BNC on the Orient Express

On Friday 29th October BNC members stepped back in time for a memorable journey aboard the British Pullman Orient Express. They were treated to a fabulous four-hour journey that included a five-course lunch with Champagne, wine and a liqueur and a Champagne reception at Whitstable.
Their every need was catered for by extremely attentive staff, leaving our group with plenty of time to relax, totally take in the experience and chat with each other. "Few journeys will take you out of modern time quite so thoroughly and into another era," the invitation said and I think our club members agreed. Here's what a few of them said:

Some of the thank-yous that we received

"I just wanted to say thank you very much for the Orient Express trip last Friday. I had an absolutely magical experience which I shall always remember and one that I shall be sure to tell all my contacts about."
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"Everything went so smoothly from start to finish, we were all spoiled rotten and made to feel like we were taken back in time to another world, a much more elegant and civilised one!
The cake was a sweet thought - I normally dive for cover if anyone mentions cake and ‘Happy Birthday' but Sophie and Sharon caught me out! I was delighted to be able to join Sophie and Sharon - thank you. Please pass on my best regards to them."
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"I just wanted to thank both the BNC and the Orient Express for a wonderful afternoon last Friday. It was such good fun, and great to meet you finally Kim, and some of the other BNC members. Lunch on the Orient Express is truly an amazing experience, and I would highly recommend it. The staff on board were all incredibly welcoming, and excellent hosts!"
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"Just to say thank you for Friday - it was an excellent fam and wonderful to finally sample the product personally and to be amongst such a great group! I am sure we will be able to use the Orient Express in the near future for client events. Lovely to meet you and I hope you all had a great weekend."

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Describe in three words the atmosphere and appeal of the British Pullman Orient Express. Charming, atmospheric, memorable
What do you feel is the train's biggest asset in terms of what it can offer corporate groups? A unique experience of grandeur
What did you think of the service staff? Attentive and friendly, in keeping with the ‘old school' ambiance
What type of audience do you think the train caters best for? I really think this experience caters for everyone, young and old
If you could recommend the train what would you say about it? The Orient Express really captures the magic of such a glamorous era of travel. The opulent surroundings accompanied by the first class service of this historical icon make it a truly remarkable experience
What negative aspects of the train do you feel could be improved upon? I can't think of any negatives
What was it like meeting other Club Members on a fam trip? It was so lovely to get the opportunity to sit and talk with members on the BNC who I had never met. We all had a lot in common which made the trip even more special.

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Describe in three words the atmosphere and appeal of the British Pullman Orient Express.
Exclusive, luxurious and unforgettable
What do you feel is the train's biggest asset in terms of what it can offer corporate groups?
Captive audience - once they are on they can't get off!
What did you think of the service staff? Fantastic
What type of audience do you think the train caters best for? I think it is a really flexible experience that could be used for a number of audiences. Whether it be for internal or external clients or personal use
If you could recommend the train what would you say about it? It is an experience that will make your guests feel extremely valued and you will be guaranteed a good acceptance rate! It is organised so well that the stress is taken out of it from an event manager's perspective and you know the catering will be first class
What negative aspects of the train do you feel could be improved upon? It's too short and you don't want to get off- how many train journeys can you say that about! Seriously if I was to give it a negative and it's tough to find one it would be the coffee at the beginning was not great
What was it like meeting other Club Members on a fam trip? It is always good to meet other members especially to see what their thoughts are and also just generally to network in a relaxed environment.

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Describe in three words the atmosphere and appeal of the British Pullman Orient Express. Stylish, sophisticated, glamorous
What do you feel is the train's biggest asset in terms of what it can offer corporate groups? A virtually unique proposition, historical, film and literary associations, high-awareness factor, everyone's heard of it, but few people have had the privilege to travel on it
What did you think of the service staff? High quality, friendly service, faultless service
What type of audience do you think the train caters best for? Broad audience; male and female; possibly better for smaller groups, but I think that others might disagree with that. Looking at who got off for the ‘Jazz at Whitstable', the appeal was very broad indeed. This is unusual for a ‘performance' award, or incentive/thank you and sure beats the divide that happens at health spa/golf options!
If you could recommend the train what would you say about it? It represents a once in a lifetime experience. It was definitely high up there on my ‘Bucket List' i.e. one of the top in the 1000 things I'd like to do before I kick the bucket ....and didn't disappoint!!
What negative aspects of the train do you feel could be improved upon? Was a little difficult to find POCs at Victoria, but as we were a small group and it was only me who couldn't locate anyone, I don't think this is a big gripe!
What was it like meeting other Club Members on a fam trip? A very interesting, a very diverse range of people on my first ever fam.

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