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IPG Spring Conference Lisbon 4-7 May 2017
For the Spring IPG conference 94 delegates plus guests and spouses gathered in the beautiful city of Lisbon. One of the most ancient cities in the world offering rich heritage, a mild climate and an abundance of history and culture. The conference was held at the Dom Pedro Palace 5-star hotel.
A lot of members arrived early for the conference on Wednesday and took the opportunity to enjoy dinner in a typical Lisbon restaurant offering all kinds of delicious Portuguese specialities.
On Thursday there was the usual Tennis Tournament or Golf Tournament, held on this occasion at the Penha Longa Resort which is also used to host the Portuguese Open.
On Friday morning after a full breakfast at the hotel the official part of the conference commenced with our chairman Graham Wallace and the conference host Pedro Bastos from Oliveira Rego & Associados, SROC in Lisbon welcoming all of the delegates.
There were a series of very good presentations delivered during the day by guest speakers Goncalo Homem de Mello, Bruno Santiago, Armando Almeida, Sandra Augusto, Nadim Habib and Jan Willem Alphenaar. The speakers covered various topics including but not limited to the business environment in Portugal, various aspects of the local tax law, global strategy, innovation, disruptive technologies, entrepreneurship, social media, online trends and the use of LinkedIn for professionals.
Lunch was provided in the hotel and the afternoon was devoted to the IPG expert group presentations and linked in progress sessions with various break out groups being formed to facilitate further discussion. Following the close of the conference for the day all delegates and spouses met in the hotel Lobby to travel to the formal gala dinner which took place at the Conde d’ Óbidos Palace.
The gala dinner is often a highlight of the conference and this was no exception. In the aristocratic centre of Lisbon, leaning over the Tejo River, the palace has been used as the national headquarters of the Portuguese Red Cross (PRC) since the beginning of the XX century. Built in the XVII century, the palace provided an impressive and historic venue for the evening. We were treated to an ample supply of white port on arrival along with traditional Portugese country music before being invited to take our places for dinner.
The spouse program provided an ideal opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of Sintra along with a visit to the Pena Palace. Sintra is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is well known for its beauty. The village’s ancient palaces and huge castles include fantastic gardens containing many varieties of local and exotic plants.
On Saturday morning we had the General Meeting of IPG and listened to presentations from four new member firms which I am pleased to say were all successful.
- MT & PARTNERS LLP, Singapore
- BOSTON TRUST LIMITED, Malta
- PM DOTTORI COMMERCIALISTI, Italy
- LANGENDORFF TAX CONSULTANCY, The Netherlands
Following the close of the general meeting at midday lunch was then provided in the hotel with spouses before many took the opportunity to visit the Jerónimos Monastery. The monastery was built in 1502 on the site of a hermitage founded by Prince Henry the Navigator. It was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s voyages and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary.
Other popular options for sightseeing included the ancient castle overlooking the old town, the port area with its trendy bars and restaurants or alternatively joining a trip on a sailing boat to experience the amazing views of Lisbon from the water. Once everyone had made their way back to the hotel the conference was drawn to a close with a final dinner party at Rio’s Restaurant on Saturday evening.
I would like to personally thank our conference host Pedro Bastos, the IPG Board of Directors, Elke Bockisch and all the other people who played their part in making this a highly successful and enjoyable conference.
Ben Wilamowski
Managing Partner
Hamels Consultants LLP
Email: ben@hamelsconsultants.co.uk
Telephone: +44 207 079 0330
Fax: +44 207 079 0340
