Everyone loves a fancy dinner to celebrate your most recent achievement at work. Or perhaps you want to reward your loyal clients with an unforgettable knees-up? Now that you have decided to hold it in Europe, there are so many tantalizing options, but here are a few reasons why we think that Porto would be a fantastic option for your gala dinner.
A Stunning Backdrop for Your Event
Porto has all the historic charm and atmosphere hidden its higgledy-piggledy cobbled streets with just the right sprinkling of heroic monuments and of course the Douro River slicing through the middle of it all. If you are trying to give your event a bit of ‘wow’ factor, then the city itself has already done most of the work for you! Porto is a glorious jumble of the unexpected; although it would probably give a modern city a planner a conniption because of the lack of straight lines and urban zoning it gives the place a glorious vibe that only ancient, unplanned cities have. The historic nature of the city has one final bonus, which is some truly unusual and wonderful event venues which our team can transform into an eye-catching venue for a gala dinner.
Excellent Accessibility
Enough of all the aesthetics and charm of Porto – it’s not much good if you can’t arrive there! Porto airport used to be a shed with a couple of flights a week to London and Paris, but no longer. There are now 133 destinations at the last count, mainly European, but also to the US, Canada, South America beyond. Then when you get there, the airport is extremely modern and well-organised and is only a 15-minute cab ride to the centre of town (or there is also the excellent tram service that serves all of Porto). If you then choose to stay in a city-centre hotel then the city itself is sufficiently compact that most of it is walkable.
Great Food & Wine
The Portuguese take their food and wine very seriously – whilst classic Portuguese dishes still dominate the menus over here, there has been an increasing international influence on the food scene in recent years. Eating out (particularly for lunch) is extremely common in Portugal and it means that the culture of serving tasty, well-priced meals is an incredibly important part of the Portuguese way of life.
Now, you may have been to some fancy corporate dinners with instantly forgettable food, but we work with a couple of truly inspirational caterers who can bring the very best of Portugal to your table. Then of course Portugal brings you the crowning glory of its wines to rinse it all down with and to finish it all off, who doesn’t fancy a glass of some local Port Wine to end the evening?
Great Value for Money
10 years ago, Porto used to be really cheap, but with its growing popularity it has progressed from cheap to reasonably-priced. Some of the top 5-star hotels in the centre are becoming quite pricey for example, but there are still a number of options that are far more affordable. Where you can really save money however is on the food and entertainment budget, where Porto is still able to provide truly first-class service at manageable prices. Furthermore, if you are looking to include some touristic activities as an extra to your gala dinner, then you can get a great deal on them.
There is a reason why Porto has become such a popular destination in recent years, but the events sector is only now starting to catch up with the leisure tourists. The city still feels profoundly authentic and the events sector has yet to become very corporate and anodyne in the way it has in many of the larger European cities. Porto has a very special charisma which will run through your gala dinner from beginning to end, so why not contact us at Porto Events so that we can take you through your options? We have many years of experience of running gala dinners for clients including some of the world’s best-known companies and many much smaller ones. Nobody knows Porto like us!
