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TOKYO
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Innovation and Inspiration
Immerse your team in modern and traditional Japanese culture in Tokyo. BY RICHARD NEWTON
Let’s toast our event with Japanese wine. Another heavyweight venue is the Tokyo ConThat might sound like a joke. Japanese ference Center Shinagawa, located in Shinagawa wine? You mean rice wine? No, Japanese District. The venue boasts two halls and a range of wine. Red or white, fermented from boardrooms on three floors, all just a short walk Japanese grapes. At first sip you know you’re tasting from Shinagawa Station, with convenient connecsomething of genuine quality. Why have you never tions to Haneda and Narita International airports sampled it at home? Because hardly any of it is ex- and to the country’s bullet train network. ported; it is mostly consumed domestically. To try Tokyo Big Sight (also known as the Tokyo the full range of varieties, you must come to Japan. International Exhibition Center), is the most The wine is just one reason among many to distinctive venue in Tokyo and the biggest exhibichoose this unique country for your MICE event. tion space in Japan. Resembling four upside-down There’s nowhere pyramids balanced on four stocky support columns, RESEMBLING FOUR UPSIDE- quite like Japan, and the building originally opened in 1996, instantly DOWN PYRAMIDS BALANCED the MICE options reflect that. Tokyo, becoming an unmistakable fixture of the skyline in the Waterfront Area. The venue features five ON FOUR STOCKY SUPPORT in particular, boasts exhibition spaces, three conference halls, a ballroom COLUMNS, TOKYO BIG SIGHT a well-developed MICE infrastrucand numerous smaller meeting rooms. In addition to dedicated venues, most of OPENED IN 1996, INSTANTLY ture, including Tokyo’s international hotels (of which there are BECOMING AN UNMISTAKABLE experiences tailored many) offer MICE facilities. Park Hyatt Tokyo, the FIXTURE OF THE SKYLINE IN for small or large groups. unforgettable setting of the movie Lost in Translation, occupies the top 14 floors of a 52-floor tower THE WATERFRONT AREA. Business Events with stunning views of the cityscape and Mount Tokyo offers team- Fuji on a rare clear day. The hotel has three versatile building sessions involving sushi making, robot function rooms as well as boardroom facilities and building or taiko drumming. All require teamwork. private dining options. Other cultural experiences available include karate The Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, in Nihonbashi lessons, flower arranging and learning the art of the District (styled “Fusion City” in tourism literature Cultural HIghlights: tea ceremony. because of its blend of old and new), has 14 event
Tokyo International As you’d expect of a sophisticated metropolis spaces, the largest of which can seat up to 260
Exhibition Center, or Tokyo Big Sight (top), Japanese wine of 9 million people, you’ll find no shortage of world-class venues. The flagship is arguably the people. Every event includes an assigned dedicated manager and can fold in cultural experiences as part (bottom left), and taiko Tokyo International Forum, with 1.5 million of the program, including its new Mindful Meetdrumming (bottom right) square feet of floor space in four buildings and the ings approach which incorporates wellness in every flexibility to accommodate everything from a small meeting to inspire and energize participants. PHOTOS: © VOYATA | DREAMSTIME.COM, business meeting to a major exhibition. The Forum Japanese cuisine should feature in any visit to © EQ ROY | DREAMSTIME .COM , © COWARDLION | will host weightlifting competitions for the 2020 Tokyo, and where better to experience it than in DREAMSTIME.COM Tokyo Olympics, rescheduled for this summer. a restaurant that recreates the atmosphere of the Tokyo invested nearly $4 billion in infra- Edo Period? Tofuro, in the swank Ginza District, structure and facilities ahead of the Olympics, comes complete with an indoor street, a running including upgraded expressways and expanded rail stream and several traditional wooden buildings. stations. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the The seasonal menu includes, of course, sushi and International Olympic Committee pledges a safe sashimi. MICE groups can rent out an entire floor event, with infection prevention measures in place for up to 100 people or private rooms for two to for the delayed games. 100 people.
UNIQUE VENUES
Alongside all of the standard internationalclass venues, Tokyo offers a variety of unusual options.
The Maxell Aqua Park within the Shinagawa Prince Hotel belongs to the breathtaking category. The exhibits combine aquarium displays with interactive technology as well as a central pool for spectacular dolphin shows. The Aqua Park can be hired exclusively after it closes to the public at 10 p.m., either for stand-alone events or to supplement events in the more formal surroundings of the hotel’s ballroom.
aqua-park.jp
Tokyo is so unrelentingly urban it is hard to imagine rural Japan lies within easy reach. Around 90 minutes inland from downtown, close to the city of Ashikaga, is Coco Farm & Winery. The winery produces Japanese variants of European wines (Chardonnay, Merlot) as well as genuinely Japanese wine derived from the local Koshu grape. Sample some of the wines in a tasting room suitable for small groups, and enjoy vineyard views from the terrace of a small café.
cocowine.com
Zest for Life
European sophistication meets Latin passion in Buenos Aires.
