Furniture from Austrian designers ensures premium comfort, while warm earthy shades provide the inspiration for the colour scheme.
Turn up, make yourself at home and get down to work just as if you were in your own office. From 2015 a pair of new catering partners – MOTTO Catering and M*EVENTCATERING– and a contemporary business lounge with its very own Viennese coffeehouse will help to create a new way of working at the Austria Center Vienna.
For two years, Managing Director Susanne Baumann-Sollner has been at the helm of Austria’s largest conference centre, which has a strong reputation in Austria and abroad thanks to its flexible layouts and state-of-the-art conferencing equipment. The new strategic approach, which prioritises digitisation and visitor wellbeing, will be brought into even sharper focus from 2015 onwards.
Working–relaxation and networking Opportunities to relax and network are among participants’ top priorities for the breaks between meetings as they look to decompress ahead of the next keynote talk or workshop. To answer this need, the Austria Center Vienna is currently working on setting up an innovative business lounge for delegates with its very own Viennes e coffeehouse right next door. “The business lounge has been designed as a relaxation area with comfortable seating and all the connections that participants need. There are also state-of-the-art workspaces for visitors to use in the intelligently designed and attractive work zone,” explained Managing Director Susanne Baumann-Sollner. Scheduled to open in March 2015, the new lounge will feature a total of 135 PC stations.
The innovative space was designed by Viennese architects Albert Wimmer ZT-GmbH, who were also responsible for drawing up the plans for the adjoining coffeehouse. A contemporary Viennese coffeehouse with seating for 90 guests is taking shape with the support of the Austria Center Vienna team and Bernd Schlacher of MOTTO Catering who willoperate the new coffeehouse. It combines typically Viennese elements such as wood panelling with the kind of style elements that MOTTO is famous for, such as slate tables.
Furniture from Austrian designers ensures premium comfort, while warm earthy shades provide the inspiration for the colour scheme. “We wanted to create quiet zones for our delegates where they could network digitally and face-to-face in an appealing setting,” concluded Baumann-Sollner.
New take on catering thanks to two new partners Visitor wellbeing and creating unforgettable experiences are playing an increasingly important role at events and conferences. Large-scale international conventions and gala events for several thousand guests place special demands on the catering team. “Which is why we chose MOTTO Catering and M*EVENTCATERING–two caterers that stand out for their quality, commitment to regional ingredients and excellent service. They are also prepared to go the extra mile when it comes to meeting event organisers’ and delegates’ precise requirements, and are fully committed to our new strategy,” Baumann-Sollner commented. Both partners will provide catering services at the centre from 2015 onwards and are already on hand to help existing and potential customers plan the culinary side of their events at the Austria Center Vienna.
Trendy MOTTO look and feel
As well as looking after guests during the events themselves, MOTTO Catering has various treats in store for visitors as the operator of the new coffeehouse. To deliver the best possible service the company will be relocating its headquarters to the Austria Center Vienna, where a gleaming new 2,000-square-meter kitchen is taking shape. The in-demand contemporary caterer has been setting new standards in Austria for years, and has made a name for itself with its innovative and tailor-made culinary approaches. Bernd Schlacher and Dominika Gschmeidler are currently hard at work developing a new catering line for the Austria Center Vienna which covers every aspect from the composition of the dishes to special buffet ideas, including flying buffets and lunch boxes. The culinary journey through the capital’s culinary heritage is brought to life at every turn, with MOTTO combining classic Viennese elements with contemporary approaches to fine food. “There are many different sides to Vienna–and it’s this variety that is at the heart of the city’s legendary charm. These different lifestyles are expressed in our culinary creations–in addition to classic mini bundt cakes and a homage to the Neptune fountain at Schonbrunn Palace featuring wine glasses and delicious Viennese spring water fresh from the taps that creates an impressive water fountain, we serve contemporary Viennese street food such as crispy beef tartare and Wiener schnitzel pralines as fingerfood. We also transform culinary zones into hip take aways. For us, it’s essential that the food matches the people,” explained 2013 restaurateur of the year, Bernd Schlacher.
MOTTO Catering sources its ingredients from Austria’s top growing regions represented by the Genussregion label and works closely with top organic suppliers such as Joseph Brot and the Haschahof farm. Since presentation plays such an important role in the overall dining experience, the company places great emphasis on blending traditional values and creativity.
Fresh flowers and local herbs give MOTTO’s dishes that special something, while its use of different textures, as well as contrasting aesthetics and flavours creates unique visual and sensory experiences –something that is perhaps best illustrated by its willingness to break with convention and combine hot and cold dishes.
M*EVENTCATERING: where tradition meets innovation
M*EVENTCATERING, headed by Carl-Wolfgang Stubenberg and Waldemar Benedict, also ranks among the nation’s top caters. The company will have a 500-square-metre kitchen at the Austria Center Vienna which it will use to put a new spin on traditional, regional dishes as a forward-looking supplier that remains true to its Austrian roots.
M*EVENTCATERING’s dishes embrace culinary diversity. In addition to its internationally popular Viennese Classics line, the caterer also has a wide range of American, Middle Eastern and Asian specialities in its repertoire. International dishes are approached from an innovative and creative angle, while presentation methods such as live cooking and flying buffets are used to cast the finished product in the best possible light. From chanterelle mushroom goulash to Thai chicken curry–M*EVENTCATERING is famous for serving its creations in its very own REX glasses, a product line that always shines at events with large numbers of guests. Thanks to the company’s well-drilled logistics, the glasses can be used for warm and cold dishes alike.
Quality ingredients and nutritionally-balanced recipes are at the heart of everything that Stubenberg and Benedict do. “We are in step with all the latest international trends, and we have enlisted the support of a dietician for the scientific side of things who helps us to optimise our portfolio on an ongoing basis,” Stubenberg noted. There are no limits when it comes to conjuring up creative vegetarian, vegan and brainfood dishes.
M*EVENTCATERING also has an unmistakable visual presence, with special overlays for buffet areas, a custom range of Plexiglas cubes for bread rolls and cutlery which gives every buffet that typical M* look.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
