|
German-Thai Chamber of
Commerce holds networking night
“Thailand will most likely achieve its predicted 6 percent growth
in the third quarter of 2003”
Members of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce took time
out from their busy schedules to host an Eastern Seaboard ‘Stammtisch’
networking night last Friday evening. Their favorite venue, the Moon River
Pub at the Thai Garden Resort, played host to chamber members and their
guests for a relaxing evening in Pattaya.
 Stefan
Buerkle declares the buffet open at the GTCC Stammtisch.
Chief business and economics advisor, Stefan Buerkle,
started the evening off with an informal speech. During his address Stefan
noted the nation’s current economic status, and agreed that Thailand
will most likely achieve its predicted 6 percent growth in the third
quarter of 2003. He added that the Chamber is presently maintaining a
steady flow of business and is currently planning a major trade exhibition
to be held in Pattaya next year.
 Hans
Dieter Westphal (center), managing director of Thai Rieckermann
Engineering chats to fellow networkers in the Moon River Pub.
Attendees from Bangkok enjoyed the friendly atmosphere
of the evening and were glad to take a break from the city for some fresh
air after the long and arduous drive to Pattaya. The Moon River laid out
yet another superb buffet with plenty to go around for all, before the
night settled down to live music from resident band ‘Upset’.
 Ralph
Kugler, organisation executive director Aktuell Thailand; Thorsten
Spiering, Trade Lane manager for DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, and Rainer
Roessler, country manager for Intermeba discuss the benefits of relaxing
in Pattaya.
The German-Thai Chamber of Commerce, located in South
Sathorn Road, was founded in 1962 and has now more than 500 German, Thai
and other companies as members.
 (L
to R) Stefan Buerkle, chief business and economics advisor for GTCC chats
with Rene Pisters, Thai Garden GM and Janine Tillmans, guest relations
manager. The hotel’s Moon River Pub has been a long term favorite for
the German Chamber networking nights.
Some 40 staff members are working for the Chamber,
making it, according to employees, the biggest foreign Chamber in
Thailand. The main targets of the Chamber are the small and medium sized
companies (SMEs), which they help by searching for customers and suppliers
and also assist them with legal advice.
Skål Club on the rocks?
No, on the Hard Rocks!
Skål International, the international tourism group, threw a networking
evening at the Hard Rock Hotel to allow the local chapter members of the
Pattaya and the East Club the opportunity to let their hair down and mix
with some of the leading lights in the tourism business in Pattaya.
 Andrew
Khoo (right) and Urit Nantasurasak, deputy mayor of Pattaya exchange gifts.
With Pattaya having been put forward for a world
environmental award, following the rehabilitation of Pattaya over the past
few years, it was also an opportunity for the members to see the excellent
video that was produced, at such short notice, to go along with the
application. Since Pattaya won the right to host the 2006 world congress of
Skål clubs, many fingers are being crossed in the hope that Pattaya pulls
off the ‘big one’ as well as being the world congress destination.
 David
Smith conducted the evening’s events including the raffles with the help
of his assistant Khun Daeng.
The Skål club was pleased to welcome the new man at the
top of our local Tourism Authority of Thailand office, Niti Kongrut, who
stayed to enjoy the festivities, put on by Skal executive committeeman,
Andrew Khoo (who just incidentally is the GM of the Hard Rock Hotel).
 The
leaders in tourism in Thailand. (l-r) Rene Pisters GM Thai Garden Resort,
Andrew Khoo GM Hard Rock Hotel, Murray Hertz President of Skๅl
International Pattaya and East Thailand, Niti Rungrat Director of TAT Region
3, Malai Sakolviphak President of Skal National Committee of Thailand and
Andrew Wood, Secretary of Skๅl Pattaya.
President Murray Hertz said that the meeting was an
outstanding success, mentioning that it was mostly due to the incredible
efforts of Andrew Khoo and his hard-working Hard Rock Hotel crew. He also
thanked Skal National President Khun Malai (Bangkok) who provided invaluable
assistance as well as inspiration to the evening.
Bob Lee
programme chairman of the Skๅl Club, explains the finer points of Skๅl
to Eileen and Norman from Yorkie’s Pork Corner.
