hotel Apartments. Gross exhibition space at the DWTC is approximately 42,000 square meters. Twenty-two breakout and function rooms accommodate from 37 to 2,094 attendees. The DICCs main auditorium accommodates 6,000 attendees and includes 16 additional breakout rooms. The DICC is linked to the Exhibition Centre through Exhibition Hall 8.
Web site: http://www.dwtc.com

The ArabellaSheraton Grand Hotel in Cape Town celebrated its official opening a few days ago with a party that looked more like the Oscars rather than a hotel opening. The guest list was a Whos Who of top local and international celebrities, many of which were in town to perform at the 46664 Concert, a benefit to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Artists such as Annie Lennox, Beyoncé, Bono & the Edge, Anastacia, Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens), Paul Oakenfold, The Corrs, Eurythmics, Queen, and Peter Gabriel attended the festivities.The ArabellaSheraton Grand Hotel received the maximum 5-Star grading from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, the countrys official hospitality industry grader. The Tourism Grading Council is an independent, customer driven, internationally recognized program that relies heavily on the customers impressions of a hotel. Service is levels are paramount in the grading system. Richard Lander, general manager of the ArabellaSheraton Grand Hotel in Cape Town, said this five star grading not only recognizes the hotels excellent facilities and amenities such as the AltiraSPA and innovative e-butler concept, but it is also a commendation to the hotels staff.
Web site: http://www.sheraton.com

WELCOME TO BARCELONA

Le Meridien Barcelona with 212 rooms and suites, is a modern and elegant hotel in the heart of the city, right on the famous avenue Las Ramblas.Our 4,554 sqft/423 sqm conference room, dividable into 7 sections, is located on the first floor with natural daylight and overlooking Las Ramblas offering capacities for up 120 persons theatre setting and 350 for cocktails.We are your perfect partner for a meeting in an outstanding location with a unique level of service. SPECIAL WINTER GROUPS OFFER: Valid: November 15, 2003 to February 29, 2004 Bookings are subject to availability. 185 EUR per double room/per night (single or double use), including buffet breakfast Please contact: Director of Sales and Marketing: Ms. Jeannine Perie Tel: +34 93 316 4605 Fax: +34 93 301 7776 Email: jeannine.perie@lemeridien.com Website: http://www.meridienbarcelona.com/ang/default.htm

EIBTM is the exclusive sponsor for The American Society of Association Ex ecutives (ASAE) global initiative, Associations Make A Better World 2003 Awards Program. The program acknowledges associations that make significant global socio-economic contributions through their program. The 2003 awards program acknowledges global association work in three categories: Economic Achievement, Social Achievement, and Advocacy/Policy Achievement.
Membership-based non-profit associations worldwide are eligible to enter programs that have taken place between July 2002 and October 2003 in this competition. Programs entered will be judged on the level of significant impact achieved, innovation and involvement of members, volunteers and the public. Programs that cross national borders are especially encouraged to enter. More details and the online entry form for the 2003 Associations Make A Better World Awards Program can be found on the ASAE web site.
ASAE Web site:  http://www.asaenet.org/betterworld/awards
EIBTM Web site: http://www.eibtm.com

Rocco Fortes Hotel de Russie in Rome received two prestigious industry awards: Best Hotel in Europe from the Prix Villegiature 2003 and The Worlds Leading Internet Site from the 10th Annual World Travel Awards 2003. Key media representatives from the main French and European Press and directors from some of the most famous hotels in the world voted on the prestigious Prix Villegiature Awards, which are considered one of the highest accolades in the global travel market. And receiving the Worlds Leading Internet Site from the World Travel Awards is testament from travel agents worldwide of the propertys user-friendly
Web site: http://www.roccofortehotels.com

In The Air

Qatar Airways launched Oriental Express service to Shanghai and Seoul, making it the first airline in the Middle East with service to South Korea. The carrier will commence services to Singapore, Vienna, Tripoli and Cebu in the southern Philippines in the coming weeks.
Web site: http://www.qatarairways.com

Emirates Airlines announced a new daily service to Glasgow, Scotland. The Dubai/Glasgow service will commence on 10 April 2004 and brings the number of daily flights between Dubai to the UK to eleven per day.
Web site: http://www.emirates.com

Austrian is adding 15 flights to its long-range route network, a 25% increase in flights to Asia Pacific. Austrian expansion includes new destinations and increased frequencies on established routes. New destinations include Singapore with continuing service to Melbourne, Shanghai, Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, and Podgorica in Montenegro.
Web site: http://www.aua.com

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