Dovetail Event Partners

01/16/2021

Love this hope from Rick Steves!

As a new year dawns, bringing with it vaccines, a president-elect that respects science, and good reason to expect the travel industry will begin its recovery in 2021, I'm feeling pretty good…confident that soon, this pandemic will be in our rearview mirror.

In fact, I'm confident enough that I'm allowing myself to dream about where I'll travel first. While I can't do them all this year, here are the five trips I'd like to take once it's safe to travel again. (And I’d love to hear about your travel dreams, as well!)

1. Having spent most of my adult life experiencing the travel thrills of Europe and then sharing lessons learned, I'd love to take a "20 cities in 20 days" road trip lecture tour across the US. I'd lace together mid-size cities around the country to share my thoughts on the beauty and importance of travel in a post-COVID-19 world. (I did a similar tour a few years ago, starting in Seattle and ending in Tallahassee, and it was one of the greatest experiences in my career as a travel teacher.)

2. We have over 50 guidebooks that lovingly cover nearly all of Europe. While they were the most accurate and best-selling guidebooks in print before the outbreak of COVID-19, our series will need a major update after the pandemic. Like cleaning up after a big storm, we don't know which of our recommended small hotels and eateries will still be in business, or how the pandemic will impact travel in Europe going forward. I plan to gather my top co-authors and researchers in Europe and together update a couple chapters for a couple of cities. Assessing the damage, we'll then fan out and update each and every chapter in all the books — from Helsinki to Lisbon to Istanbul.

3. The great disappointment for me in 2020 was having to cancel my daughter Jackie's wedding party tour. I booked an entire tour bus for our flagship Best of Europe itinerary (www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-21-days), my son Andy (one of our ace tour guides) was to be the guide, and Jackie’s fiancé's extended family and a few of my loved ones who'd yet to experience Europe would fill the tour (and I would go along to simply have fun and get to know Jackie's in-laws). I dream of rescheduling this tour as soon as possible.

4. To just have a personal vacation, I'd like to gather a few special friends and enjoy a week on a gourmet barge tour of Burgundy. I'd also like to spend 10 days on the Tour du Mont Blanc trail — hiking 100 miles around the famous mountain, sleeping every night in an alpine lodge with delicious dinners and lots of high-altitude fun.

5. And finally, in 2020, we canceled the production of four new Rick Steves' Europe TV shows: two in Poland and two in Iceland. I'm eager to reschedule those in order to produce and release "the lost shows of season 11."

Dream up your own future travels in this month's edition of Travel News (www.ricksteves.com/news): Experience Iceland's raw beauty, from rugged coasts to steaming volcanoes to craggy glaciers; journey to Zermatt, a springboard for exploring the Matterhorn; and get expert advice for how to best navigate — and appreciate — the ancient sights of eternal Rome. Plus, my co-author Cameron Hewitt shares his top 10 discoveries for 2021.

As these amazing vaccines kick in and the sun rises again on international travel, I'd like my souvenir from "the year of no travel" to be society's souvenir, too: a sober understanding of how the challenges of the future will know no borders and will be impervious to conventional weaponry. That tackling those challenges will take nations working together, a recognition that our environment is fragile (and we only have one), and an enthusiastic embrace of science. That the art of the deal will need to be not win-lose, but win-win. And that our species is smart enough and our planet is abundant enough to be able to both manage and afford win-win solutions.

While we commit ourselves to staying safe and healthy, I hope all of us can feel comfortable looking ahead and resurrecting travel plans that COVID-19 scuttled in 2020. And if a Rick Steves bus tour is part of those plans, I can promise you won't regret it. Our guides, hoteliers, and bus drivers are standing by as soon as Europe is safe and stable enough to reliably host a return of tourism.

Here's to leaving 2020 in the dust and to a much better 2021!

12/31/2020

It's time to pop a cork and say good-bye to 2020 and hello to 2021! Whether you are toasting to a new year or any corporate celebration, this sparkling three-piece Bento Box from Sugarfina is a great gifting solution. Included are:

Champagne Bears: Made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne, these sophisticated bears blend the flavors of classic Brut and Rosé.

Sparkle Pops: Crunchy milk chocolates filled with popping candy offer a burst of sparkle and pop.

Bubbly Bears: Champagne-infused gummy bears dusted in sweet-tart sugar crystals are a sure palate pleaser.

Cheers from all of us at Touchmark!

