Herve Fournier IDC Switzerland

Witches on Skis....

2012-01-15T16:55:00.022+01:00

Witches on Skis… The Business Valais Team participated once again to the Witches Ski Race, the Belalp Hexe. While 534 skiers raced down the 12 km slope at high speed, 279 teams of witches took their time skiing with their group. More than 1600 participants enjoyed this great day on the slopes. Best time for individual skiers was 10’10”00. Our team took 154th place with a time of 2H55’00”00. True enough, there were several pit stops on the way down! http://www.belalphexe.ch/

Christmas in China... New Year in Valais

2012-01-08T10:39:00.012+01:00

On 1st October 2011, the Helvetica Café opened its doors in the new up-scale Yi Street area of Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China, with a concept offering western food in a European atmosphere with six private majhong rooms bearing the names of Swiss destinations, such as Montana, Zermatt, Geneva, etc. To celebrate the holiday season, Christmas decorations were put up and guests enjoyed the fine food and drinks offered on this occasion.
After Christmas in China, IDC CEO Zachary Fournier celebrated the New Year 2012 in Valais…before heading back to China to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon on 23rd January… www.idc-ch.com

Ski in Saas Fee

2011-12-11T20:48:00.011+01:00

Skiing in Saas Fee is great. The winter snow sports area in the Saas Valley boasts more than 145 km of groomed pistes. Because of its high altitude with pistes up to 3600 m above sea-level and the ski area on the glacier, skiing is guaranteed all year round!
The leading hotel in Saas Fee is the 5-star FerienArt Resort & Spa. Located in the car free mountain resort, it is surrounded by a breathtaking mountain scene with 71 lovely rooms, suites and family apartments, 5 different restaurants and a modern Health & Spa Center.
The owner Beat Anthammatten and his team propose high quality service with warm hospitality. The FerienArt is really an innovative hotel. It holds several quality labels, including Valais Excellence and the EU eco-label, sustainability being one of the priorities of the management. www.ferienart.ch

Cristal Festival Crans-Montana

2011-12-08T15:18:00.011+01:00

The Association Marque Valais www.valais-community.ch and the Club de Com Valais www.clubdecom.ch/ staged an event during the Cristal Festival in Crans-Montana. Christian Cappe CEO of Cristal Festival and Yves Mittaz Director of the Omega European Masters, one of the most presitigious golf tournament in Europe, led a panel entitled “The promotion by events: How to promote a destination or a brand by organizing, sport, cultural or media events”. Another session outlined the importance and impact of social networks to promote a destination or a brand and how to drive traffic and to develop customer loyalty. The following video is an excellent example in this regard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUwQZ57SSds
The well attended session was followed by a cocktail whereby the food served came for local products certified by the Valais Brand quality label.

www.europecristalfestival.com

The Cristal Festival welcomes this year in Crans-Montana several hundred delegates from all other the world. The event is presided by leading communications industry professionals : Filip Nilsson, Executive Creative Director de Forsman&Bodenfors, Mathias Appelblad, Vice President & Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York, Ora ITO, international designer, Marco Tinelli, President of Fullsix Group, and Eric Quennoy, Executive Creative Director de Wieden & Kennedy.

During Brand Entertainment day, Peter Totorici, CEO of GroupM Entertainment and Doug Scott, President of Olgivy Entertainement will share their views and experience on how digital is shaping consumer experiences, and where they find their creative inspiration.
The highlight of the Festival will be the Keynote Conference of Jimmy Wales, the Founder of Wikipedia and Internet Entrepeneur who was nominated as one of the top 100 influential personalities in the world by TIME magazine.

Vive la Neige : It is snowing... finally!

Local: zero kilometer amuse-bouche

Hotel Gellert - Budapest

2011-11-30T23:19:00.010+01:00

The Gellert Bath and Hotel opened its doors in 1918. Outdoor pools were added later on and today it boasts a rich historical heritage with a great view of the Danube. It really feels like staying in a museum! The spa is decorated with a wealth of original Art Nouveau furnishings, artistic mosaics, stained glass windows and sculptures, although the interior of the hotel built alongside the Bath has lost many of these fittings over the years.

Gundel Restaurant in Budapest

2011-11-30T23:07:00.012+01:00

The Gundel House opened in Budapest in 1910. The restaurant soon became a meeting place for politicians, prominent members of the business community and the bourgeois middle class. It was fashionable to dine in the Gundel, which boasted many artists, athletes, writers and various celebrities among its regular patrons. The restaurant owed its popularity to two things: its inimitable hospitality and its unsurpassable cuisine. Still today it brings the best out of Hungarian cuisine by combining its original, unbridled flavours with the refined approach of French cuisine and applying modern gastronomic technology. The atmosphere is quite refined with highly experienced service staff and a great string quintet playing classical music. With the various function rooms, including the cellar set-up as a banqueting room and the terrace in the summer time, the venue can accommodate up to 600 guests.

"Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourist" Conference in Budapest

2011-11-30T22:24:00.015+01:00

The Budapest Business School, College of Commerce, Catering and Tourism held a conference on sustainable development in tourism : “Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourist”. The conference included four thematic sessions
- Preservation or devastation? The interaction of tourism and nature; individual, communal and social responsibility in tourism
- .The responsibility of tourism enterprises and tourists in sustainable tourism
- .Value preservation and value creation: culture and education in responsible tourism
-.The significance of gastronomy in responsible tourism
The two-day conference was attended by 25 international delegates and presenters, approximately 30 faculty members from the Budapest Business school and around 90 students.
Csilla Szalók - Head of Department of Tourism, Catering and Commerce, BGF presented her paper :„The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Common Shared Value (CSV) on Responsible Higher Education in Tourism” while Melanie Smith - Associate Professor in Tourism, BGF and Chair of ATLAS, focussed on the education side with her paper : „Responsive and Responsible Tourism Education”
The following keynote speakers addressed the issue of responsible tourism in Europe.Gergely Horváth - CEO, Hungarian National Tourism PLC
Value preservation and value creation: culture and education in responsible tourism
Henri Malosse - European Economic and Social Committee
How to promote tourism and preserve the regional identities- the european way?
Zoltán Tóth - Budapest Business School
Comments on the sustainable growth of European tourism
Hervé Fournier - Project Manager/Board of Directors - Regional Economic Development, State of Valais, Switzerland
Valais: A brand showcasing a Swiss tourist destination’s best products
Darko Lacmanović - Associate Professor, Vice Dean, Montenegro Tourism School, University Mediterranean
Positioning of Montenegro as a responsible tourist destination.
The two-day conference ended with a Round Table Discussion and Summary with Susan Fournier (ICHRIE President), Philip Sloan (IUBH, Bonn), Michael Ireland (University of Plymouth) and Melanie Smith (BGF, Budapest).
On the social side, the students had organized a city tour on the hop-on/hop-off bus. Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quater. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system.

