There's a whole travel market out there which most of the public don't see, it's worth millions - and it's all about MICE!

The MICE in this case stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, and the choice for business users is immense. Many business clients are looking for something different, and I tried just that recently on the DFDS Seaways ship The Queen of Scandinavia.

If you've travelled from North Shields on the ship yourself, you may be surprised to hear that facilities exist because, cleverly, they're tucked away from the main passenger areas. They're very extensive, though, with 14 meeting rooms, a theatre-style auditorium for 230, and the Columbus room available for 386. These days, business presenters expect state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and it's all there in plenty on the Queen.

DFDS's expert Alan Hope (the mice-manager really) was telling me that it's the flexibility which people like best, ranging from a day in port to a long weekend with added attractions.

To begin at the beginning, it's possible to hold an event on board without leaving port! You start your day by boarding the Queen just after 9, hold your event including lunch on the ship, and leave at 4 just before the ship sets sail.

Personally, I'd find it really frustrating to leave a ship just as the excitement of departure is mounting, so I'd recommend making your conference part of a longer package.

The 3 day package begins just like the day option, but then you have the buzz of leaving port just as you've finished work for the day. This is when the real advantages of your venue become apparent. You can spend early evening in the extensive shopping facilities, and then have an excellent dinner with your party before finishing the night with live music in one of the lounges. That's what I call team bonding!

After a good sleep in a very comfortable cabin, you arrive in Amsterdam just after breakfast, before having a free day to explore the city or have some added attractions to enjoy. The end of the afternoon sees you back on board to enjoy another good evening, and overnight, and back at your home port at 9 the next morning.

Those added attractions are numerous and it's worth exploring the full menu before finalising your plans. During my trip, I enjoyed "Murder on the Menu" with professional actors drawing us into the web of mystery, with some great humour thrown in too. There's so much space on this big (34,000 tonne) ship that you can even arrange your own private awards lunch or dinner with capacity for almost 400 people.

Many companies like to make the trip slightly longer and give extra time in Amsterdam. If you do that, let me hotly recommend the famous Five Flies restaurant which is really special. It's a real warren of rooms in an old part of the city, superb food and service, and original Rembrandts on the walls! DFDS can organise a very long list of activities including a trip to a diamond house, abseiling, a visit to the Ajax football stadium - or goat milking!

It's easy to see why the concept is doing so well, and prices are competitive too with the Amsterdam trip for example costing around £230 per head all in. Go to www.dfdsseaways.co.uk and click on Business at Sea to find out more. While you're there, you can take a virtual tour of the ship and have a look at other short, and longer, breaks for yourself.

Published: 17/08/2003