After a year and a half of planning, we brought to life one of the most ambitious programs we have ever created. This company was celebrating a milestone anniversary, so they wanted to take their annual business trip to the next level. So what better place to go to than the beautiful region of Tuscany, Italy? During the planning process, we collaborated with the right-hand of the CEO. This helped us fully understand the values ​​of the company, so we could incorporate them into the supplier choices and program for the event; the key values ​​we focused on were family-owned businesses and sustainable practices.

On Thursday, the guests began to arrive after a day of traveling from the Netherlands to Italy. We were responsible for booking their flights, which we are able to do with ease as a certified travel agency. This group of 52 employees and their spouses were invited to stay at the stunning Torra a Corna wine estate, which we also were responsible for selecting and coordinating all the arrangements with. That evening, their weekend of festivities began with a tour of the property and a cozy welcome party. They went on a tour of the gorgeous wine estate, where they enjoyed a wine tasting from the grapes grown on the property. When they arrived at the garden, they found an Italian market where they could go around to the booths; here they got to enjoy aperitifs and a selection of canapés with local cheeses and meats.

The overarching theme of the weekend was “A Journey of the Senses” which we included in every aspect of their program. To make it interactive, every activity was scored with a points system, and the top three high scores received prizes at the end of the weekend. Dinner was catered by a family-owned company who creates authentic Italian food using local produce with a focus on sustainability, where they make sure to use every part of their ingredients. This meal was a true journey of the senses, where guests were served three courses. Instead of a normal menu, it was a quiz card that the guests filled out. For the first course, they were served three types of bruschetta without knowing the main ingredient. The guest had to taste and guess the ingredient and received points for a correct guess. One of the unique bruschetta has an acidic tapenada from the small grapes that are pulled off the wine stem in order to allow the bigger grapes better growth. The second course was a classic ravioli dish, and the sense they were quizzed on was sound. Three opera singers performed famous songs, and they had to guess the title each song. The last course tested their sight, where they had to guess the ingredient of the dish without tasting it. The dish was an old traditional recipe from the region made with pork, but appears to be a sort of tuna fish because of the color and cut, this is called Tuna de Chianti. After the dinner service ended, guests were surprised by a traditional gelato stand. This tested their senses because there were a few gelato flavors that were non-traditional, such as a whiskey and cigar flavor.

Friday was a day of workshops, where the guests split into workshops based on their preferences. These three workshops all focused on the sense of smell. We also had a super exciting opportunity for guests where they got to drive themselves to or from the workshops in iconic vintage Italian cars. It was truly a sight to see the parade of beautiful cars traveling through the Tuscan landscape and the streets of Florence, and how happy everyone was to be driving in them.

Workshop one was a coffee tasting. They went to a local coffee roaster and tried a variety of beans. Here, they did cupping to taste the coffee, smelled the notes, decided on the coffee profile and scored the coffee using the chart. They got to help make their coffees and it was truly a joy for coffee-lovers. Something really special about this experience was they got to use extremely rare award winning coffee beans, which are typically only used in professional competitions. They did a tasting competition as well, and the top three got points towards the competition.

Workshop two was a truffle hunting tour, which is unique to this region and is truly a once in a lifetime experience. With guidance of a truffle hunter and his talented dogs, this group went into the woods of the wine estate to search, where they successfully found truffles! They used these truffles to make a delicious truffle pasta, where they even made the pasta from scratch. The top three best pasta dishes were given points towards the competition.

Workshop three was a super unique perfume making experience. They went to an authentic perfume store in the heart of Florence and were taught about the components that make up a perfume (top, heart, and base notes). They then got to smell a large selection of pure oils and rated them based on preference. The experts created a balance of the scents, and each guest got to take his or her custom scent home. The top three favorite scents were given points towards the competition.

Later in the evening, guests were brought to the Uffizi Galleries, which is home to many iconic works; the Birth of Venus by Botticelli, work from Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. This was a private guided tour, which creates a different environment compared to going to a museum during regular hours. You are able to sit with the artwork completely by yourself, in utter silence. It is a once in a lifetime experience, and really tests your sense of sight, but also is emotional for every sense in your body.

After the private museum tour, they were invited to a stunning rooftop location where they enjoyed a stunning meal from the #1 ranked caterer in all of Tuscany. There was a live violin and harp player. Beautiful views of the most iconic buildings in the city. Live dessert making of the traditional Italian millefoglie. That night was truly a feast for all the senses. In fact, the whole weekend was. It was a weekend where these employees were celebrated for their years of success. Immersed in Italian culture. And got to explore their senses in the most fulfilling ways possible.