Industrial Tourism in Verbania, Italy

2011-11-20T17:49:00.017+01:00

Following a visit from an Italian delegation last July, it was our turn to travel to Verbania, Italy to meet a delegation from the Region Piemonte in order to set the basis of a cooperation to develop a model of Industrial tourism with an EU Interreg project. Following the model existing in Torino, the local tourist authorities with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry would like to propose tours to local production sites, such as factories, manufactures, food processing plants, etc. This project is of interest to the State of Valais with visits to cheese factories, wineries, hydroelectric power plants and dams, high tech firms. The Italian delegation organized a site visit to the Lagostina firm, manufacturer of premium stainlesssteel cookware and flatware http://www.lagostinaworld.com/

Musee de l'Eau Pont-En-Royans

2011-11-12T17:04:00.019+01:00

The Water Museum of Pont-en- Royans in France is scientific, cultural and educational; it showcases water in all its forms. The waters of the Vercors, the waters of the world, water as a vital resource, the subject of this museum seems inexhaustible...
Bold and visionary, this invitation to the discovery of water is intended for locals and tourists fans of unusual venues. Its innovative, contemporary design, both in the approach of interactive exhibits as its architectural design, seduces the general public, adults and children, as well as specialists, students and teachers.
Water comes into play in this scene imagined by Andrea Bruno. Museum lights, fluid, everything was planned by the architect to surprise and captivate the visitor. The Water Bar showcases more than 1700 bottles of water from all over the world, from the Fidji Islands to the renowned Glenlivet water used to make the famous Scotch whiskey to the Bling water bottle decorated by Swaroski sold at 50 euros a piece. A 31-room hotel is located on the site with a restaurant and conference facilities. www.musee-eau.com

EuroCHRIE 2011 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

2011-10-24T15:44:00.020+02:00

After Amsterdam in 2010, the theme at this year's 29th EuroCHRIE Congress, taking place in Dubrovnik 19-22 October 2011, was "Tourism and Hospitality, Drivers of Transition". It was a big success with a really great conference and a very warm welcome from all staff and students at the American College of Management and Technology Dubrovnik http://www.acmt.hr/ and the Rochester Institute of Technology, USA http://www.rit.edu/ co-hosts of this year’s conference led by Don Hudspeth and Francis Domoy. More than 160 delegates from all over the world attended the conference where 81 research papers were presented along with 8 posters and 4 workshops.
“César Ritz” Colleges Leadership Programme Director and I-CHRIE President Susan Fournier presented her paper: "English Proficiency of Non-Native Speakers as a Predictor of First Year Performance on an Undergraduate Hospitality Management Course" with Liz Ineson. Herve Fournier and Liz Ineson also put up a workshop on “Showcasing Innovative Tourism Companies Business Practices.” “César Ritz” graduate Julius Anders presented his paper co-authored with Susan Horner “The Potential of using “Slow Food” for Gaining Strategic Marketing Advantage in Small Hospitality Organizations”.

Another “César Ritz” Alumni was present in Dubrovnik, Renos Chrisodoulides who graduated in 1995. He was accompanying his wife Yianna Orphanidou, Professor at the University of Nicosia. She presented her paper:”Transition in Hospitality Higher Education: The Case of Cyprus”. Yianna had visited "César Ritz in 2001 since Renos chose Le Bouveret as a destination for their honeymoon! Among the conference key note speakers, Ms Pave Zupan Ruskovic, former Minister of Tourism in Croatia shared in a historically rich and emotionally compelling speech the development of tourism in the City of Dubrovnik from the Middle Ages onwards. She also highlighted the challenges of the present day situation in the context of a transitional country struggling toward excellence in services and infrastructure. Ms Ginny Clark, Vice-President Constellation Brands http://www.cbrand.com/ shared the success story of this small family-owned wine company from the Finger Lakes region in up-state New York founded by Marvin Sands which through acquisitions now owns the #1 premium wine brands Robert Mondavi, Woodbridge amongst others and is the #1 importer of beer in the USA with Corona! The company employs 4300 staff worldwide and is engaged on several fronts in regards to Corporate Social Responsibility. Ms Clark shared her own experience of putting together and leading a medical relief team after the earthquake in Haiti. Mr. Ivica Vrancic, a Croatian HR specialist demonstrated in a very dynamic presentation the challenges of hiring, developing and keeping staff motivated on the job, especially the generation Ys starting their professional career.
The Award Ceremony took place at the magnificent Revelin Fortress. The President’s Award went to Othmar Müller who is retiring from the Nestlé Pro Gastronomia Foundation. Prior to receiving his Award, he officiated for the last time to present the Nestlé Pro Gastronomia Award to Emmanuel Donhauser, Executive Director, Academic, for the Swiss Education Group (SEG) which operates several of the leading Hotel Schools in Switzerland : SHMS, HIM, IHTTI, DCT and “César Ritz” Colleges. The Nestlé Pro Gastronomia Foundation Award is presented to ‘honour a professional who has demonstrated excellence in training, education and development work in the hospitality industry’.
Ms Vera Duehring from the Masstricht Hotel School was honored with the Laureate Award, presented by David Horrigan from Glion Institute of Higher Education and LRG University of Applied Science.
The Best Paper Award sponsored by the Institute of Hospitality went to Jennifer Hussey and May T. Holden from the Waterford Institute of Technology. There were two Industry Awards, the International Industry Award was presented by Dr. Destler President of the Rochester Institute of Technology to Richard Sands Chairman of the Board of Constellation Brands, while the Domestic Industry Award went to the Excelsior Hotel Group, active in Croatia. Don Hudspeth closed off the ceremony by handing over the EuroCHRIE symbolic trophy to Hilary Murphy representing EHL, the Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne, host of next year’s EuroCHRIE conference in Switzerland.

