Berlin Incentive Trip

Last week saw Richard and me in Berlin finalising an Incentive Trip for 25 people in mid October. Cinnamon active has designed an enjoyable, interactive and informative incentive trip to Berlin as part of our European incentive programme.

Berlin is an incredible city which has undergone a transformation since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The old East Berlin has become the new centre of Berlin with many of the historic buildings including the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburg Gate located on the eastside. Mitte area is the heart of this new energy, a vibrant, red light district (legalised in Germany) fashionable area with alleys leading to courtyards with restaurants, boutiques and bars. The famous Hackescher Market's square has a cafe culture during the day which jumps with music and street entertainers until the early hours at weekends.Berlin meets all our criteria as an incentive destination.

It has a WOW factor in its architecture and transformation, secondly it has a high level of interest with its modern history, third it is packed with things to see and do including great nightlife and lastly there are the tools to make the trip fun and enjoyable. In fact there is so much to see and do, the challenge is to pack it all in to a weekend!The two day Berlin Incentive Trip is totally bespoke for our client.

This Berlin Incentive Trip utilises bikes, a river cruiser, and a giant balloon, lunch in a traditional BierGarten and lunch in the Reichstag and an evening around the bars and clubs in Mitte area to give everyone a real flavour of this great city. All the main attractions and a few local ones packed seamlessly into an enjoyable weekend. We visit a bar where the beer price operates on a Stock Exchange and prices change every 15 minutes and there is time for a little retail therapy. Our base is a very good 4 star hotel centrally located for all the activities.To knit all the elements of the weekend together Richard (Cinnamon active Representative) will be with the group to ensure everything runs smoothly.Of course we never take anything for granted and ensure our site visits are thorough, just in case anything has changed or anything new has emerged.

It’s a tough job...Richard and I decided to take the Bike Tour as this would our Saturday activity for the group, but we knew there would be elements needed changing. This is possible as we have hired exclusive guides for our tour. Richard thought it would be fun to take the Tandem Bike out, I being a little cautious agreed much to my horror as Richard insisted in trying to ride "no hands" much of the time! Bikes in Berlin are the perfect form of transport there are cycle lanes everywhere and the city is flat. You get to go to so many more places and see so much more (unless you are on a Tandem with Richard, in which case you spend most of the time with your eyes closed).We saw all the major points of interest, including Hitler’s Bunker (hidden under a car park) with interesting facts and narratives from our guide.

We enjoyed a hearty lunch in Tiergarten with a glass of the local brew (powerful stuff). Definitely the way to see Berlin. We however have made a few changes to the itinerary including having the bikes delivered to the hotel where our tour will start and finish and another stop to do a balloon flight. We visited the river cruiser hired for Saturday night and went through pickup points, drink, meals etc.

We did the same at the Reichstag for Sunday lunch and unfortunately we spent a couple of evening trawling the bars and clubs, testing the brew and even had to wait for the bars to close to ensure the closing time were correct. On the incentive trip, after the bike tour the group will have a couple of hours to chill out, relax or go shopping along the same street as the hotel.

Early evening the exclusive chartered river cruiser with music, bar and sumptuous buffet dinner will carry the group along the River Spree and see Berlin's magnificent landmarks by night. At about 10pm Richard had organised entry into a nightclub for those night owls or a bar for people to enjoy the Berlin nightlife.

Sunday morning will be leisurely, before departing by coach to the Reichstag with VIP entry and lunch overlooking Berlin.

Departure for the airport and back in London by 17.30 Sunday...

Well, the site visit was tough, but Richard and I managed to get through it.

Personally I find Berlin a fascinating city, bundles of history, plenty to see and do. What was very noticeable on our visit were the amount of German visitors and sightseers. I guess the Wall has only been down a few years and Berlin is still unknown to many young Germans and of intrigue to the older generations.



If you are interested in a Berlin Incentive Trip or to host a meeting Cinnamon active will be interested in discussing your requirements.

Please contact: Cinnamon active
Tel: 0208 979 0331
www. cinnamon-active.com