Latvia, Estonia & Lithuania
Proven Latvia, Estonia & Lithuania Destination Management Company: DMC and Planner for Specialist
Incentive, Conference, Event and Convention Travel Organiser Worldwide
COUNTRY MAP
(Map by kind permission of the CIA Official Website)
General Information
Company
Discover the Baltics with the experts…
Experience, creativity and innovation are the keywords for our company.
We
have many years of experience in creating successful conferences and
congresses, creative events and innovative incentive trips.
Con-ex
is very well known as one of the largest providers of high quality
incentives, special event programmes and as a professional congress
organiser in all three Baltic States.
Some of our experiences include: a successful handling of the NATO
Summit in Riga in 2006, World Ice Hockey Championship 2006, Eurovision
Song Contest in 2003 and conferences, congresses and incentives for
cooperate clients like L'Oreal, Novartis, Siemens, Coca Cola, SAP, Novo
Nordisk and a wide range of Baltic and international organisations.
Con-ex is represented in the three Baltic capitals: Vilnius in Lithuania, Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia.
Since
1998 the company has been a proud member of International Congress
& Convention Association - ICCA - and is furthermore a IATA
licensed company ensuring full range of air travel services.
Con-ex … because we know experience matters!
Let us be the planner for your next meeting or event.
For unique ideas in Latvia please view the following link: Con-ex presentation on Tallinn / Riga / Vilnius
Destinations
The Baltic States - 3 Charming countries to discover…
Dispel
the myths of the Baltics and explore the true story of three countries
characterised by growth, progress and trendy lifestyles!
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - the charming tree Baltic countries!
The
capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius represent architectural beauty,
fashionable shopping, culinary experiences, exciting nightlife and the
contrasts of Old and New Europe.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
give you amazing experiences of nature, historical castles, sports
activities and luxury spa resorts.
The countryside of the Baltics is a wealth of forests, lakes, rivers, bogs and fascinating animal and plant life.
Old castles and manor houses form the perfect settings for business events and memorable seminars.
Baltic similarities - what do we share?
The size
- The Baltic countries are among the small European countries when it
comes to their sizes, which are between 45,000 - 65,000 km². For
comparison Germany is more than twice the size of the Baltic States
together.
Coastlines - all three countries have coastlines to the
Baltic Sea: Lithuania with 99 km, Latvia with 497 km and Estonia with
3,794 km of which 1,242 km are on the mainland and 2,552 are divided
among the islands.
History - all the Baltic States thrived on trade. They were
frequently dominated by their large neighbours and signs of this can
still be found in food, language and architecture. In particular, the
historical events and developments of the 20th century were shared by
the three Baltic States. They share the same Soviet heritage and in
1989 the three nations gathered in a 600km human chain from Tallinn
over Riga to Vilnius to draw attention to their common historical fate
during the last 50 years.
Love of singing - every nation has its own song contest every
5th year. Here thousands of people gather to sing traditional songs and
perform traditional dances.
Wooden architecture - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have a unique style of wooden architecture in the countryside.
And Baltic diversity - how do we differ?
Languages
- each of the Baltic countries has their own language. Lithuanian and
Latvian are the only remaining Baltic languages. The two nationalities
understand each other to a limited extend. Estonian is from a different
language group and similar to Finnish.
Nature and landscape - Estonia has the longest coastline and
1,500 islands. Neither Lithuania nor Latvia has any islands. Instead
Lithuania has the largest sand dune and Latvia the longest white, sand
beaches.
Lithuania has the largest deposit of amber and Latvia the second largest. In Estonia you will search in vain for amber!
Religion - 85% of the Lithuanian population is Catholics,
whereas the dominant religion in Estonia is Evangelical Lutheranism. In
the middle, Latvia is an absolute mix of religions with Evangelical
Lutherans, Catholics, Russian Orthodox and even rare groups of Russian
Old-Believers.
History - The only former Kingdom in the Baltic
States is Lithuania, which also has had strong Polish influence
historically. Latvia has been strongly influenced by Germany, and
Estonia by both Germany and Scandinavia.
Architecture - Because of the historical influences the
Baltic capitals have very different architectures. Vilnius in Lithuania
is dominated by baroque architecture. Riga is called the capital of Art
Nouveau or known as Jugendstil from German. Tallinn is one of the
best-preserved medieval cities of Europe with 80% of the original city
wall still intact.
Sport - Cross-country skiing is the most popular sport in
Estonia, while the Latvians prefer ice hockey and bobsleigh.
Lithuanians choose to cheer their local and national basketball teams.
Lifestyle - Latvia is the heart of the Baltics with the
largest airport and the most cosmopolitan capital of the Baltic States.
Estonia has a technological lead and the largest passenger port in the
Baltics. Lithuania is the geographical "centre point" of Europe and
most traditional country of the Charming Three Baltic States!
Example Programme
MISSION RIGA
DAY 1
Meet & Greet at airport.
Transport service throughout with experienced guides.
Secret identification cards for each agent taking part in the secret mission.
Welcome present.
Organ concert, singing tenors, chocolate tasting.
Get-together dinner.
