Firenze TempletonTempleton

Templeton has been specialising in events and incentives for client companies since its foundation by our current directors in 1994. Unlike many other companies in our field, Templeton has declined offers of purchase or merger from larger, more diverse organisations, and remains completely independent. This enables us to use whichever venues, events and suppliers we feel are best suited to the needs of our clients.

We have no vested interest other than winning and maintaining the loyalty of our clients through our performance.

Because we are a small, specialist company, every contact a client has with Templeton is with people who are experienced and highly-motivated professionals. Whether you are attending a world-famous sporting event with customers, or rewarding your colleagues with a custom-made experience, using Templeton ensures that everything will be remembered for all the right reasons.

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We at Templeton offer a range of superb conference facilities in , Italy for 30 to 300 people.

Florence is one of the most visited destinations in the world. At least once in a lifetime, you’d like to take a close look at the of Michelangelo, or the Venere of Botticelli, or visit the Gallery, the Pitti Palace, the , Brunelleschi’s Dome, etc. etc.

As a matter of fact, there are few places in the world that have such a huge concentration of monuments and masterpieces in such a small space. Location

Florence is a city of art, the birthplace of the Italian language and a cradle of European culture. Renaissance figures including Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, , Leonoardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael all made their debut in Florence. At least once in a lifetime, you’d like to take a close look at the David of Michelangelo, or the Venere of Botticelli, or visit the Uffizi Gallery, the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens, Brunelleschi’s Dome, or perhaps just stroll across the . As a matter of fact, there are few places in the world that have such a huge concentration of monuments and masterpieces in such a small space.

We believe that given the profile of a progressive company’s target audience, highly educated professionals who are probably well-travelled, it makes more sense to identify the company in their minds with cities such as Florence, than with other, shall we say less sophisticated, destinations. The chances are also that many of them will have been to Florence before, and would welcome the chance to return.

Florence Airport (Amerigo Vespucci) is served by many domestic and international flights on a daily basis. The airport is just three miles north-west of Florence, a twenty to thirty minute road transfer to the city centre. Visitors may also fly in to Pisa, fifty miles to the west. As Florence has recently started to grow in popularity as a conference and exhibition venue, people obviously have no difficulty getting there. When designing conference proposals we seek to meet the following criteria:

1 The conference has to be held in an environment where our client can successfully transmit its educational content to the delegates. The facilities at the venue and the expertise and experience of its staff must be suitable for conferences at this level.

2 The proportion of people invited who subsequently go on to become attendees must be maximised. Thus the location used, and the environment in which the conference is to take place, must be attractive to the sort of people that you will be inviting. We must also seek to minimise the drop-out rate among those who initially accept invitations.

3 Whilst making the conference as appealing as possible, we must work within strict ethical limits, to make sure that all proceedings are compliant with current rulings, and that the conference is, and is seen to be, of a strictly educational nature.

4 Having been both educationally successful and an enjoyable experience, the conference itself will become a marketing tool for future company conferences. Not only will those who attended be more likely to accept future invitations, but when the delegates tell fellow professionals who did not attend of their experience, these will also be more likely to accept future invitations.

5 In the longer term, the arrangements in this proposal should form the foundation for establishing your brand as the industry leader in holding fully compliant, yet highly enjoyable conferences. TYPICAL TEMPLETON CONFERENCE FLORENCE

150 Delegates

Delegates Accommodation: FRIDAY 1 SMN Hotel 4**** Breakfast 2 Minerva Hotel 4**** 07:45 Check out of Hotel 3 Astoria Hotel 4**** 08:30 Assemble in Hotel Lobby 4 Rivoli Hotel 4**** 08:45 Escorted Transfer to Villa La Pietra to include luggage for those transferring to Airport after Lunch WEDNESDAY 09:15 Commence Conference Minivan Transfer from Florence Airport to City Centre Hotel 11:00 Coffee on the 1st Floor Terrace 19:30 Guests Assemble at their Hotel Reception. 13:00 Lunch served on Montughi Terrace Guests are Walked to Firenze Loft Venue situated Piazza del Carmine 14:15 Escorted Transfer to Florence Airport or City Centre Drinks & Traditional Buffet Dinner available from 20:00 until 23:00 Drinks Available Until 00:00 Guests Walked Back to their Hotel EVENT NOTES:

THURSDAY Details of projection system to be discussed - rear projection Breakfast system available at conference centre. Base all transfers on Florence Airport and apply surcharge for 08:00 Rendezvous with Hostess in Hotel Lobby Pisa/Bologna. Bar will available at the Pomario Garden from 18:15 08:10 Transfer to Villa La Pietra 08:30 Conference Registration Hotel 4**** 09:00 Commence Conference http://www.hotelsantamarianovella.it/eng/index_eng.htm 11:00 Coffee on the 1st Floor Terrace 13:00 Lunch served on Montughi Terrace Minerva Hotel 4**** 14:00 Recommence Conference http://www.grandhotelminerva.com/ 16:00 Coffee on the 1st Floor Terrace 18:00 End of Session Astoria Hotel 4**** http://www.boscolohotels.com/eng/hotels/astoria/4star_hotel_florence.htm 18:15 Escorted Transfer to your Hotel or for those wishing to remain at Villa La Pietra we offer a guided tour of Rivoli Hotel 4**** the Art Collection and/or Gardens http://rivoli.hotelinfirenze.com/

19:10 Assemble in Hotel Lobby for Escorted Transfer to Pomario Walled Garden Loft Firenze at Villa La Pietra http://www.loftafirenze.it/home_ita.html 19:40 Drinks Reception in the Pomario Garden with Gala Contemporary Dinner served in the Limonaia afterwards NYU Villa La Pietra 23:15 Bar Closes http://www.nyu.edu/lapietra/home.html 23:30 Escorted Transfer to your Hotel

