There are six villages that are used for the rentavillage concept. These are Brand, Pfunds, Pertisau and Mondsee in Austria and Deidesheim and Trittenheim in Germany. Depending on the choice of village they are all within easy reach of either Zurich, Innsbruck, Salzburg or Munich airports.

There are endless opportunities with regard to presenting your products and decorating the village. If you wish to hang up 100 banners in the village, you may do so. If you wish to put up lots of signs, display your products, you will not be restricted in any way, as long as you adhere to health & safety regulations. The marquee in the centre of the village can be decorated inside and out according to your choice of colours and theme.

The possibilities are endless. Consider for a moment the complete village and all the marquees decked out in corporate colours, company flags, bunting, signs, billboard posters, product displays, exhibits, etc. etc. The list goes on and the PR opportunities are tremendous.

Dependent on the time of year, many outdoor activities and special programmes can be arranged, from abseiling, hot air ballooning and ski-safari�s to white water rafting.

Accommodation

As the number of sleeping rooms required tends to be greater than what one hotel can provide, this is where the whole rentavillage concept really comes into play. There are various categories of accommodation but please forget the word "categories" and replace it with "host establishments". Some hosts own a four-star hotel while others have a guest house. Of course, you are guaranteed the minimum standard of a four star establishment with regard to room furnishings i.e room with shower/bath/WC, TV, telephone, etc. The breakfast is standardised and is equivalent to a breakfast buffet in a four star hotel. The statement "We are staying with our hosts in the village" is the best way to explain the friendliness of the local people and the whole "lodging" idea.

In order to avoid questions such as "Why are my colleagues staying at a four-star hotel and I'm in a private pension?", a large "Village Reception" is set up and the whole check-in procedure is turned into an opening event with entertainment and activities. There is music, food including local specialities, welcome drinks including some Austrian wines and beers, and most, importantly a game in which participants draw tickets (key raffle) for their accommodation over the duration of the event. At the village reception area participants receive their welcome packs, their room key and are then sent to the various accommodation establishments. All the establishments are located within a radius of a few hundred metres and are just a short walk away from each other.

The Programme

Our proposed event programme is based on a Friday arrival and a Sunday departure.

Friday: Guests arrive individually by coach or plane and are first welcomed at a Village Reception. Guests check-in and are then transferred to their hotel accommodation. A welcome themed evening is held in a luxury decorated marquee with entertainment to suit.

Saturday: After breakfast at the individual hotels, the day is set out for meetings or activities. The area surrounding the village, if required, can be converted into a large communication centre. In the evening, in the special village of marquees, a gala dinner is hosted followed by presentations and a variety of entertainment.

Sunday: Delegates depart following breakfast.

Should you need conference space on the Saturday, the villages offer various conference facilities i.e. at the hotels, at the community conference centre, at the new conference centre in St. Johann (9 km from Wagrain) or at the Castle of Mondsee.

Surprisingly the concept can be run with as few as 200 people; there is no minimum number of people required to attend. The newest concept added for 2004 is:- Rent A Country. The concept using the principality of Liechtenstein for events was launched at the M&IT show in October 2003.

For more information contact Meetings Europe: E-mail: info@meetingseurope.biz