08/20/2020

Sharing a piece about re-openings in the arena of luxury travel.
https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/your-business/post-covid-travel-what-will-industry-look-like?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTmpZeFltRmxNRFZqTXprMSIsInQiOiJ1eVl5TkxWd0VLMjFGOEZYU1JuWGxMWjd1NGxwb3haM240bVRwdVQ3bDIxTWVJOWduVjdpeDJCXC9MZnpscUNkb0c0dWNnYmRSb2tsTkViWVZuTG1oVzNQQzIyek84bzRvNGxxVzRocEFMSFk2RnoxYW5qeDR4clc3RVVKNkpmMCsifQ%3D%3D&mrkid=1445160

Albert Herrera, Virtuoso, SVP, partnerships, asked a panel, “How do we define luxury when a high-touch business meets a no-touch world?” Read more.

08/19/2020

# 8 especially speaks to my “past life.”

08/09/2020

At this point, we are all experiencing a bit of "Zoom fatigue," so what does the immediate future hold for in-person experiences? Here is insight to a recent event. I love the last line: "Someone had to be the first." Thanks to ALHI and Smart Meetings for sharing!

https://www.smartmeetings.com/news/128232/return-meetings-alhi

Content chief JT Long shares her pandemic notes on travel and live events after attending an ALHI event in Florida

07/30/2020

07/28/2020

Looking forward to the day when we can travel again!

06/17/2020

05/20/2020

The world is re-opening for travel. Here is an overview of the current plans:

The Americas

Argentina has one of the world’s strictest travel bans, restricting all international commercial flights until 1 September 2020.

Colombia is under countrywide quarantine until at least 25 May, and travel between regions is also highly restricted.

Cuba suspended international travel for tourists until further notice, beginning 2 April.

Regions in Mexico (e.g. Quintana Roo, home to Cancun) plan to reopen on 1 June.

USA is slowly reopening its borders to internal travellers. Tourists arriving from Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia are still not allowed. Maine and Hawaii both have strict 14-day quarantine requirements in place for all out-of-state visitors




Asia

Since May 1, China has allowed some South Korean business travellers in without a lengthy quarantine—provided they are tested upon arrival and stay at a government facility for 1-2 days while waiting for the results. Travel from outside the country is still not open.




Africa & Middle East

Egypt has started to reopen its hotels to domestic tourists under 25 per cent capacity until the end of May, and can increase to 50 per cent capacity on 1 June. Reuters also reports that hotels must implement new health measures, there must be a clinic with a resident doctor to regularly screen temperatures and disinfectant equipment must be installed, among other precautionary measures. International flights remain suspended.

Morocco remains on lockdown until at least 20th May.

Rwanda is gradually easing the lockdown measures allowing free movement, with people returning to work. But they have introduced a night curfew from 8pm to 5am. Borders remain closed except for essential cargo as well as returning Rwandans.

South Africa began to ease restrictions on 1 May with restaurants allowed to reopen, but only for delivery. Social distancing rules and masks in public will remain mandatory.

Tanzania‘s airports and borders remain open for business with no quarantine requirements on tourists effective 17th May, 2020.

Tunisia started relaxing a nationwide lockdown beginning of May, reopening parts of the food, construction and transport sectors and allowing half of government employees to return to work. Shopping malls, clothing stores and hairdressers are due to reopen on the 24 May.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is beginning to ease some strict lockdown measures, but is still not welcoming tourists. Dubai-based Emirates said it was resuming service to nine international destinations including London, Chicago and Melbourne among other destinations as of May 21st.




Europe

In Austria small shops were allowed to reopen on 14 April and all trade was allowed since 1 May. Restaurants opened in mid-May and hotels on 29 May. Its inter-EU borders will reopen on June 15.

The Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have opened their borders to one another, creating a coronavirus “travel bubble” as of May 15th. Border-entry health checks are mandatory and visitors must fill out a form testifying to their good health.

Belgium started easing its strict lockdown restrictions on 4 May and will continue to open parts of the country in a phased way. It is still unclear when tourism will resume.

Bulgaria will lift the ban on tourist travel in the country and reopen small hotels and guest houses on 13 May. Borders with neighbouring Greece and Serbia will open on June 1st, with no quarantine measures. The country will primarily focus on domestic tourism this year, and international travel remains closed until 14 June.

Croatia is in the middle of a slow reopening and will be introducing a special “green corridor” between itself and the Czech Republic. Domestic tourism, essential workers and citizens of Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro are allowed into the country under a 14-day quarantine.

Finland announced that the borders would reopen for foreign workers in the Schengen zone, including Estonian citizens who work in Finland, since the frontier has been shut down from March 19. Border restrictions were lifted from May 14.

In France, lockdown began coming to an end after 11 May and inbound travel was resumed. Passengers arriving from non-Schengen member states are not allowed to enter the country until June 15, except for essential business travel. Arrivals in France from the Schengen open-border zone, which includes Switzerland & UK, will be exempt from the 14-day quarantine.

Germany’s border with neighbours Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and France were opened under tightly controlled conditions on May 16th. A similar deal with Denmark has been reached, although a date has not yet been announced. Incoming travellers from EU-states including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland & UK will not be asked to self-isolate upon arrival. June 15 is still set as the date to fully relax its borders to inter-EU travel.

