FEATURES
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

German-Thai Chamber of Commerce holds networking night

Skål Club on the rocks?

Royal Cliff Beach Resort celebrates Award of Excellence

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!