Gleneagles with the Canadians

I was lucky enough to enjoy an incredible familiarisation and education weekend recently, thanks to Ottawa Tourism.

Fuse have, and continue to manage regular events in Canada, so taking up the kind invitation from Ottawa Tourism was a no brainer, especially given the venue was The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland!

As a former golfer, Gleneagles has its obvious charms. But I’ve packed the clubs away now and have far more interest in other outdoor pursuits – and there were plenty on offer.

We kicked off the weekend with some Canadian canoeing. A gentle paddle around the loch? No chance….after an initial lesson from the excellent instructor, a ball and goals were introduced and all hell broke loose. As an icebreaker this was a brilliant event – by the end of the game we were all soaked (but safe), invigorated, best friends (or enemies), and I’d almost broken the hand of an Olympic swimming gold medalist (sorry Mark!).

The facilities at Gleneagles were outstanding throughout. A cynic could describe the hotel as an events factory, given there were at least 2 other group events going on at the same time as ours, but the layout of the hotel and the brilliant management of the event timings by the hotel team ensured there was always a feeling of exclusivity. I would certainly recommend the venue to some of our smaller incentive groups, not least because of the superb bedrooms.

I could write a blog about every brilliant activity we did (horse riding, gun dog training, massages, ceilidh) and every superb lunch and dinner (Burns Supper!), but lets keep it short by saying Gleneagles deserves its reputation as one of the leading hotels and resorts in the UK. There are enough activities, restaurants, and entertainment ideas to run a 10 day conference without seeing the same thing twice. I’m certainly looking forward to managing the first Fuse Events client conference at Gleneagles. 

As for our hosts at Ottawa Tourism…..I’ll be off to Ottawa soon so will report back!