At the General Assembly Meeting, the EuroCHRIE leadership with President Robert Wetterauer, Vice-President Maureen Brookes, Past-President Jouni Ahonen, Secretary Paul Jackson and Treasurer Herve Fournier, reminded the members of the strengths of the organization: a strong history, diverse in cultures, financially stable, with a well-respected brand. The goals for 2015 are to increase membership, to provide added benefits, such as the mentor programme, to strengthen the links with industry and to seek additional revenue streams through sponsorship.

Finally on the social side, the delegates went on excursion to discover the Croatian vineyards, the salt works in Ston and the traditional olive oil making.

For information, the European Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) is the official federation for Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Africa. It is part of International CHRIE, the leading international organization that supports education and training for the world's largest industry. EuroCHRIE represents more than 160 I-CHRIE members. Conferences take place each year in Asia, USA and Europe. H. Fournier served as EuroCHRIE President in 2003-04 and currently holds the position of Treasurer. He also sits on the Finance Committee of I-CHRIE. Susan Fournier is the President of the Executive Board of I-CHRIE and with her committee leads the organization which counts 1500 members worldwide.
http://www.eurochrie.org/ http://www.chrie.org/

HELVETICA CAFE IN CHINA

2011-10-13T20:05:00.013+02:00

On 12th May 2008 the Sichuan earthquake hit the city of Dujiangyan which was the closest to the epicenter. The city suffered severe damage. Within 2 years a 50 km high speed railway line to the Sichuan Province Capital ChengDu was built and several re-construction projects were launched. On 1st October 2011, IDC – Sichuan Shenjing Investement Management Company opened the Helvetica Café in the new up-scale Yi Street area of Dujiangyan. CEO Zachary Fournier developed a concept offering western food, a European atmosphere with six private dining rooms bearing the names of Swiss destinations, such as Montana, Zermatt, Geneva, etc. In addition, there are 60 seats in the café and another 60 on the terrace.

The Yi Street area is designed to become the high-end tourist destination of the City including the future construction of a 5-star Shangri-La Hotel. http://www.idc-ch.com/

Rotary - Visite du Gouverneur

2011-10-13T19:14:00.007+02:00

C’est avec une salle comble que le Rotary Club Monthey a accueilli le Gouverneur du District 1990 Peter Pfister qui fut Président du Rotary Club Emmental en 1991/92 et à nouveau en 2008/09. Sur le plan professionnel, il est le CEO de l’entreprise familiale de produits agricoles en gros Maeder AG à Zollbrück. Il est Président de l’Association suisse des exportateurs de pommes de terre, Président de Swisspatat et Vice Président d’Europatat. Sa dernière fonction militaire fut celle de Colonnel dans l’Etat Major de l’armée.
Il a saisi l’occasion de promouvoir les causes du Rotary International, notamment Minex et Polio-Plus, ainsi que l’action du District 1990 qui consiste à soutenir l’hôpital Albert Schweizer à Lambaréné qui fêtera ses cent ans en 2013. Après quelques conseils concernant le recrutement de nouveaux membres et la promotion de l'image du Rotary, il remit les distinctions pour les membres méritant qui ont plus de 40 ans de club au compteur, notamment Jo Pralong qui est devenu membre il y 50 ans du RC Monthey dont il fut le Président il y a exactement 40 ans. Egalement présent à cette occasion, l’Adjoint du Gouverneur, Philippe Lagneaux a rappelé l’action Lunettes sans Frontières qui a permis la récolte de plus de 15'000 paire de lunettes usagées et redistribuées en Afrique. Pour terminer, avec l’échange de fanions, il y eut un échange de bons procédés, à savoir : un morceau d’Emmental pour un fromage à Raclette AOC Valais qui devrait accompagner avec bonheur les pommes de terre de l’Emmental.

Philippe Lagneaux, H. Fournier et DG Peter Pfister
Jo Pralong reçoit la distinction des mains du DG Peter Pfister

EuroCHRIE Executive Board in London

2011-10-10T21:35:00.018+02:00

Following an invitation from EuroCHRIE Secretary Paul Jackson, the EuroCHRIE Executive Board met in Brent Cross at the Old Barns residence. Ten days before the Dubrovnik 2011 EuroCHRIE conference, it seemed like a good idea to have a strategic planning meeting to assess the strengths of our organization and future objectives in regards to positioning and growth. EuroCHRIE President Robert Wetterauer, Vice President Maureen Brookes, Secretary Paul Jackson and Treasurer Herve Fournier prepared an action plan which will be presented at next week Board Meeting in Dubrovnik. http://www.eurochrie2011.hr/ Paul Jackson and Linda Evans were the perfect hosts and made sure to plan a "Discover the City" Tour.

Bob Mongrain - Hockey Coach in Visp

2011-10-05T21:36:00.005+02:00

Bob Mongrain is currently the Head Coach of the Swiss hockey team EHC Visp Lions. Last year the team won the Swiss second division championship. This year the EHC Visp Lions are again playing at the top of the league. Bob Mongrain was born in Canada and played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres. From 1979 until 1984, he played several seasons for Buffalo’s farm team, the Rochester Amerks. In 2002 he was inducted in the Amerks’ Hall of Fame for having scored 153 goals and a total of 339 points, 10th overall in the all times standing. In 1983 his creative work helped the Amerks win the AHL Calder Cup. He then played for the Swiss Kloten Flyers in 1985 where he led the league with 46 goals in 38 games. He returned to the NHL for eleven games with the Los Angeles Kings in 1985-86. Mongrain returned to Switzerland and played five more years before retiring in 1991. After coaching several years in the Quebec Junior Hockey League, he is now a successful Head Coach in Switzerland and he loves living in Valais.

SDE au Palais Fédéral - Berne

2011-10-02T10:21:00.006+02:00

La sortie annuelle du Service du Développement Economique du Canton du Valais a eu lieu au Palais Fédéral à Berne. Selon la tradition, les collaborateurs/trices du Regions-und Wirtschaftzentrum Oberwallis (RWO) et de l’Antenne du Valais Romand ont participé à cette excursion. Arrivés sur la Place Fédérale avec l’autocar du FC Sion, la délégation valaisanne n’est pas passée inaperçue, cette dernière étant accueillie par le Conseiller National Roberto Schmidt. Après un passage digne d’un aéroport au niveau des contrôles de sécurité, le groupe admire le hall d’entrée avec son escalier magestueux et la fameuse coupole qui trône à 34 mètres de hauteur.

