Social Programme
All external events will depart from the Hyatt Hotel. Please meet in the lobby.
Saturday evening
Welcome cocktail party and buffet
The 2014 international conference opens with a welcome cocktail party in the Ballroom at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. A buffet supper will be served, with the opportunity to taste a number of different German regional delicacies. An ideal opportunity to renew friendships and meet new colleagues.
Where to meet: Grand Ballroom – 1st floor
Time: 19.30-23.30
Sunday
Visit to Potsdam
The group will visit Potsdam, 24 kilometres (15 miles) from the centre of Berlin. Over the last 300 years, Potsdam has been transformed from a garrison town, into one of Europe’s most imposing royal capitals, boasting 17 palaces, extensive landscaped gardens and the beautiful river Havel.
There will be a choice of two different tours, after which the whole group will meet together for lunch, at restaurant Fischerhütte a charming “chalet style” building, which sits on the edge of a lake.
Tour 1 – Palaces
The group will be taken by a guide around the Orangery and the New Chambers, followed by a tour of the historical gardens of Sancoussi Park. The Orangery, built by Frederick Wilhelm IV, between 1851 and 1864, is in an Italian Renaissance style, and houses former Royal apartments and servants’ quarters. It is situated in Sancoussi Park, close to Fredrick’s summer palace. The New Chambers – a palace used to accommodate guests - was converted from the old orangery in 1771. It is on the edge of Sancoussi Park and contains a number of opulently decorated ceremonial halls and private suites. (Maximum 250 persons for the trip).
PalacesHYPERLINK " " Potsdam
Time: 08.45-16.00
Tour 2 – Boat trip
The group will be taken on an hour’s guided boat trip along the river Havel, passing several of the beautiful palaces of Potsdam.
On arrival at Potsdam Harbour, the group will board a riverboat for a scenic journey past the Glienicke Bridge, where spies where swapped between the American and Soviet sectors during the Cold War. The first time this happened was in 1962, when the American pilot of an espionage U-2 and KGB spy Rudolf Ivanevich Abel were exchanged. Continue to the lovely Cecilienhof Palace. The palace was built in 1916 in the style of an English country house and was the site of the Allied Potsdamer Conference, where the borders of Europe were redrawn after World War II. A historic conference was held here between Churchill, Truman and Stalin to arrange the future of defeated Germany. (Maximum 150 persons for the trip).
This will be followed by a half-hour bus tour of Potsdam and an opportunity to discover the “Dutch Quarter” by foot. A large collection of properties were built between 1734 and 1742, in a Dutch style, to house immigrants from the Netherlands. This area has now become a popular place for visitors to explore arts,crafts and antique shops, galleries, workshops and cafés.(Maximum 150 persons for the trip).
Time: 09.15-16.00
Monday evening
Tipi am Kanzleramt
Enjoy an evening at Tipi, a spectacular theatre designed to look like a marquee. Many famous German and international artists perform cabaret and variety shows here nightly, often interacting with the audience.
Supper will be served and then everyone will be entertained by a group of artists performing various songs from the well-known show ‘Cabaret’ – a musical set in 1931 Berlin.
Tipi am HYPERLINK "
Time: 18.45-22.30
Tuesday evening
Gala dinner and dance at the German Historical Museum
The gala dinner will be held in the magnificent ballroom of the German Historical Museum. The museum, is housed in the Baroque-style “Zeughaus” building - the former armoury - which was built in 1695. Founded in 1987, it now has a collection of some 900,000 artefacts, including militaria from the armoury.
Enjoy a cocktail, dinner and dancing to a live band in wonderful surroundings.
Museum
Time: 19.00-24.00