I have been to a lot of seminars over the years, at locations that were definitely not fit for that sort of thing.
Last week, I experienced quite the opposite: one of the locations of Chateauform', the Chateau Ronqueux.
Located at about 1,5 hrs from Paris, this beautiful castle is just the place for some quality time away with your colleagues. If you want to combine work and fun, without the distractions of a bustling city for example or the office too close to "get away from it all" this is the place.
The location features several houses on the grounds which comprise of bedrooms and meeting rooms, the latter equipped with everything you need for a successful seminar/conference/teambuilding, whatever the purpose.
The chateau itself comprises a few bedrooms but mostly serves as the breakfast, lunch, and aperitif/dinner-and-party-location. The food is excellent by the way, so is the service.
It is advisable to check on who uses the castle at the same time or whether the castle has the exact (or approx.) number of bedrooms you need, as you will then enjoy exclusivity. You can use the rooms as if you were living here, moving between the different areas, and partying after a long day - using the open bar to your heart's content.
With so much available to use on the grounds (bikes, archery etc.) you can meet, learn and play as much as you like, with the food supply seemingly never ending.
The landlords are always live-in couples who serve as your hosts but quietly keep in the background, just a call away if needed.
Chateauform' really is an amazing concept - founded by J. Horovitz who has experienced many seminars himself and thus knew exactly what was missing. Although quite costly (delegate packages vary from castle to castle), the all-inclusive package has the huge advantage of knowing exactly what your conference is going to cost - before you have even had it. If this is not peace of mind I don't know what is.
I hope to be able to experience Chateauform' again - in any of their locations in Europe - or even booking one myself.. read more
