Day-by-Day Details

Day 1 - Departure Day

Fly overnight to Lisbon.

Day 2 - Lisbon

Arrive in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Meet your travel director and travel to your hotel.

Day 3 - Lisbon

Explore Lisbon and learn how this city has played a role as a major economic center throughout history. Visit Rossio Square, in existence since the Middle Ages, the Monument to the Discoveries, which commemorate’s Portugal’s past as a seafaring world power, and enjoy a visit inside Jerónimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Day 4 - Lisbon

Learn the importance of establishing diplomatic connections in the countries in which you do business by visiting the U.S. Embassy. Enjoy a free afternoon in Lisbon.

Day 5 - Lisbon

After a free morning, travel to Ferreiro do Alentejo to visit the Marmelo Mill, a modern marvel designed to produce olive oil for the Sovena Group. Learn how the architecture of the mill unites form and function for the Sovena Group, a ‘glocal’ company that serves international markets but acts like a local business in each of the countries it operates in.

Day 6 - Madrid

View beautiful countryside as your drive from Lisbon to Madrid with a stop in historic Merida, Spain. Explore Spain’s Roman past by visiting the World Heritage site ruins and the impressive Roman theater, built around the year 15 B.C. Enjoy lunch before continuing the journey to Madrid.

Day 7 - Madrid

This morning, visit Iveco, a European company bringing innovation and environmental stewardship into the design and production of heavy, medium and light commercial vehicles. Learn what it takes to be a truly global company from Iveco, an organization that has either a manufacturing or research presence on five continents, with operations in China, Russia, Australia and Latin America as well as Europe. Enjoy a free afternoon.

Day 8 - Madrid

Engage with diplomats once again on a morning visit to Spain’s American Embassy. Explore Madrid on foot with a guide, including the city’s old section, and Cibeles Square, a symbolic set of monumental structures where Madrid’s city government is seated. A visit to the Prado will provide the opportunity to view masterworks of the Spanish school, featuring paintings by El Greco, Velázquez and Goya.

Day 9 - Madrid

Doing business in foreign cities requires the ability to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the place, feeling its rhythm and interacting with its people. Take the time to do this today with a full free day in Madrid.

Day 10 - Barcelona

On a full day’s drive to Barcelona, stop in Zaragoza, a city named after the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus when it was founded over 2000 years ago. Situated on the banks of the Ebro River, it is the capital of the region of Aragon and is dominated by the beautiful cathedral named after the ‘Virgin del Pilar,’ who performed miracles in the area. Enjoy lunch before continuing to Barcelona.

Day 11 - Barcelona

Tour Renfe, the state-owned rail company that powers Spanish life, commerce and tourism through both passenger and freight trains. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided visit to Las Ramblas, a main thoroughfare of commercial activity and culture, see the singular architecture of Gaudi, and view the city’s history in the Gothic Quarter. Here you can admire medieval architecture as well as some remains from Roman times, and visit the cathedral.

Day 12 - Barcelona

Visit a uniquely Spanish success story, HCC Hotels Group, responsible for City Centre Hotels. Learn how the concept of an association of hotels, designed to effectively accommodate the flow of bookings from any point of origin to Barcelona’s city center, took root, and how this association flourished into a successful hotel chain. Enjoy a free afternoon.

Day 13 - Barcelona

Explore the importance of sport in European society with this morning’s visit to the Espanyol soccer club. The visit will feature a presentation on the soccer club’s marketing efforts by the club’s marketing director, followed by a visit of the stadium facilities. Enjoy a final free day in Barcelona.

Day 14 - Departure Day

Travel to the airport for your return flight to the United States.