Disneyland Resort Paris is becoming quite the venue for meetings and incentives. Some of the most recent team building activities and theme events created by the corporate events arm of Disneyland Resort Paris, Business Solutions, include filmmaking as a team building event and a circus theme night for a dinner.

Inspired by the film industry, teams create and star in a film as a way to increase communication and working together more efficiently. 

For large groups, the Disney® Village Marquee can be transformed into a fantasy circus tent with light and sound special effects welcoming guests into a special dinner theatre. 

E-mail: dlp.business@disney.com  

The 5-Star luxury Hilton Hotel Geneva is currently closed for renovations. Both the interior and the exterior of the property are being redesigned.  When the hotel opens later this month, it will be re-branded the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva.

The property is reopening in two phases. This month 230-guest rooms will open. The second phase, which takes place May 2007, will include the opening of the remaining 200-guest rooms, a Grill restaurant, Brasserie, Lounge and Bar as well as extensive meeting and conference facilities. The hotel's new duplex Geneva Suite will be one of Geneva's largest suites and will be outfitted with a private spa and gym along with stunning views of Geneva and the lake.

Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva will be Kempinski's third hotel in Switzerland, in addition to the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains St. Moritz and Le Mirador Kempinski Lake Geneva.

Hilton Hotels will manage a new property in the town of Visegrad, Hungary. The hotel is being built into a steep hillside on the site of a former stone mine over looking the countryside, Visegrad Castle and River Danube. Visegrad is an historic spa town and listed for UNESCO World Heritage status. The town is known for its natural beauty and early Renaissance ruins of the King Matthias Corvinus' summer palace and Medieval Citadel. Visegrad is also undergoing major revitalization. There are plans for the building of ports and marinas, more spa facilities, a golf course and riding and sports facilities. This property will be a good pre and post destination and can be easily combined with Budapest, which is a 40-minute drive from Visegrad. Hilton has two other properties in Hungary, both located in Budapest .

The 230-room property will feature two restaurants, a lobby bar and a pool bar, five meeting rooms and a ballroom. The hotel will capitalize on local thermal spring water and will have a full-service wellness centre comprising indoor and outdoor pools, spa and fitness facilities. The property is 500 meters from the open air Lepence Baths, which are noted for their medicinal spring waters.

The hotel is scheduled to open in early 2009.

17-19 April Messe Frankfurt's Hall 8

IMEX is readying for its biggest year yet. The number of exhibitors is up with repeat exhibitors expanding and new exhibitors coming on board.

IMEX Factoids

This years hosted buyer program is expected to top 3,500 buyers with strong participation from North America.

The English and German language seminar program is expanded with the number of German language seminars almost doubled.

Eastern Europe's presence continues to grow with increased participation from Croatia, Czech Tourist Authority, Estonia, Moscow, Romania , Serbia, Slovenia and St Petersburg.

Association Day is expected to attract over 250 association buyers. New groups of buyers include the AMC Institute, PCMA, Experient and Not-for-Profit.

The Women's Forum will present a seminar entitled -Communicating for Success in a Global Environment- moderated by Pat Durocher, MD of HelmsBriscoe International and Mary Power, President of the Convention Industry Council (CIC).

This is only a brief smattering of IMEX events and features. For more information and to register to attend, go to the IMEX web site.

Web site: www.imex-frankfurt.com