Mayor Itthiphol poses with
some of the VIPs including Miss Thailand 2000 Panadda Wongphudee.
Paul Strachan
Movers and Shakers is now in its third year and this
year’s event was undoubtedly one of the most successful and well organized
corporate networking events for the Eastern Seaboard.
Sponsored by Heights Holdings, it was held once again at
the Centara Grand Mirage & Spa, this time on Friday December 2.
A nice breeze was flowing through garden during the first
two hours of the evening, enhancing some highly convivial networking. The
staff from the hotel was kept busy passing round ice cold beers, wine and
soft drinks as more and more guests arrived. With a cool band playing in the
background, the lawn filled up and it soon became clear that this year’s
event was going to surpass last year’s - not just in terms of numbers but
also in quality.
The beneficiary for the
evening Tracy Cosgrove joins the General Manager of the Centara Grand Mirage
& Spa Andre Brulhart for a quick photo.
A note should be made of the how well attired the guests
were; of course we were also surrounded by many beautiful models including
Kamonrat Ladseeta (Emmy), Nikki Irean Mesale, Xanny, and Vivien, all of whom
added a large slice of glamour to the proceedings.
The Brazilian dancing girls from ‘Zico’s’ also
entertained the crowd before a huge fireworks display heralded the end of
the networking side to the evening. This also signaled that the party could
commence.
The press was having a field day; many photographers and
video cameramen were dashing around aiming to get just the right angle for
their shot.
Tony Malhotra ensures he
surrounds himself with some beautiful ladies.
The doors to the main ballroom opened at 8 p.m. with a
huge array of finger food set out and the VW cocktail vans that were so
popular last year making a welcome comeback ready to serve those who wanted
something a little fancier than the beer & wine. There was also a Moet
Chandon Champagne counter for those with a more refined palate.
So the scene was set: food, beer, wine, cocktails,
champagne, and prior to the first of many top quality acts who took to the
stage, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome joined the MC for the evening ‘Miss Punchy’
along with Oliver Nabarro from Heights Holdings to officially open ‘Movers &
Shakers 2011’ in a spectacular countdown managed by MagicFX Asia.
Resembling three off duty
bouncers, loyal supporters of the Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation
Garry Irvin, Joe Cox and Matt O’Sullivan come out to enjoy the evening.
By now there were approximately 600 guests all geared up
for the evening. All were treated to some wonderful Thai singers named ‘Viva
Pop Opera’ who showcased their wonderful vocal talents and raised the bar
compared to the preceding M&S events.
They were followed by an appearance of Miss Thailand 2000
Panadda Wongphudee who had decided to join M&S and see what is going on in
the Eastern Seaboard.
Another high caliber act, the finalist from ‘Thailand’s
Got Talent’ Nuntrita Khampriranon (Bell), sang in her own imitable way.
Nuntrita was followed by the Yury Ensemble, which was also followed by a
chilled, laid back jazz band.
One of the guests starts
shaking her body along with one of the colorful Brazilian Zico’s dancing
girls.
During this time gallons of wine were consumed, of which
there seemed to be no end, and guests were breezing in and out of the
ballroom, for some photos against the vast M&S - Heights Holdings backdrop.
This particular reporter left at midnight and it seemed
that the party was destined to continue into the wee small hours.
The price for entry this year was 1250 baht, a slight
increase from last year but one in which you could see that the evening was
a truly high-caliber party, with some great networking. Movers and Shakers
is a not-for-profit event, so by the end of the night over 300,000 baht was
raised which will go towards the Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation,
helping disadvantaged kids in our community and beyond.
(Selected photographs by Peter Kraemer/Siam Fine Arts.)
Networking, singing and dancing -
only at Movers and Shakers.
One of the popular and funky VW
Cocktail Vans prior to the 600 guests descending upon it.
Viva Pop Opera were just one of
the many high quality acts on the evening.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
officially opens this year’s Movers and Shakers with Oliver Nabarro from
Heights Holdings and the MC for the evening Miss Punchy.
Event organizer Cees Cuijpers,
Nova CEO Rony Fineman and Tulip Group CEO Kobi Elbaz pose with stunning
model Kamonrat ‘Emmy” Ladseeta and two models from the EM Modeling company.
The crowd loved Nuntrita
Khampriranon (Bell) who was a finalist in Thailand’s Got Talent.
Tracy Cosgrove with her son Paul
brought a number of kids from one of her projects down from Bangkok for a
day in the pool at Centara.
Nigel ‘Joe’ Quennell (left), the
new face of PMTV makes sure he has his priorities right.
The production manager of PMTV
Paul Strachan does his best to make it look like he doesn’t enjoy his job.
The lawn area could barely hold
the hundreds of guests at this year’s Movers and Shakers.