Le Chef de Service François Seppey avait organisé une conférence de Pascal Previdoli, Directeur suppléant de l’Office fédéral de l’énergie, sur le thème : « Qu’apportent les changements dans le domaine de l’énergie au Canton du Valais ? » Un sujet d’actualité vu la sortie programmée du nucléaire et les opportunités ainsi offertes au canton avec son importante production d’énergie hydraulique et le potentiel de développement des énergies renouvelables. Un passage à la Tribune du Conseil national nous a permis de suivre les débats présidés par Jean-René Germanier et notamment l’intervention de Roberto Schmidt au sujet de l’autorisation simplifiée pour la pose de panneaux solaires sur les toits. Lors de l’apéritif et du repas à la Galerie des Alpes au sein même du Palais Fédéral, les parlementaires valaisans Viola Amherdt, Christophe Darbellay, Paul-André Roux, Jean-René Germanier et bien sûr notre hôte Roberto Schmidt ont pris du temps à expliquer les rouages du parlement fédéral, ainsi que les dossiers importants pour le canton du Valais.

François Seppey, Chef de Service heureux d'être à Berne

Rotary Club Monthey - Cremona - St-Maxime/St-Tropez

2011-09-25T11:06:00.015+02:00

Selon la tradition datant de 1981, les trois Rotary Club Contacts de St-Maxime, Cremona et Monthey se retouvent en Suisse à l’occasion de la Triangulaire. Organisée de main de maître par le Past-Président montheysan Claude Pottier, les hôtes italiens et français ont été enchantés par un programme dense et varié.
Jeudi soir : accueil par le Président de la ville de Monthey au Château. Repas dans les familles.
Vendredi : sortie dans le Lavaux, vignoble classé au Patrimoine de l’UNESCO. Dégustation de crus locaux et repas de midi au Baron Tavernier de Chexbres avec sa magnifique terrasse et une époustouflante sur le Léman.
Vendredi soir : raclette conviviale à Monthey
Samedi : par un magnifique temps ensoleillé, plusieurs buts d’excursions ont ravi nos amis rotariens : Kuklos à Leysin, exposition Monet à Martigny, Fête du Goût à Sion, Crans-Montana, le Val d’Anniviers à Chandolin et à Fang. La beauté du Vieux-Pays avec un paysage alpestre époustouflant a conquis tous nos hôtes.
Pour clore cette rencontre, la Soirée de Gala au Grand Hôtel de Lavey-les-Bains a ravi tous les participants : la magnifique salle historique, le menu chasse avec un service attentionné, une ambiance empreinte de convivialité et d’amitié rotarienne et les allocutions de circonstance.
Hervé Fournier, Président du RC Monthey :
« La mission du Rotary International est de servir autrui, de promouvoir l'intégrité et de favoriser l’entente internationale, la bonne volonté et la paix au travers de son réseau de décideurs locaux, civiques et professionnels.
En 2011-2012, le thème du Rotary est Puisez en vous pour embrasser l’humanité . En effet, l’humanité tout entière partage les mêmes rêves, espoirs ou aspirations et fait face aux mêmes problèmes. Le Président du Rotary International est Indien d’où la citation suivante de Ghandi : « Le bonheur c’est lorsque vos actes sont en accord avec vos paroles » C’est bien ce que nous faisons au Rotary : que du bonheur ! Nous nous efforçons de maintenir une éthique et une honnêteté au quotidien, de reconnaître la valeur de chaque être humain et de partager l’amitié et la bonne entente… internationale. En effet, cette triangulaire en est un excellent exemple. Quelle joie de recevoir en nos murs nos amis rotariens de Cremona et St-Maxime, vous qui nous donnez l’opportunité de vous faire découvrir, non sans fierté la beauté de nos contrées : les Vignobles de Lavaux classés au Patrimoine de l’Unesco, la riviera lémanique, la vallée du Rhône, les Alpes valaisannes, sans oublier le Château des Gouverneurs de notre bourgade de Monthey.
Nous espérons que vous allez garder d’excellents souvenirs de cette rencontre. Je sais que les rotariens montheysans présents à St-Maxime l’an dernier ont eu un immense plaisir, notamment avec les régattes de Voiles de St-Tropez.
Nous nous réjouissons tous de nous retrouver l’an prochain à dans la plaine du Po en Lombardie à Cremona, patrie des luthiers Guaneri et Stradivari.
J’aimerai porter un toast en votre honneur : Vous avez découvert le vignoble de Lavaux avec ses trois soleils : l’astre, le soleil de la réverbération des murs et celui du lac. Ici nous en avons deux autres, le soleil dans ce verre de Fendant et surtout le soleil dans les cœurs. Santé à toutes et à tous. »
Giuseppe Bufano, Président RC Cremona:
« Chers Amis rotariens, tout d’abord je vous prie d’excuser mon français peu fluide, mais les années de mes études sont désormais loin.
Je salue le Président et les amis du Club de Monthey qui ont organisé pour nous un splendide séjour. Je salue le représentant du Président du Club de St-Maxime/St-Tropez qui ont partagé avec nous ces journées en toute amitié. Il a été beau de se retrouver.
Dès que le Rotary a revêtu un rôle international, il a toujours été raison d’union entre les peuples. Se connaître, se mesurer dans le respect chacun de son identité et de celle d’autrui a toujours été et ce sera toujours un fondement de l’action rotarienne. C’est le fondement de l’amitié entre les personnes et de l’amitié entre les peuples. Pendant ces jours nous avons eu la possibilité de nous connaître mieux et je suis sûr que chacun de nous reviendra à sa vie quotidienne un plus riche qu’avant.
Encore merci à tous ceux qui ont organisé cette rencontre et à ceux qui ont compris qu’il était important d’y participer. Bonne soirée à tout le monde et au revoir à Crémona ! »
C’est Michel Cazaux, dont la participation aux triangulaires remonte à 1981 qui a officié pour le RC St-Maxime en nous apportant les salutations de son Président. Trois membres visiteurs à St-Maxime ont reçu le fanion du RC Monthey pour les ramener dans leur club respectif : Paris West, Brest et Le Havre.
Finalement, des remerciements nourris et louanges furent adressés au Past-Président du RC Monthey, Claude Pottier, pour l’excellent travail d’organisation, de coordination et de logistique qui a contribué au succès de cette rencontre.

