So, you are a corporate event planner and you have been tasked with organizing a social to complement your corporate meeting in Frankfurt? And you are not sure where to start or whom to work with? Here are a couple of points to consider first, and then a couple of example events we offer with BottleStops.
If it’s an international meeting – localise your event’s theme!
We are partial to localising the theme of a corporate social event. A well planned and executed social event rooted in the local culture will not only increase team building but also create experiences that are unique and memorable. This is even more true with team members travelling from far to attend an international meeting. Solving the challenges of an escape room, cart-racing or axe throwing are fun, but can be experienced anywhere. Getting to bond with colleagues over a truly local experience is different – think of a cooking class, of a small hike or scavenger hunt, or a tasting that blend history, culture and sights into an experience. Also, when consumed in moderate amounts (as should be in a wine tasting), wine can help to ease tension, trigger communication and build rapport with co-workers.
Corporate events within vs outside of Frankfurt
International corporate meetings are drawn to Frankfurt due to its central location in Europe and its excellent connectivity by plane, train and highways. But also on a smaller scale, Frankfurt is well connected to attractive outing destinations nearby.
If you choose to stay in Frankfurt, there is no shortage of venues and attractions that can be incorporated into your event – think of cooking classes, exclusive museum visits, and music venues or clubs to rent.
If you choose to venture out of Frankfurt, think of nearby historic castles to visit , relaxed day or half-day-cruises on the Rhein or Main river, or an outing into the nearby wine regions.
Timeframe for Corporate Social Events within vs outside of Frankfurt
The timeframe for your Corporate Social event consists of both the time needed for the activity itself and the time needed to get to and from the activity’s location. With that it is also important to consider that size matters: the more people you need to handle the more time you need to allocate. It is always easier and quicker to move 10 people from one place to another than to move 150 people. Also, with regards to transport, do consider roughly 45-60 Minutes travel time from Frankfurt center to any attractive destination outside of the city boundaries. And finally, consider possible rush hours, that may affect your transfers – the Frankfurt areas traffic is peaking between 4.30 pm and 6.00 pm.
Here are a couple of examples of corporate socials outside of Frankfurt – including wine tasting (and food).
Small group to medium size group (7-25 pax)
- A wine and food tasting in a historic cellar in Mainz followed by walking tour and dinner in a traditional wine tavern (leaving Frankfurt 16.00 hrs and return by 22.00hrs)
- A cellar tour in at well rated estate, including guided wine tasting, lunch in a countryside tavern, visit of a former cooperative cellar and tasting (leaving Frankfurt 10.00 hrs and return by 17.00 hrs)
Medium to large group 40-80 pax
- BBQ lunch buffet in a former abbey, hike in the vineyards and staggered guided visit and tasting in a family estate (leaving Frankfurt at 11.00 hrs and returning by 16.00 hrs)
- Historic castle cellar visit with ‘walking tasting’ during the visit, flying lunch and wine tasting a former distillery in the township of Rüdesheim (leaving Frankfurt at 11.00 hrs and returning by 16.00 hrs)
Very large group 80-120 pax
- Guided visit in a former monastery with the group split into smaller groups, ‘walking tasting’ at different stations in the monastery, light finger-food lunch in the facilities or on the monastery’s lawn (leaving Frankfurt 10.00 hrs and return by 16.00 hrs)
‘That’s all fine, but what about people who don’t drink alcohol?’ we can hear you ask. At BottleStops wine events drinking never takes the centerstage, we focus on the cultural and historic background of wine in the region, where wine has been part of daily life since ancient roman times. Also, we always provide non-alcoholic alternatives.
Hope this triggered your interest in having a truly local event near Frankfurt. Contact us at any time to discuss your corporate event needs.