BY ARI BENDERSKY
Art Scene:
Couple dancing the tango in front of the sculpture Floralis Genérica
PHOTO: © ELULTIMODESEO | DREAMSTIME.COM U ntil you visit, you may never know the extent of Buenos Aires’ cosmopolitanism. From design and architecture to technology and banking — and across all the arts — Buenos Aires truly has a global feel that rivals Paris, New York and Tokyo. While it’s on the water, Buenos Aires is not a beach destination like Rio but rather a port city — hence locals are called Porteños and have a zest for life and want to share it with all who visit.
Almost as soon as you enter this beautiful Argentine capital, it becomes obvious just how fantastic this energetic metropolitan city truly is. You’ll likely spend most of your time between upscale, classic Recoleta; chic, eclectic and fashionable Palermo; and the romantic and gentrified San Telmo, where you’ll find a sprawling open-air antique flea market each Sunday. But the Central Business District of La Citi, between the San Nicolás, Montserrat and Retiro neighborhoods, is home to the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, Argentina’s Central Bank and other financial institutions.
No matter where you gather with colleagues and clients, you’ll notice quite quickly the European influence on the city’s architecture. Waves of immigrants from Spain, Italy and Germany — and what now comprises the world’s sixth-largest Jewish community — all arrived in Buenos Aires in the 19th and 20th centuries, bringing with them design, culture and gastronomy. All over the city their impact can be observed by simply walking around the neighborhoods and looking up at the homes and buildings. You’ll especially see it at Teatro Colón, one of the most important opera houses in the world, where singer Maria Callas famously performed and which offers group tours. At the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires, modern and folk art converge in permanent and rotating exhibits. You can experience it in any number of the city’s top spots to watch the romantic, sensual tango shows — and learn a few moves yourself in this, the world’s tango capital. You’ll even encounter it in La Recoleta Cemetery, a neighborhood in its own right where some of the city’s most important residents, including Eva Perón, are buried.
When it comes to business, Buenos Aires’ numerous industries converge. In 2017 the city was named a smart city due to its welcoming attitude toward innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and app development. The newer Buenos Aires Exhibition and Convention Centre hosted the 2017 Smart City
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Creative Cuisine:
Local parrilla (top), street food sandwich with New York strip steak and chimichurri sauce (middle), and coffee at Café Tortoni (bottom)
PHOTOS: © EVA808 | DREAMSTIME.COM, © ALEKSANDR VOROBEV | DREAMSTIME.COM, © MAX MAXIMOV PHOTOGRAPHY | DREAMSTIME.COM Expo World Conference, where visitors from around the world came to discuss open government, sustainable urban planning, digital innovation and city life. In late 2018 Buenos Aires welcomed the G20 Summit for the first time, coinciding with Argentine president Mauricio Macri serving as the head of the powerful Group of 20.
While all this business activity may seem vast and even disparate, one thing that ties most things together in this fast-paced city — where dinners often don’t start until 9 or 10 p.m. — is a vibrant cocktail culture. Whether you’re meeting over lunch at one of the many parrillas (steakhouses) like Don Julio, having drinks after work or going out to bars or clubs after dinner, cocktail culture thrives in Buenos Aires. You can find great drinks everywhere, whether in upscale Recoleta hotels like the Four Seasons, Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt or the Alvear Palace Hotel; cool boutiques like Fierro Hotel, Mine Hotel and Faena Hotel; or in hip bars and speakeasies throughout the city.
Consider entertaining at Florería Atlántico, one of the world’s most celebrated bars, which honors the city’s immigrant culture. Hidden behind a secret door inside a working flower shop in Recoleta, this speakeasy bar, on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, serves a cocktail menu reflecting global cultures. A few blocks away, Presidente Bar from celebrated mixologist Seba Garcia offers sophistication not only in the décor but also in the drinks. If your clients are more serious about their cocktails, ask the Presidente staff to open the door to the Library, a hidden bar tucked away through a door off a hallway at the back of the bar, where an entirely different batch of cocktails emerges, sure to impress. Across town in Palermo, cocktails converge with gastronomy, and ingredients like sesame oil, acai caviar, blue cheese and pumpkin syrup drive the flavors at Anasagasti. Buenos Aires may seem meat-heavy, but don’t be fooled into thinking the city doesn’t have a vibrant culinary scene ready to please any palate. The aforementioned Jewish population is making headway, opening a number of innovative restaurants like Mishiguene and Fayer from celebrated chef Tomás Kalika, introducing Porteños to a mix of Middle Eastern and Eastern European delicacies with a modern twist. Vegan and vegetarian cuisine pushed to the fore and is available at places like Bio. Local cuisine gets celebrated at El Baqueano in San Telmo, where you’ll find tri-colored quinoa, llama tartare and wines from throughout Argentina all paired to an experiential tasting menu. And cafés with locally roasted coffee and yerba mate abound. Whether this is your first visit to Buenos Aires or you’re coming back to mix business with pleasure, you’ll find many new discoveries while connecting with clients old and new. Because when all is said and done, nobody is a stranger in Buenos Aires — at least not once you finish that first round of cocktails with the table of Porteños next to you.