ITS Zermatt Day 2+3

2011-09-24T10:16:00.014+02:00

Francois Seppey, Head of the State Department of Economic Development, President of the Ark Foundation and the Marque Valais Association began the session posted on the topic of innovation with the following definition: "Innovation means introducing something new in something established. Innovation is at the beginning and at the end of everything, because it is a source of change in consumer behavior. "
The Deputy Director of the International Tourism Marketing Division, Shandong, Yu Fenggui, explains the tremendous work done on tourist brands at the 2nd largest city in China in terms of population. Indeed, the hometown of Confucius decided to play a full map of the hyper-segmentation by creating brands based on six different aspirations and the type of activities performed by visitors.
Guillaume Thevenot, author of the blog HotelBlogs, launched the conference dedicated to social media with distinguished guests such as Armelle Solelhac, (CEO, Switch, France), Patrick Comboeuf (E-Business Director Swiss Federal Railways), Michael Menzel (Director of Sales at TrustYou) Sara Nanda (Senior Manager of European partnerships at TripAdvisor). Each explains how social media has revolutionized the methods of reservations, consumer feedback and holidays. Armelle Solelhac addressed the contributions of social location in the tourist industry including the EpicMix ™ Vail Resorts Inc. Check the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUwQZ57SSds
The roundtable on "innovation and design in infrastructure and equipment" opens with a presentation by Roberto Francesconi (Regional Manager Finaosta in the Aosta Valley) on the development work and new lifts which will be installed to Helbronner on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Facilities should be open to the public in 2015.
Reto Rindlischbacher (CEO of Nordica) discusses the repositioning of its brand (50% slopes, 30% back country and 20% freeride freestyleskiing) and describes what the ski resort of your dreams should look like and how it should be managed: "Managing a ski resort company would mean to me" being an event entertainment company ".
Finally, Benno Nager (Director of Consulting Alpine Resort) closed the morning of presentations outlining the Andermatt project, a well-established winter sport location at the foot of the Gotthard Massif in Switzerland which will become an exclusive all-year around holiday destination offering leisure activities with a golf course, six new 4 and 5-star hotels, 490 spacious apartments in 42 buildings as well as 25 villas and an extension of the ski-lifts with a connection to Sedrun-Disentis. http://www.andermatt-swissalps.ch/
Yves Claude Aubert (European Tech Tour Association) opened the session devoted to opportunities for innovation in the tourism industry by saying that "the speed of development of innovations, their adoption and their spread has become dizzying." A statement confirmed when you see the stratospheric progression of HouseTrip, the company created in 2009 by Arnaud Bertrand who quoted "Innovation is relevant only if it is part of a real strategy. To carry out a project, you should know to stay focused on goals. "
Christian March (Vice President of BeMore Holding) then connects with a presentation of the impact of internet sales in ski lifts companies. What to remember:
• Yield management and dynamic pricing are the future of ski lifts conmpanies;
• In France, the cost of the ticket booth on the sale of a skipass is 8%;
• The French resorts do not know 80% of buyers of skipasses, so it's very difficult to provide them with personalized offers;
• The future lies in the fusion of the access card with the method of payment and loyalty tools;
• The future is through developing platforms for aggregation of tourist services in dynamic mode by destination;
• The generalization of smartphones will accelerate the transfer of the turnover from the ticket booth to online sales.
After a presentation by a representative of the capital city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province in China, Olivier Müller (Head of Development for the German market) presents introduces Groupon. It describes the business model and "win - win - win between the client - the merchant and Groupon" a company formed in 2008 in Chicago already present in 250 cities in 47 countries. The benefits and relevance of services offered by this company seem relatively logical for tourism professionals.
Reto Gurtner (Weisse Arena Group CEO - Laax) then describes his work in developing Rocks Resort and how he joined the design in the development of a strong brand accommodations in Laax. http://www.rockresort.com/
François Seppey concludes with great finesse this day dedicated to innovation by recalling the concept of "wintertainement" (winter + entertainment) and to place greater importance on the scene to the customer experience. He then invites the participants to board the metro to Sunnegga at 2278 m for a Swiss Dinner : beautiful scenery with the sun gently setting over the Matterhorn, entertainment with Alphorns and glockenspiel, fine food and wine, a great way to finish the day.
The third day was chaired by Eric Fournier, Mayor of Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Tthe pannel “Who is the best owner” depicted the difficulty faced by hotel and ski resort operators to obtain financing from investors. Yang Luyu, Deputy Director, Commerce Department Division, Province of Jiangsu, highlighted some of the investment opportunities in his region. Finally François Carrard, former Director General of the International Olympic Committee described the current requirements to host the Olympic Winter Games.
Gérald Imfeld, Chairman of the International Tourism Symposium Foundation officially closed the 13th edition. He mentioned the success of the Business Valais Area showcasing innovative companies including those who were selected for the “Five Minutes of Fame” segments : SkyCarve, Visioglobe and Nannoxi. He called for all participants to meet next year in Chamonix Mont-Blanc for the 14th edition.

Source: Text in French by Armelle Solelhac http://www.switchconsulting.fr/blog/

With Pierre-Alain Gaillard http://www.alpsoft.ch/ and Connor Lenon Off-Piste Radio Network http://www.mountainradioverbier.com/

ITS Zermatt Day 1

2011-09-22T00:42:00.009+02:00

The 13th edition of International Tourism Symposium is being held from September 19 to 21 2011, in Zermatt, Switzerland. 170 carefully selected participants from around the world, representing 120 companies and government institutions and professional meet to discuss the real issues for the future of tourism. http://www.idealp.org/

Gerald Imfeld , ITS Foundation Chairman, opened the festivities by painting a rather dark picture of our current situation but said that danger breeds opportunities, as long as you are aware of weaknesses, get to work and seek innovative actions. Jean-Michel Cina (State Councillor of the Department of the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Spatial Development Switzerland) follows suit, explaining that "the tourism market leaves no room for mediocrity" and that it is not possible to be too cautious and wait for the storm to pass. In times of crisis, we must move forward and take risks. "After a few words of welcome from the Mayor of Zermatt, Christoph Bürgin and Aurelio Marguerettaz, Assessor Tourism, Sport, Commerce and Transportation of the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta, the presentations get underway.

