What was it about a cow and a year’s supply of cheese that induced more than 100 sensible MICE organizers to descend so enthusiastically on Switzerland in July? That was the prize fought over by eight delegations from North America, Russia, and various nations across Europe in a two-day contest involving such quirky events as Alpine horn blowing, cookie and cheese tasting, and plastic duck catching. This was the ninth year that the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau has run the Annual Meeting Trophy, and it showed. The whole tour ran with the precision of a Swiss watch and had the impact of a Federer forehand.
It had to. Pitting nation against nation was a risky concept from the start. What’s surprising is that it was devised by the characteristically
cautious Swiss. “But I like to take risks,” says the competition’s co-creator Urs Eberhard, Switzerland Tourism’s executive vice president of markets and meetings. “And when you’re convinced about a product and you have a way to demonstrate it that’s more spontaneous and more fun than conventional fams, you’re unlikely to fail.”
He adds that the concept has “long legs” that keep the impact going long after the event has ended. After the contest itself, Eberhard says that many teams will reunite at IMEX or other gatherings to share their memories of “scooting down mountains, driving convertibles along lakesides, indulging in mountaintop spas, and imbibing wine, cheese and chocolate.” He adds that every year he hears delegates saying the trophy has changed their perceptions of Switzerland for the better.
“They don’t just observe what makes our country so full of variety, they experience it in an absorbing, friendly, but tough competition against other nationalities,” adds Eberhard.
This year, those experiences began with a sizing up of the competition at a Trophy Launch buffet at the Restaurant Stube, attached to tthe Congresss Center Basel, Switzerland’s largest meetings venue. Checking out one another for the first time were teams who’d flown in from North America (combined U.S. and Canada), the U.K., Belgium, the Nordic Countries, Germany, France, Russia, and Holland.
Our feisty North American group didn’t let the fact that we were the only team coping with jet lag to deter us from going on to savor the delights of Switzerland’s third-largest and most internationally diverse city.
Hitting the Road
After a classic Swiss breakfast — bircher muesli, cheese, ham, and typically excellent coffee — at the stately Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, it was onward to the banks of the River Rhine for more food. There we tasted Leckerli biscuits and to tried to itemize all the ingredients (listing honey, hazelnuts, candied peel, and Kirsch earned you top marks). The teams then piled onto the Munster Ferry, which curiously crosses the river sideways and onto the Volkshaus (community center) for a contest in which three members of each team, assisted by everyone else, put on a Waggis carnival outfit, including mask and shoes, in a speed trial accompanied by a Carnival Band playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Next stop, Theaterplatz to identify some of the art works that for the past 40 years have helped the city become the location for the world’s leading international Art Fair, Art Basel. There, the teams were also asked to name Basel’s four main museums. Simultaneously the group’s members reached for their iPhones, but were immediately told such access was strictly verboten. Like many of the dozens of questions, it was a subtle marketing nudge, this time toward the fact that many museums can host business receptions and dinners and can open exclusively for delegates.
From there, we boarded a train to Zurich, courtesy of the first-class Swiss Pass, which covers all forms of public transport. We decanted to a Spezialfahrten tram and threaded through Switzerland’s leading business and cultural metropolis while consuming local hors d’oeuvres: fondue, Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (sliced meat, mushrooms and cream), and Röschti (potato patties). The city enjoys a combination of Alpine views and lake breezes, an airport with more than 120 international destinations, and a profusion of meeting, convention, and seminar centers — including of course the Spezialfahrten trams, plus abundant shopping and nightlife.
Unfortunately, time for that was short. This was car rallying time, with keys proffered to a fleet of gleaming convertibles and spry sedans for an exhilarating drive past vast lakes and majestic mountains. We weren’t there just to admire the scenery though, we had to follow a complex route and check out highlights along the way for Q&A purposes. The keys were reluctantly handed back on arrival at The Resort Bad Ragaz at the foot of the Alps.
Spa Challenges
Water tasting may not sound like the most stimulating of pursuits, particularly when you’ve torn yourself away from the Resort Bad Ragaz’s soothing sauna and heavenly massages. However, with our heads-down, Team North America had eight other teams to beat, and it would help our points tally if we could discern which sample of three waters was the thermal water discovered by hunters from the nearby monastery back in 1242, and which still flows into the Bad Ragaz’s spas.
Three team members then exhibited their putting skills in a three-hole mini-golf competition, scoring a couple of birdies each. In the resort’s medical health center, three North Americans volunteered for the Bicycle Trials, each attempting to cover the furthest “distance” in a minute on the stationary exercise bikes. The whoops and yells of our fellow team members inspired tremendous performances.
Team members were next asked to reach back into their childhood memory banks to recall reading the popular Heidi novels, which originated in this region. We had to work out story structures and name four of the scores of languages the book has been translated into. Somehow, someone spotted Romanian for a points boost.
Duck Fishing
From there, we took a postal bus and train to Chur and arrived 6,000 feet upward to Arosa among glorious Alpine scenery. Lush green meadows, tumbling mountain streams, and sparkling lakes make it a popular year-round destination. Cable car passes and many recreational activities are free in the summer as are views of Arosa’s celebrated musical fountain displays. In winter, Arosa offers 43 miles of pistes for every level of skier, 13 state-of-the-art lifts, herds of horse-drawn sleigh rides, 20 miles of cross-country ski routes, a natural and an artificial skating rink, and much else to make a client’s cheeks tingle.
The first challenge at Arosa was to catch plastic ducks from a pedalo, or pedal-powered boat. The tide went against North America on this one, and gave a feeling that we were being left behind. Spirits were lifted on the thrilling Weisshorn cable car, followed by a short walk to the Tschuggen hut for a lunch of salad and cheese fondue, then up the highest escalator in the Alps, reaching 8,704 feet, for one of the country’s most beautiful panoramic views.
Snowball throwing came next and thanks to the skills honed in the nation’s baseball parks, North America caught up a bit in the competition. Brave souls amongst us didn’t go back down by cable car; they took manual scooters on a spine-tingling dash hundreds of winding feet to the bottom of the mountain. Awaiting us there was a cheese tasting quiz, followed by tent assembling, with a climax of blowing into the Alphorn, the traditional Swiss Alps wind instrument, to see who could hold the longest note.
The Result
Down to earth for the farewell evening and Awards Ceremony, and win or lose, all the participants had a worthwhile experience. “The Trophy is exciting and completely different from a typical fam trip,” says North American participant Greg Sekala, senior project manager at Gray Consulting. “This gets you to experience the country and its people. I found it a very inviting, organized country, expensive yes, but that’s not a problem for incentives. We’ve been on boats, ferries, trams, and cars that emphasized just how easy it is to travel here. It’s a really nice way to be exposed to different aspects of a country.”
But one team had to win and it turned out to be the crew from Belgium. “It must be something in their chocolate,” said a crestfallen Norwegian. Shoulders at the North American table were also noticeably slumped. “But,” Urs Eberhard of Switzerland Tourism, quickly announced: “To us, you are all winners.” So charming is Herr Eberhard that we almost believed him.