DAY 2
Travel by coach to Sigulda. Sigulda Adventure, – the
tour starts from your hotel in Riga along the main street and takes you
to a small resort town located 52 km from Riga in a hilly region
located on picturesque banks of the Gauja River. The fabulous landscape
will give the idea of the district, which is called affectionately
"Latvia's Switzerland ".
Entrance to Turaida Castle.
Aerodium, 2 min. flight.
Lunch, field kitchen.
Off-road trip.
Dinner in local restaurant.
DAY 3
Boat trip to the largest seaside resort of the Baltics - Jurmala.
Lunch.
Fish tasting.
Riga City Rally, 8-10 different stations.
Dinner.
DAY 4
Product tasting in Riga Central Market.
Transfer back to airport.
This is just a sample programme in Riga - We also offer Tallinn and
Vilnius. There are so many possibilities, which we can customise to
your specific needs. Contact us!
Suggested Sightseeing
TALLINN CITY TOUR
A 3-hour tour taking the participants
to the Baroque Catharina Palace, the ruins of St. Brigitta's Convent
and more. In the medieval Old Town the tour includes Toompea Hill on
which Tallinn was founded, the Parliament house, Alexander Nevsky
Orthodox Cathedral and the Dome Church.
KADRIORG PALACE, TALLINN
Tour to the baroque Kadriorg
Palace, which was founded in 1721 by the Russian Emperor Peter the
Great as a gift to his wife Catharine II.
RIGA CITY TOUR
A 2 hour tour in the Hanseatic city of
Riga. Strolling the cobblestone streets of the Old Town the
participants will see the Dome Cathedral, the Church of St. Peter, the
Guild houses, the Swedish Gate, the architectural ensemble Three
Brothers and many beautiful restored buildings.
SIGULDA & TURAIDA CASTLE, LATVIA
Situated in the Gauja
River Valley 50 km from Riga is the town of Sigulda - a popular leisure
destination in beautiful surroundings with bobsleighing track, ski
slopes and nature trails. The tour includes a visit of the 13th century
Turaida Castle with local history museum and a 30m high fortification
tower.
VILNIUS CITY TOUR
A 3 hour tour to historical places of
the 16th - 19th centuries like Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Castle on a
hill in town, the elegant St. Anne's Cathedral, Vilnius University and
the Gate of Dawn with a miraculous icon of Virgin Mary.
TRAKAI TOUR, LITHUANIA
A 4-hour tour to Trakai 28 km from
Vilnius. Trakai is the ancient capital of the Lithuanian Grand
Principality and it is famous for its redbrick Gothic castle from the
early 15th century built on an island in lake Galve. The castle is a
museum and a charming small town with attractive old wooden houses.
A bit more than just a tour…
WALK TO TALLINN OLD TOWN SQUARE
Walk to Raekoja - Town
Square, on the way you'll have a sip of ice-cold vodka with a pickled
cucumber. Concert in the St. Nicholas Museum-Concert Hall, Visit of the
Marzipan Museum, every guest will get a little marzipan figure as a
souvenir.
RIGA CITY TOUR EXCLUSIVE WITH HIGHLIGHTS
You will enjoy
the singing tenors in Konvent Yard, special organ concert in Riga Dome
Cathedral, Riga Black Balsam tasting, chocolate sampling, and more…
THE "MONTMARTRE"OF VILNIUS
Visit to the Republic of
Uzupis, the so called Monmartre of Vilnius. Mysterious personages will
lead you off the beaten track… You will not only see the works of
craftsmen and artists, but will be able to try one of the crafts
yourself.
Your Event…but in a special place!
GALA DINNER IN RIGA
The prominent building of Latvian
National Opera House on Aspazijas Boulevard in Riga is commonly called
by locals the "White House". It was designed by Architect Ludwig
Bohnstedt and built from 1860 to 1863 as the Riga German Theatre. The
facade of the building reminds of a temple of Ancient Greece. A great
place to hold a Gala Dinner!
ICE ARENA, RIGA - "A BANQUET ON ICE"
Need something
special, interesting and indifferent for your event? Why not have a
gala evening or event on ice? The SIEMENS Ice Arena just 15 km from the
city center of Riga offers the possibility to arrange a banquet on
ice.A wide range of team building and sportive activities like funny
ice-hockey games or obstacle course games etc. can also be arranged.
MONASTERY RECEPTION IN TALLINN
Reception in the Dominican
Monastery, which is the oldest cloister in downtown Tallinn. The
Monastery was founded in 1246. The structure of the building is that of
a typical Catholic cloister.
GALA DINNER AT VILNIUS CITY HALL
A symbol of the city's
self-government, which has been located in one of the most picturesque
spots of Vilnius, the heart of Old Town, for over six hundred years.
Seated dinner with classical music performed by accomplished players
and singers.
Convention Centres
- Arena Riga
- Kipsala Hall, Riga
- Saku Suurhall, Tallinn
- Le Meridien Villon Resort, Vilnius
A Few Extra Touches
- Black Balzam tasting
- Blacksmith making coins with company logo
- Candlelit dinner in church with concert
Welcome Gifts
- Riga Black Balsam - a Latvian 'cure-it-all' drink
- Amber souvenirs - from the Baltic Amber Coast
This is just a small section of the possibilities we can offer!