Last Friday saw a Joint Chambers networking night being held at the Centara Grand Phratamnak on their rooftop Ruffino restaurant. Members attended from the Australian Chamber (AustCham), American chamber (AmCham), British Chamber (BCCT), German Thai Chamber (GTCC) and the South African-Thai Chamber of Commerce (SATCC).
The BCCT, which has become pro-active in efforts to look after its members, has re-formed the BCCT ESB Group, with Mark Bowling (Colliers International) in the chair, supported by Tim Eaton (Regents Pattaya) and Andrew McDowell of Suretank as vice chairs.
Michael Ruddick (left), President of the ARC Pacific Siam chats with Stephen Frost (right), Director of the BCCT.
The BCCT ESB Group has already commissioned a survey of members’ needs and has found items such as golf days way down the list, while items such as wine tasting up near the top. This meeting was held immediately before the main networking.
The Centara Grand Phratamnak staff were exemplary (as usual) with GM Dominique Ronge and the effervescent Amy on hand to make sure everything did go correctly. In the six months of its existence Centara Grand Phratamnak has certainly made its presence felt in the Pattaya hotel scene. Unfortunately, with other Centara hotels also in Pattaya, some members went to the wrong one, including the BCCT president Simon Matthews of noisy shirt fame being a notable recipient of the Christopher Columbus award for navigation.
(L to R) Leigh Scott- Kemmis, Managing Director of DMB, Thailand, and David Bell, MD of Crestom Ra-Kahng Associates Limited.
Despite misdirections and the Pattaya music festival which blocked Beach Road with pubescence and pimples, the roll-up was good at the correct Centara.
Networkers included Tobias Wimmer (Winterhalter) and Terry Moore (K999 Engineering), Neil Maniquiz with Nui and Suree (Bangkok Hospital Pattaya International Marketing), two secret agents from the Hilton (Eve Namkahammee and Meaw Chaivorawat), and Deedee Thanayupong (Coffee Works, and she’ll install one in your office too).
Of course the regulars like Greg Watkins (BCCT executive director) and Graham Macdonald (ex-chairman of every chamber of commerce this side of Latvia).
A successful networking event, even though the numbers from a couple of the chambers were a little sparse on the ground!
The next Joint Chambers event will be April 18.
The view from the top is beautiful.
The management team from the Futurist Group (L to R) Carolyn Chuter, Ana Van Der Merwe, Claudia Seqeia, Chris Van Der Merwe and Ursula South.
(L to R) Carl Duggan, Executive Assistant Manager FandB; Sirilak Khampan, PR and Sales Manager; Supparatch Piyawatcharapun (Amy) FandB Sales and Marketing Manager; and Dominique Ronge, GM of the Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort Pattaya.
(L to R) Paul Birgan, Vicky Birgan and Ian Wegener, Marine Projects manager at Seismic Asia Pacific.
(L to R) Paul Marks, Communication Director of the American School of Bangkok; Sirilak Khampan, PR and Sales Manager the Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort Pattaya; and Robert Kawada, Marketing Manager of the American School of Bangkok.
(L to R) Frank Holzer, Director of the ASEAN Manufacturing Finance, GM Thailand; Armin Walter, Maintenance Manager of GKN Driveline; and Kevin Fisher, MD of the CEA Project Logistics.
(L to R) Author Dr. Iain Corness, Mark Bowling, Associate Director Sales and Leasing for Colliers International, Pattaya and Paul Strachan, PMTV Productions Manager.
(L to R) Herman Van Gucht, Director of Town and Country Property; Wendy Van Gucht, GM of My Pattaya Place Jan Nuyten, MD of Pattaya Prestige Properties; and Okko Sprey, Consultant of the Plus Exploration.
(L to R) Gunter Busch, Anne Springer and Raymond Ulrich.
(L to R) Chris Thatcher, Vice Chairman of the BCCT; Ben Giles, Counselor (Commercial) and Trade Commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission; and Warwick Kneale, Managing Partner Corporate Advisory Services of Baker Tilly Thailand.
(L to R) Ron Kosinski, George T. Strampp, Managing Partner of AMS and David Bell, MD of Crestom Ra-Kahng Associates Limited.
Sirilak Khampan, PR and Sales Manager of the Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya, Neil Manquiz, Head of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya International Marketing Department and Janya Rattanaliam, Deputy Head of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya International Marketing Department.
(L to R) Okko Sprey, Consultant for Plus Exploration; Mark Bowling, Associate Director Sales and Leasing with Colliers International; Irena De Ribas, CEO and Founder of the Real Estate Thailand Russian Edition; and Michael E. North, Licensed Professional Engineer with North Engineers and Design Associates.
(L to R) Phongsadi Chakshuvej, President of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Simon Matthews, Country Manager Thailand, Manpower Group, Leigh Scott-Kemmis, Managing Director of DMB, Thailand; and Dominique Ronge, GM of the Centara Grand Pratamnak Resort Pattaya.