In his presentation on "The impact of the revolution of social media and new technologies in the tourism sector," Joël Gayet of CoManaging explains that, contrary to what one might think, the more people travel, the more they are connected. This has serious consequences for the flow of information and consumer behavior.

What should be remembered from this presentation:
• Tourism is the first sector in the world in terms of turnover online;
• The growth in online sales last year increased by 30%;
• There are 950 million users of social networks in the world;
• + 200% increase in smartphones in 2010;
• 66% of users consult the opinions of other Internet users and 88% of them admit to being influenced by such opinions;
• Marketing is becoming increasingly hyper-segmented affinity;
•We have entered the area of marketing excellence and co-construction, because "the power of a brand is measured primarily by the strength of which it knows to create links with its environment."

In a style and a completely different subject, issues on mountain safety are presented. Michael Berry (Chairman of the North American Ski Areas Association)- gives an overview of the types of serious accidents that led to claims over the last 6 years on all ski areas in North America. We retain the following figures:

• 55 falls from ski lift
• 32 accidents in the snow parks
• 22 collisions with groomers / Skidoo
• 127 accidents on the slopes of tubing (some resorts offer this activity in Europe, but it is very popular in North America!)
Bo Adams (Senior Vice President, Mountain Guard) gives a presentation on good practices in prevention and safety with clients and staff of mountain resorts. Finally, Mark Petrozzi (Vice President of Risk Management at Booth Creek Resort Properties Gilford) and Peter Rieti (Lawyer for Vail Resorts Group stations) continue showing us the cost of these accidents and impacts for operators of ski lifts companies, their insurers and their lawyers! These testimonies are impressive to put in perspective since the North American practice in litigation and compensation payments are not (yet) comparable with what happens in Europe..

After the coffee break, the theme is communication and crisis management. Two Japanese guests, Asuka Horigome (Diplomat in charge of the economy to the Japanese Embassy in Bern) and Yasushi Fukagawa (Ministerial Adviser to the Japanese Embassy in Bern) and the Chinese Chairman Junlin Liu (Secretary General of Municipal Committee of CPC of Dujiangyan, Sichuan and Vice-Mayor of Chengdu), have shown the impacts of natural disasters on tourism in their respective countries, as well as the management of crisis situations both in terms of logistics on the ground - first aid to reconstruction - and communication among people and tourists.

After a quick conclusion, the dense first day ended with the presentation of the Crystal Tourism Award 2011 (by Swarovski) to Reto Gurtner (Chairman and CEO of the Weisse Arena Group).
Source: French text www.switchconsulting.fr/blog by Armelle Solelhac (photos)

BRIT - Border Regions in Transition

2011-09-10T08:31:00.009+02:00

The BRIT (Border Regions in transitions) network is a multidisciplinary project that meets every 18 months to discuss border and geopolitical issues. Following the 10th edition of BRIT which, for the first time in its history, met in the Southern hemisphere (in South America, in Arica, Chile / Tacna, Peru), the 11th Conference is co-organized by the University of Geneva and the University of Grenoble. 165 international scholars who have been researching borderlands and de/rebordering dynamics around the world attended this event, conceived as a unique occasion for those scholars to contribute to a conceptualisation of the Mobile border. One of the field trips included a tour from Geneva to Grenoble via Martigny, located in Switzerland on the crossroads to Italy and France. The group visited Le Château de la Bâtiaz, a 13th Century castle built by the Ducs de Savoie do defend their territory. A demonstration of a siege engine as well as a visit of the site and a typical Valaisan lunch were highly appreciated by this international group of university professors. It was a great occasion to showcase Valais and to welcome them with these words:
“Welcome to Valais. It is a pleasure to host such a group of scholars on the occasion of the BRIT 11th Conference – Border Regions in Transitions.
Business Valais is a parapublic organization that deals with regional economic development. Our mission is to support SMEs and to coordinate economic development between the local town administrations and the State Government. We are financed by the State Department of Economy and Trade and the local communes. The Valais Romand region includes 71 communes ranging from the French border on Lake Geneva all the way up the valley to another border, the linguistic border in Salgesch where Valais becomes Wallis and German is spoken.
Your last event took place in South America and it is a pleasure for us to showcase our region, also located in a mountainous area where geographical borders follow natural obstacles such as 4000 meter high mountains. Martigny is a crossroad, leading to Chamonix where you will be going this afternoon and also to the Val d’Aosta in Italy on the other side of the St-Bernard pass, a strategic passage over the Alps. The Romans built a road over the mountain in order to move their armies to conquer the North. Later in the 11th Century catholic monks opened the hospice at the top of the mountain to provide shelter to pilgrims. In the 18th Century the monks raised the St-Bernard Dogs, you know Beethoven, to rescue the travelers lost in the snow. In 1800 Napoleon took the reverse journey to serve his conquering ambitions. To date, the St-Bernard tunnel is a main highway connection on the way to Torino and further on to Genoa or Nice and Monaco on the French side.
The Interreg project GSB 360° is a study whereby 22 communes on the Swiss side and 11 communes on the Italian side join their efforts to develop a project to promote their region. On each side of the border to live and maintain an economic activity in rural mountain regions is a challenge. Even though our two regions are separated by a border, people on both sides have the same preoccupations. We even speak the same language, meetings take place in French and the old franco-provencal dialect is still used on both sides. This Interreg project aims to promote tourism. To do so, why not showcase our common assets: scenery, culture, historical sites and local products. Using the existing historical trail the Via Francigena, a common graphic line, carto-guides, web and smart-phone applications as well as packages including lodging and luggage transport are being developed to serve the tourists following in the footsteps of the Archbishop Sigeric who travelled from Canterburry to Rome in 990. He documented his 80 stage, 1700 km trip over many borders. With the Abbaye of St-Maurice who will celebrate 1500 years of existence in 2015 and the St-Bernard pass being the highest point of the trail, this region has the best arguments to stand out on this European Cultural Route.
When we see the success of the Way of St-James, the Camino di Santiago di Compostela, we feel that we are on the right track. Tourist trends today are geared towards nature, culture, tradition: Less is more and people these days cherish authenticity and look around, this is it, a great example of what we have to offer, hospitality, great scenery, history and culture and of course the local products you have been tasting.
I hope to see you again in the region, who knows hiking on the Via Francigena or maybe skiing in Verbier, I wish you all a great continuation of your journey over the border.”

