Located on the western bank of Lake Geneva (Lac Leman), the largest lake in western Europe, Geneva is at first glance a resort city with its calm expanse of the lake, the surrounding green hills and vineyards plus the views to the majestic peaks of the French Alps in the horizon. Geneva, the city of parks, embodies the best of all worlds: it is a smart and cosmopolitan town with a population of 180,000 and all the advantages that implies, and at the same time, a small and friendly resort. An international and financial center with more than 230 banks, Geneva is known worldwide as a major conference and congress center. It hosts the European headquarters of the United Nations, it is the founding venue of the International Red Cross movement and also the home of over 200 international organizations.
Fashionable hotels, chic restaurants and elegant shops jostle for a position along the flower-decked lakefront that encircles the famous fountain, the "Jet d’eau". The charming Old Town bears witness to over 2,000 years of history, with Caesar and his troops among the impressive number of well-recorded visitors. A few minutes outside the city center, nodding wheat fields, lakeside vineyards and the romantic wooded banks of the river Rhone and the river Arve reflect a magic rural world.
Fascinating museums and attractions abound for both tourists and conference planners in search of unusual meeting venues. Three of the major attractions in Geneva are the Cathedrale St.-Pierre, built during the 12th and 13th centuries and later used as a Protestant church by John Calvin; the Musee d’Art et d’Histoire, which houses a magnificent Beaux-Arts collection; and the Musee International de la Croix-Rouge (International Red Cross Museum), which uses state-of-the-art technology to portray examples of human kindness in the face of disaster.
Geneva’s favored geographical position makes it a natural focal point for the international traveler. Road and rail facilities from Geneva provide rapid access to the rest of Switzerland and Europe. Geneva International airport, only 5km from the city center, offers direct scheduled flights to 70 international destinations. A direct rail connection links the airport to the downtown railway station in only six minutes. From there, various speed trains link Geneva to the major European capitals, such as Paris by TGV train in 3½ hours and Milano by Cisalpino in 3½ hours. Direct intercity trains connect the rest of Switzerland.
Built on a steep, terraced hillside, Lausanne is a city with style, character and abundant charm. It has been a cultural center for centuries, attracting the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, Byron and Cocteau. Lausanne’s magnificent Gothic cathedral and fine university continue to contribute to the vibrant intellectual life of this graceful city. It is located just 30 minutes by train from Geneva.
The business of conventions, seminars and incentive travel is increasingly central to this attractive, lakeside city’s economic welfare. Its strategic geographical location, in the heart of Europe and on the main North-South communication routes between the North Sea and the Mediterranean, explains why, from the beginning of the century, important meetings took place here. The first international political conferences and, under the aegis of the IOC, the Olympic Psychology Convention (1913) and the Olympic Regulations Congress (1921), were held here many years ago before the idea of convention tourism became popular. The many congresses, seminars and conferences now held in Lausanne reflect the many areas for which the city has become well known: education, sport, industry and trade, research and medicine, culture and tourism.
Lausanne is home to a number of important industrial concerns that generate business and convention visitors. Three-quarters of the people who stay in Lausanne do so for professional reasons, either individually for their work or their business or in groups for conventions, seminars, trade fairs or exhibitions. Lausanne also receives visitors from all over the world because of its important role in the service sector (banks, insurance companies, administrative companies as well as transport and tourism). The town and its surroundings benefit from the presence and activities of numerous secondary and tertiary companies. Well-known corporations have set up their international offices here such as Kodak, Philip Morris, Grace Europe, Tetra Pak, Kudelski, André & Co and Medtronic Europe, while several start-up companies have settled in the Scientific Compound of the Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Ecublens. This institution along with Lausanne’s University, other institutes of advanced education and the Vaud University Teaching Hospital (CHUV), each of which serves as a platform of advanced technology in all areas of science including medical engineering - generates a dynamic atmosphere in the city.
All this development has led to efficient and plentiful congress and seminar facilities.
Lausanne, with its hotel facilities (40 hotels, 5,000 beds) and of course its quality environment on the shores of Lake Geneva, has made its name in the incentive travel arena particularly for the European and American markets. The specialized promoters of such "holidays" want upscale hotels and superb service with varied entertainment (restaurants, attractions, excursions). Lausanne caters specifically to this very demanding clientele.
The Lausanne Tourist Office & Convention Bureau and the Beaulieu Centre have specialized services that can organize all or part of any congress (except those of a scientific content), by preparing the guest lists, making bookings, receiving and welcoming participants (at the station or airport), accommodation, transfers, social programs and excursions (including for accompanying persons), financial and technical arrangements management (simultaneous interpretation), multilingual hostesses, etc.
Lausanne welcomes any guest, whether a businessman or woman, a congress participant or an accompanying person, a holidaymaker or a one-day visitor, with the same professionalism and quality of service.
An upbeat, modern resort, Montreux is known for its casino, rock and jazz concerts, beautiful promenade and sunny climate. Its best-known site, the Chateau de Chillon, was made famous by Lord Byron’s poem Prisoner of Chillon, commemorating the six years Francois Bonivard spent there as a prisoner during the Reformation. The awe-inspiring chateau, built on Roman foundations, has been beautifully restored and now houses tapestries, carved fireplaces, elaborate wooden ceilings and period pieces.
The city, which is located 57 miles on the highway, 70 minutes by direct train from Geneva or 13 miles southeast of Lausanne, is renowned for its Montreux Jazz Festival which takes place every July. Classical music buffs will enjoy the Festival International de Musique from August through October. Montreux/Vevey is also the site of the Comedy Film Festival, Humor Festival and numerous free outdoor concerts at its waterfront bandstand. Vevey is famous for it’s chocolate industry. Charlie Chaplin spent the last years of his life in Vevey.
The quality of Montreux’s hotel infrastructure, coupled with excellent meeting/exhibition space, draws large attendance at international and professional events. In addition, two hotel management schools, the European University and the International Academy of Broadcasting are located here.
Montreux is also famous for its local wines. If you have time, take a drive through the villages that are terraced amid the vineyards.