Published by Neil ThompsonAs part of our Destination of the Month feature when we'll be learning lots of info about the wonderful city of PARIS. Kicking us off, our group Guru, Diane Thompson took some time out during her journey to the French capital (for the fab 'What's Up Day Paris - a learning expedition') to catch up with Inge Bauwens to chat all things Eurostar….
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Q. Hi Inge, lovely to meet and be travelling with you today on Eurostar, do you want to tell us a bit about your role at Eurostar?
A. I have been with Eurostar for nearly 10 years and I look after strategic partnerships with industry partners, I also look after Eurostar for business which is our booking platform for SME’s and I’m really pleased to be back working with the MICE industry.
Q. You can explore some of Europe’s top destinations, travelling by Eurostar, do you want to tell us a bit about these direct destinations and of course some amazing connecting routes?
A. We run London to Paris direct which is our most popular route and we’ve got London to Brussels as a direct route, and London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam is our newest route. The main European hub station is located in the heart of Brussels with connections made through to Germany and Holland. The change overs are easy, once you have checked in at London, you just change platform and don’t need to check in for the onward destinations.
Q. Specifically for the MICE market, when travelling in groups, you have assistance with luggage, unique onboard experiences and options to book out a whole coach for team trips, or even charter a whole train, do you want to tell us a bit about this?
A. Whether you are a smaller group or a larger group we have something for everyone. Exclusive carriages are fantastic for team building, and we have a wide selection of on board experiences such as quizzes, or wine tasting en route to Paris, and art workshops on the way to Brussels, so it’s about starting your event as soon as you board the train and using your time to try different activities.
Q. Globally everyone is very mindful of their Carbon Footprint, especially within our industry with some companies reconsidering how much or how often they need to travel, so how can Eurostar help us leave a lighter Carbon Footprint?
A. Very easily actually, if you travel London to Paris, one train compares to 13 flights, a huge difference which many people don’t realise. So in terms of carbon you will save a lot by taking the train rather than a flight. Most people are keen to travel to their destination as quickly as they can but you don’t have to do that, you can actually enjoy travelling to your destination and by travelling much slower, it doesn’t mean that you lose time, you can use that time productively on the train and even start your event as soon as you board the Eurostar and not have to wait until you reach your destination.
Q. Next year you will be celebrating 30 years of Eurostar, do you have anything exciting planned that you can share with us?
A. We have plans but no details that we can share yet. I can tell you that we are merging with Thalys, so from October, Eurostar and Thalys will be one company and there will be a new Eurostar brand launched in October. As Eurostar Group, we want to carry 30 million passengers a year on all of our routes by 2030 so it really is an exciting time for us.
For more information on using Eurostar for business contact: eurostarforbusiness@eurostar.com
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We have worked closely with Paris je t'aime tourist office and Atout France in partnership with the Paris Region Tourism Board to bring you this content
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