ITS Zermatt D-10

2011-09-07T21:23:00.004+02:00

10 days left to the International Tourism Symposium taking place in Zermatt on 19th-21st September at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof http://www.idealp.org/

THE REAL ISSUES OF TOURISM

Q U E S T I O N S
What is the impact of the new types of financing to sustain the companies, their culture and their identity?

"Who is the best Owner" of the company and the resort?
Who were the initiators and the investors at the origin of the launch of the city and mountain resorts candidates to the Winter Olympic Games?
Does growth and sport's decentralization represent a danger for the Winter Olympic Games?
Why does the Tourism industry have to face a real revolution with social media and new technologies?

Which type of power and economic models are emerging?
Is the Tourism Industry able to manage crisis situations? Which measures to apply to anticipate emergency situations and how to communicate when they arise?
Does the safety pressure on slopes in America will become the rule for all mountain regions? Opportunity or simple additional cost of regulation?
Should we redesign our mountain to satisfy the customer of tomorrow? Are our resorts really innovative to adapt themselves to the new needs and new customers?

A N S W E R S
presented by more than 30 speakers and discussed with 200 economy professionals coming from 17 countries and representing more than 150 companies, destinations and resorts from Europe, North America and Asia.

G U E S T S P E A K E R S
François CARRARD, former Director General of the IOC, Lausanne
Yu FENGGUI, International Tourism Marketing Division, Shandong
Joël GAYET, Associate-Partner, CoManaging, Paris

G U E S T O F H O N O U R
Chamonix Mont-Blanc

C R Y S T A L T O U R I S M A W A R D 2 0 1 1
A price granted to a personality of the Tourism Industry

ITS Zermatt D-30

2011-08-19T06:24:00.004+02:00

30 days left until the International Tourism Symposium opens in Zermatt on 19th September at the five-star property the Zermatterhof Hotel.

This year’s program includes several panel presentations, such as:

Security requirements: increasing market pressures
Chaired by Michael BERRY, Chairman of the National Ski Areas Association, Lakewood, USA
and How to capitalize on crisis situations with :
- Rafael ENZLER, Marketing, Brand Management & Strategische Partnerschaften, Suisse Tourisme, Zurich
- Junlin LIU, Secretary of the Dujiangyan Municipal Committee of the CPC, Sichuan, Chine who will detail the efforts made for economic recovery highlighting tourism after the tragic earthquake of May 2008.

In partnership with Business Valais, the ITS 13th edition will also focus on showcasing innovative start-ups and SMEs in tourism.

For the complete program, check www.idealp.org

MIR Submarines in Bouveret

2011-08-10T09:36:00.011+02:00

Two MIR Russian submarines are being been used to explore Lake Geneva this summer. They are based in Le Bouveret and the Rotary Club Monthey was invited by E. Fracheboud, Director of Rhona/Sagrave SA to learn more about this project from J.-D. Bourquin and U. Lemmin, scientists from the Lausanne Polytechnic Institute EPFL.This mission is part of more than a dozen individual research projects. Little is known about the 580-square-kilometer (224-square-mile) floor of Lake Geneva. About a dozen international teams of scientists now want to change that. One task includes analyzing the pollution particles in the lake whose small size allows them to slip through the filters of the waste water treatment plants on the shoreline. What happens with these so-called "micro pollutants" -- including heavy metals and residuals from medications and cosmetics -- is important because, each day, the lake provides drinking water to more than half a million people. Scientists estimated that the waterworks pump some 80 million cubic meters (21 billion gallons) of water out of the huge reservoir each year. "The number is continuously rising," says the EPFL's Ulrich Lemmin, who is coordinating the scientific program for the submarines. "Lake Geneva is a very attractive area." Measuring the amount of pollutants in the water is meant to help scientists better understand ecological processes within the lake. But the scientists aren't just collecting the data; they can also closely inspect it in the submarines and have the pilots steer them to places in the lake that provide excellent observation points. As Lemmin explains, it is very difficult to reach such places with smaller submersibles. Diving robots would simply carry out their assigned tasks, but the Russian submarines allow the scientists to conduct their measurements flexibly and alter them whenever necessary. Mir 1 and Mir 2 are also supposed to explore the canyons of the Rhone River, which are probably the lake's biggest secrets. The river's waters flow into the lake on its northeastern side. Since it is cold and full of sediments from the Alps, it sinks to the bottom of the lake. After a journey that takes an average of almost 11 years, the waters flow back out of the lake at Geneva, at the southwestern corner of the lake, before continuing their journey to the Mediterranean. Each year, the Rhone dumps five metric tons of sediment into the lake. As that sediment piles up at the bottom of the lake, it creates a mysterious underwater landscape. Though observers cannot see them from land, the bottom of the lake is full of gulches that can stretch for kilometers and be up to 50 meters deep. The walls of this spectacular labyrinth are believed to be extremely fragile. Indeed, the collapse of one of the walls is believed to have triggered a tsunami on the lake in 563. Legend has it that a wall of water raced across the lake then and destroyed the bridges of Geneva. Plans now call for the two Mir submarines to squeeze their way through these canyons. The vessels, which are painted orange and white and weigh 18 metric tons each, are among the best submarines available in the world for deep-sea research. They were built in Finland in the 1980s for the USSR Academy of Sciences. There are only four other submarines of this type in the world that can reach depths of more than 3,000 meters (9,843 feet). Indeed, the shallow waters of Lake Geneva (310m , 1017 ft) make it almost a walk in the park for the submarine pilots -- at least when it comes to depths.

The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

2011-08-07T14:19:00.017+02:00

The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is a luxury resort with 700 rooms and suites, 44 cottage bedrooms, 18 restaurants, cafés and lounges, three golf courses, a tennis club and a 5-star day spa. It is the only 5-star, 5 diamond property in Colorado. The Penrose Room is also a 5 diamond restaurant with Executive Chef Bertrand Bourquin overseeing both the Penrose and the Summit restaurants where fine dining with an incredible wine-list can be enjoyed all-year around. 1700 staff members deliver great service with passion; they do appreciate the exceptional work environment at this leading luxury resort property.

