For the third year in a row, the hotel factory; partnering with Borbalán and Passion & Gastronomy and with Caixabank as a host, has organized one of the largest events taking place in Madrid during FITUR week, Wanderlust 2019.

Wanderlust means passion for travelling, and as professionals in the tourism industry, we are compelled to pass on this feeling to others. Thus the main goal of the event was to create a common ground for networking amongst professionals, owners and tourism corporate managers, while dining on an exclusive menu and having fun simultaneously.

This year’s event has taken place at the newly opened Ginkgo Restaurant & Sky Bar, with stunning views over the iconic Plaza de España, Royal Palace and Casa de Campo. The venue was exclusively set for the guests attending the event on the evening of January 23rd.

The theme for the 2019 event wanted to honor the greatest tourism visionaries and was set around different decades between the 70’s and the future. Upon entering Ginkgo Restaurant & Sky Bar, guests were accessing a time machine that led them straight to the 70’s. Every 30 minutes a decade went by, and in each one the music and drinks were prepared according to the decade, making its way until today.

The experiences lived throughout the event will be remembered until next year, thanks to the team of professional entertainers that took care of the evening. They were in charge of guiding each guest throughout the event: starting with a welcome drink served straight out of a laboratory test tube and going straight to a themed photocall with the options of dressing up with costumes from the 70’s and 80’s.
During the event, the team dared all guests to take part in easy challenges and if they succeeded and got their “Wanderlust passport” stamped, a surprise gift awaited them when leaving the event. Additionally, the event had an elaborate menu prepared exclusively by Ginkgo with a wide variety of food served by its team of professionals as well as a live band playing all night.

During the event, all guests had the opportunity to take pictures at the photocall, either alone or accompanied by the entertainment team.

As a closing performance of the event, the lights were dimmed at Ginkgo Restaurant and a batukada group performed with drums the music representing the future. The musicians were dressed in black with bright lights across their suits, that changed colors as the show went on.

To conclude, we would like to thank all the companies that collaborated with the event: Caixabank, IHP International Hospitality Projects, Construye Capital, Cuatrecasas, ST Sociedad de Tasación, La Caixa Comercia Global Payments, JCI and Maxxium.

We hope to be able to share with all of you this wonderful experience again and look forward to seeing you in next year’s Wanderlust!