Greece started easing lockdown measures on 4 May in a three-part process due to be complete by 1 June. Domestic travel restrictions were lifted on 18 May. City hotels are scheduled to reopen on June 1 followed by seasonal hotels a month later. Country should be fully reopened to tourists by 1 July.

Hungary’s land borders remain closed to foreign visitors and country nationals returning home have to undergo a medical examination. A humanitarian corridor is open for foreigners travelling into neighbouring countries.

Italy will reopen to tourists on 3 June with no restrictions (such as quarantine) upon arrival. However, some regions may implement their own restrictions. Museums, libraries, shops and restaurants were allowed to reopen under physical distancing rules on 18 May.

Ireland is in the middle of a five-phase reopening with hotels, museums and galleries set to reopen 20 July. Pubs won’t reopen until 10 August.

Luxembourg has begun to allow cross-border trips with some of its neighbours, only for essential services and cross-border workers. Some stores have reopened, but schools won’t be fully open until the end of May. Tourism remains forbidden.

Malta is exploring the possibility of so-called ‘safe corridors’ with Luxembourg, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Israel. Travel has been suspended until the end of May.

Netherlands will allow group activities with up to 100 people after July 1. Entry ban for non-EU citizens, the United Kingdom and the Schengen Area has been extended until June 15.

In Poland wearing a face-mask in public is compulsory. Ban on international flights has been extended until June 14, but some domestic flights should resume June 1.

Portugal has set out the exact dates it will reopen hotels and beaches for tourists along with the new rules people will have to follow. Hotels intend to start reopening from June 1. Beaches expected to reopen on June 6. Portugal National Tourism Authority has devised a free hygiene-certification stamp to distinguish “Clean & Safe” tourism enterprises in order to gain visitors’ confidence. Physical distancing will be encouraged, but not enforced by the police.

In Romania no date has been announced for borders reopening to non-essential travel. Hotels, some shops, museums and restaurants are due to open from 15 May, when some direct flights also resume. Terraces and cafes might reopen as of June 1. Summer season on the Romanian seaside scheduled from June 15. Face masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces and on public transport.

In Russia, locals can only travel with a valid permit. Borders remain closed to non-Russian nationals. Russian tourism industry is looking into offering visas valid for multiple visits over a period of up to five years in order to aid recovery.

Slovakia has just reopened the border to neighbours from Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic and all new arrivals are required to quarantine for 14 days. Slovakia has not discussed opening up to outsiders except allowing some residents of nearby countries to come in with recent proof they are uninfected.

Slovenia reopened its borders for EU travellers on May 15th and lifted restrictions on visitors, but there will be health checks for all arrivals. There is also a mandatory quarantine.

Spain has now enforced all travelers arriving in the country from May 15 to at least May 24 to a 14-day quarantine.

Sweden’s borders are open to EU nationals, but are closed to residents of some non-EU countries until 15 June at the earliest. Limited flights operating between London and Stockholm. As Sweden never went into full lockdown, hotels, shops, bars, restaurants and some museums are open. Large gatherings of more than 50 are still prohibited.

Turkey said it would begin to reopen some tourist sites in early May, but there is no timetable for allowing international visitors. The country suspended international flights to and from the country on 28 March.

UK plans to institute a mandatory 14-day quarantine but travellers from France and Ireland would be exempt. Hotels are likely to begin to open in early July.

05/20/2020

Interesting article about virtual meetings. https://www.gda-mice.com/gda-unveils-digital-meetings-platform/

GDA has launched two new digital products which allow conferences and team-building activities to take place in the virtual realm | [email protected]

01/30/2020

Abby and Laurence making sure set up was going as planned.

01/30/2020

Nothing beats having one of your DMC staff bring still-warm Malasadas to your on-site office. Thanks Panache!

01/17/2020

Welcome Night for 400+ incentive qualifiers and their guests. The event was held on private, sacred land located near the Four Seasons Ko Olina. It was once used by the Hawaiian Ali'i (royalty) for rest and relaxation.

01/17/2020

Shots from a dinner event for a "top achiever" group on an Oahu program. Check out that view of Diamond Head! As a gift, everyone received a limited series woodblock print of the view and the artist was on hand to meet, greet, and explain his technique.

11/07/2019

The kind of entertainment at a gala dinner that gives you goosebumps. Farewell Florence… Until next time!

11/06/2019

Morning meeting in an old convent

11/04/2019

Welcome night for 200 people at the Four Seasons Florence ready to start! Buy-outs are so fun--a chance to make a 15th-century Palace your home away from home. This is a shot of the lobby decorated for the event --one of 4 public areas transformed for the night