The party will be accompanied by Templeton staff on all transfers, guided tours and dinners. All guests must arrange their own travel and medical insurance before arrival. LOFTA FIRENZE Tuscan traditional cuisine combined with quality wine. The chefs prepare new dishes daily with the best seasonal produce available on the market. Accommodation

You will notice that none of the hotels we use has a five-star rating – the client cannot therefore be accused of conspicuous over-extravagance in the accommodation offered to delegates. However, an interesting aspect of hotel ratings is probably best described thus:

Just remember--the ratings on the outside of the building are based on an objective assessment and are not in any way related to ambiance, charm or other subjective criteria. Think . Guido, a government pencil pusher for his whole life, goes into a hotel with a checklist. Is there a restaurant? Yes or No. In the end there's going be a count of all the yeses that will intimately bestow the hotel with some number of government stars. Don't expect a qualitative review. Guido is about as likely to rate the ambiance or romantic qualities of the room as I am to sing Don Giovanni at the Milan Opera house dressed in a garter belt and silk stockings. James Martin – About.com

The hotels we use are four-star, but they are boutique hotels. Unlike the chain-owned establishments you might find in a business district or in a beach resort, these hotels just aren’t big enough to tick enough boxes ever to get five stars. The rooms, however, are all different from each other, even within the same hotel let alone between them, and the overall standards are far superior. Again it is a matter of seeking a little more quality rather than following the herd. Conference venue - La Pietra estate

La Pietra is the home of in Florence.

La Pietra owes its name to the milestone that used to mark its distance to the nearest gateway to Florence, Porta San Gallo. The estate includes five villas, olive groves and a historical garden. The heart of the estate is Villa La Pietra, built by the Macinghi family. The original building dates back to the 1300s, but it was restored in the Renaissance when it was acquired by Tommaso Sassetti, a banking partner of Cosimo de’Medici.

The last owners, the Actons, furnished the Villa with a remarkable art collection which spans across the centuries. The historical garden, another Acton creation, is second in importance only to the Boboli Gardens in Florence, with spectacular views over the city.

When the last descendant of the Actons passed away in 1994, La Pietra was bequeathed to New York University.

The estate includes five historic villas: Villa La Pietra, home to the art collection. Villa Coletta, dedicated to the academic program Villa Natalia, dedicated to the academic program Villa Ulivi dedicated to the academic program Villa Sassetti International Conference & Events Centre

The estate has facilities for

Conferences for up to 450 people Parallel sessions can be held in our seven conference rooms located in Villa Sassetti Plenary sessions can be held in Villa La Pietra’s Limonaia or at Villa Sassetti

Villa Sassetti’s closed-circuit video surveillance system helps monitor events where the security of high-level guests is of utmost importance. For me beauty is the vital principle pervading the universe: glistening in stars, glowing in flowers, moving with clouds, flowing with water, permeating nature and mankind. By contemplating the myriad manifestations of this vital principle we expand into something greater than we were born” , 1948

La Pietra, an historic Florentine residence on a 57 acre estate, is located on one of the foothills surrounding Florence, approached by Via Bolognese just one Roman mile from the city gate of San Gallo (today Piazza della Libertà). Its history is mainly connected with three well- known families: the Sassetti in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Capponi from the 16th to the 19th century, and the Actons during the last century. At Sir Harold Acton's death in 1994, La Pietra was bequeathed to New York University, one of the largest donations ever received by an academic institution. The main villa preserves its historic furnishings as well as a famous collection of works of art from the time of the Actons. It is surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy, also created by the Actons. The estate, which includes four other villas, now serves as the University's centre for overseas studies in Florence, and as an international conference centre. Through a careful program of restoration and renovation NYU is committed to perpetuate Sir Harold's desire for La Pietra to be preserved as a vibrant educational and cultural centre.

Getting around As the delegates do not stay at the conference venue, it is possible that some concerns could arise with regard to transport. With this in mind, there is a very detailed explanation of where everything is below, but a more general description would be: The hotels (including the pick-up point for transfers to La Pietra) are all within a couple of hundred yards of each other, and to the conference centre is a fifteen minute drive. The venue for the buffet reception, Lofta Firenze, is a few hundred yards’ escorted stroll away, through extremely pleasant surroundings. Some places to visit in beautiful Firenze…

Piazza del Duomo

Galleria degli Uffizi – book tickets in advance

Palazzo Vecchio

Masterpieces by Michelangelo in the Galleria dell’Accademia

Museo del

San Lorenzo and Tombe Medicee

Galleria Palatina in

Masterpieces by Beato Angelico in the Museo di San Marco

Frescoes by Ghirlandio in Santa Maria Novella

Frescoes by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi in the Capella Brancacci in San Spirito Frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli in Palazzo Medici-Riccardi

Inspect not one, but two David’s courtesy of and Michelangelo

Praise the work of the great Renaissance sculptors at

Stroll and shop along Via Calimala and Via Maggio

Check out the massive antique globes in the Museo di Storia e Scienza

Sip a cappuccino in the Kaffeehaus at the Boboli Gardens

See the amazing Last Suppers at Ognissanti and Sant’Apollonia

Admire the work of Gozzoli in the Cappella dei Magi at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi

Pay homage to Fra Angelico at Museo di San Marco

Take in the view from the terrace of

Enjoy a picnic at Forte di Templeton Limited The Gallery Grosvenor Waterside London SW1W 8QN Office +44 (0)20 7258 0679 Justin +44 (0)7770 588 668 www.templeton-hospitality.com