Binny
and his son Karan are entertained by Roland of the Hard Rock Hotel.
The
movers and shakers of Pattaya, (l-r) Judy Hoppe, president elect of the
Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, Kavita and Anil Singh, managing director of
LCB1 Container Terminal and Bruce Hoppe, MD of Emerson-Copeland Corporation
Thailand.
More
personalities (l-r): Monika Rottman, Elfi Seitz, executive editor of the
Pattaya Blatt; Andrew Wood, Johanna Stetten, Art Cafe; and Graham Macdonald,
chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Eastern Seaboard Chapter.
Royal Cliff Beach Resort celebrates Award of Excellence
The wine tasting to end all wine tastings?
By Miss Terry Diner
Following the Award of Excellence given to the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort’s Grill Room and Wine Cellar by the Wine Spectator
Magazine, New York, it was decided that this momentous occasion should be
celebrated in the ‘grand manner’. This was done by throwing an enormous
cocktail party and wine tasting at the Grand Ballroom.
 The
Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s wine suppliers were honored with special
certificates to commemorate the resort’s recent achievement. From left to
right: Georges Barbier of Vanichwathana Co. Ltd., Dr. Niti Meyer of Nicolas
B.C. Co. Ltd., Paphanin Sukwiwat of Moet & Chandon Champagne (Riche
Monde Ltd.), Chantana Songsang of Italthai Industrial Co. Ltd., Ron Batori
of Ambrose Wine Limited, Michel Conrad of Independent Wine & Spirit
(Thailand) Co. Ltd., Panga Vathanakul and Ranjith Chandrasiri of the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort, Ekachai Mahaguna of Cannon Pacific Co., Ltd., Pheera
Ponglitkailert of CP.K. Plantation Co. Ltd., Suntaree Suwanapoom of Cititex
Enterprises Co. Ltd., Sorrasit Wongsantivanich of California Wine Co. Ltd.,
and Tassanee Assawagovitwong of BJC Marketing Co. Ltd.
The event was the largest Wine Club tasting that had been
done by the Royal Cliff, with food and wine stations lined all the way
around the ballroom, with food from all the Royal Cliff’s restaurants.
Many wine companies and their luminaries were also involved, with
heavyweights in the industry such as Ron Batori of Ambrose Wines, Georges
Barbier of Vanichwathana, Dr. Niti Meyer of Nicolas B.C and Ekachai Mahaguna
of Cannon Pacific being on hand. Official figures put the attendance at more
than 300, and I am sure there were ten times that amount of glasses to be
picked up by the Royal Cliff’s staff afterwards.
 Judy
Hoppe, special correspondent for Pattaya Mail TV, interviews PILC President
Sandy Langford about the PILC October Holiday Bazaar to be held on the
October 4 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. At right is Pat Burbridge,
founder of the PILC.
My own favourite from the food on offer was that from the
Japanese Corner, with the salmon and wasabe going very well with some of the
smooth whites, such as the Oxford Landing Chardonnay. However, I did not
hear one word of disappointment from the diners and drinkers, no matter what
their desires that evening!
Formalities were kept to a minimum, with Wine Club
President Ranjith Chandrasiri introducing the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
managing director Panga Vathanakul, who spoke briefly on the importance of
the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, stating that the Grill Room and Wine
Cellar had been chosen for its “superlative combination of top-notch wine
list, menu, ambience, pricing and overall quality”, and the fact that now
it becomes the only restaurant in Pattaya and Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard
with this internationally coveted distinction. (This restaurant was reviewed
by the Dining Out Team, Vol XI, No. 35, and given my highest recommendation
possible.)
After the official part of the evening was over, the 300
oenophiles really started to make inroads into the wines, with club members
being seen not bringing glasses, but bottles, of wine back to their
group’s tables. It was wonderful to see just what happens to some of
Pattaya’s ‘glitterati’ set, when confronted with cases of expensive
wines!
The Award of Excellence cocktail party will probably go
down in living history as the cocktail party that deserved its own award of
excellence! What a night! What wines! Such food! Such a hangover!
|
