iconvienna

Reception at the newly opened luxury hotel on the Viennese Ring Boulevard

In the run-up to iconvienna (the Viennese European Business and Investment Forum), DI Dr. Gerhard Hrebicek, president of iconvienna, host Dieter Bischoff, rooms division manager of Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna and Ron Willis, President of the Club for Trade Delegates, welcomed the guests, who included many members of the CdH, to a dignified reception at the newly opened luxury hotel on the Viennese Ring Boulevard (Ringstraße).

Palais Hansen Kempinski, Vienna, originally built as a hotel for the World Exhibition in Vienna in 1873, captivates its visitors by combining a historic building with modern architecture and contemporary luxury. Two and a half years of careful restoration and interior re-design have been conducted under the aegis and supervision of Vienna-based architect, Boris Podrecca, the Austrian Atelier Hayde Architekten and the French designer, Jean-Claude Laville. Now, on seven floors, the heritage-listed Renaissance Revival-style building accommodates 152 rooms and suites, a Spa, and two restaurants as well as 17 private residential apartments and Vienna's largest hotel cigar lounge, Mr. Bischoff told the gathered guests.

On this special evening, this glamorous hot spot was the place where selected official delegates, speakers, sponsors, governmental and regional representatives of iconvienna, and the CdH club members, met on the one hand, to learn more about the new hotel, combining contemporary design and history and, on the other hand, to learn more about iconvienna, which aims to promote business contacts between Austrian and international companies and territories in the CEE region and Russia.

During the iconvienna congress on the following two days, the iconvienna lounge at the Austrian Economic Chamber served as a platform for meeting up with delegates from countries and regions  including, amongst others, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Turkey and the USA, in a more personal environment in order to learn about investment opportunities, to exchange experiences and to discuss future collaboration.

Under the slogan "Make Contacts to Contracts" and as a well recognized European platform for business and economics, iconvienna provided the environment and the means for participants and partners to do this through personal encounter, presentations and side events.  Participants from approximately 40 different countries attended the forum. Ron Willis, CdH president, was, this time, a member of the panel covering the topic "Is Austria Missing the Boat in the 3rd Industrial Revolution?".

Foto credit: Katharina Schiffl