Susan Fournier with Cindy Johnson, HR Director and Carrie Arnold, International Employee Program Manager

Hidden bottles found after prohibition... even a Swiss wine : Yvorne Clos du Rocher

Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods

2011-08-07T01:56:00.010+02:00

While in Colorado Springs, driving up to the top of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain is a great experience. A 19-mile journey which takes you through winding roads and breathtaking scenery up to 14.1110 feet (4203m). You can also choose to ride the Pikes Peak Cograilway (Swiss engineering!).
Also in the area is The Garden of the Gods, a registered National Natural Landmark, with 300 ft towering sandstone rock formations, offers dramatic views against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak and brilliant blue skies.

ABBA at Red Rocks, Colorado

2011-08-07T01:29:00.011+02:00

What a treat : Arrival from Sweden, The Music of ABBA in concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. A 12-piece band that takes you back to the 70’s with the appearance of the original stars that defined pop music with authentic costumes (also in the audience..). Red Rocks is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled out from stage left and a seating area for up to 9,450 people in-between. What a spectacular setting for an under-the-stars summer night concert near Denver, Colorado.

I-CHRIE Denver, Colorado

2011-08-07T00:34:00.025+02:00

Close to 500 delegates attended this year’s I-CHRIE Conference at the Grand Hyatt in Denver, Colorado. Deans and Directors, Professors from major universities such as Cornell, Michigan State University, Purdue, University Nevada Las Vegas, Oklahoma State University, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Oxford and Brookes, University of Surrey and many more presented their research and attended key note lectures and workshops. The industry was present with HR recruiters from the large groups Marriott, Hyatt, Sodexo, Aramar, Darden, Whitelodging,etc.
Key note speakers included Ed Fuller President and Managing Director International Lodging Division, Marriott International Inc. Ed’s visionary leadership and long-range thinking has proven instrumental to the organization, founding a network of more than 350 hotels with 179 currently under construction across 70+ countries worldwide. His book “You Can’t Lead with your Feet on the Desk” is a testimonial of Ed’s impressive career. Richard Scharf, President and CEO of the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau gave some insights on the competitiveness of attracting MICE business to your destination, while Stephen Carley CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc highlighted the challenges of the casual dining sector. The Deans and Directors visited the School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver where Kevin Reddy, CEO of Noodles & Company described their concept of fast casual dining with a mix of line up to cashier and service at the table. Noodles & Company has experienced a double digit growth, from 122 restaurants in 2005 to 245 locations to date. The Industry session with Steve Hood from Smith Travel Research provided an explanation of the STAR property reports and how an educator can use a comprehensive set of sample property and corporate reports to provide real-life management experience in the class room.

Susan Fournier and Rocco Angelo

This year’s award recipients were : Rocco M. Angelo, Florida State University for the Howard B. Meek Award, Karen Liebermann, Johnson & Wales University for the Stevenson W. Fletcher Achievement Award. The John Wiley & Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching went to Mehmet Erdem, University of Nevada Las Vegas while the Lifetime Research Achievement Award went to H.G. Parsa, University of Central Florida.

EuroCHRIE Board

The EuroCHRIE federation took center stage with Susan Fournier being installed as President of the I-CHRIE Executive Board of Directors. Robert Wetterauer took over the EuroCHRIE presidency from Jouni Ahonen, while Maureen Brookes was elected to the post of Vice-President, joining the Board with Secretary Paul Jackson and Herve Fournier, Treasurer. http://www.chrie.org/

Susan Fournier with Past-President Cynthia Deale
Cynthia Deale with Chad Gruhl
I-CHRIE President Susan Fournier, Maureen Brookes EuroCHRIE Vice President, Robert Wetterauer EuroCHRIE President, Jouni Ahonen EuroCHRIE Past PresidentWith David Cursor - University of Denver
Kevin Reddy, CEO Noodles & Company
Peter Jones and Christina promoting Dubrovnik Ed Fuller, President Marriott International

Jouni Ahonen, Susan Fournier, Cynthia Deale and Steve Hood from STR

with Kathy McCarty CEO, I-CHRIE

I-CHRIE President Susan M. Fournier

2011-08-07T00:25:00.004+02:00

Having been elected Vice-President of the Executive Board of I-CHRIE, the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education in 2010, Susan M. Fournier, “Cesar Ritz” Colleges’ Leadership Program Director was installed as President of this prestigious association of hospitality educators at the Annual Conference in Denver on 27th July 2011. Around 500 delegates attended this year’s conference. Deans and Directors, professors from major universities such as Cornell, Michigan State University, Purdue, Universtiy Nevada Las Vegas, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Oxford and Brookes, University of Surrey and many more presented their research and attended key note lectures and workshops. The industry was present with HR recruiters from the large groups Marriott, Hyatt, Sodexo, Aramar, Darden, STR, Whiteodging,etc.
Founded in 1946 as a non-profit organization for schools, colleges and universities offering programs of study in hospitality and tourism, International CHRIE has since expanded its scope to include the enhancement of professionalism at all levels of the hospitality and tourism industry, monitoring ongoing developments and keeping its members at the forefront of trends. With around 1,500 members world-wide located in close to 50 countries, I-CHRIE works to enhance professionalism in the hospitality and tourism industry- and ultimately service quality and competitiveness - through education and training.
Prior to joining the I-CHRIE board, Susan M. Fournier had been an active board member of EuroCHRIE, the European federation. She did oversee the bidding process and the attribution of the annual European conference sites, including the past conferences in Dubai, Helsinki and Amsterdam as well as the upcoming ones in Dubrovnik (19-22 October. 2011) andat EHL in Lausanne, Switzerland in October 2012.
During her term in office, she will chair the Executive Board meetings taking place at the American Hotel and Lodging Association trade show in New York and at the National Restaurant Association trade show in Chicago. She will attend the conferences taking place in Dubrovnik, Croatia and Manilla, Philippines and preside next year’s I-CHRIE conference in Providence, Rhode Island.
For the last 15 years at “Cesar Ritz” Colleges, she has been teaching EFL and hospitality management courses as well as implementing a new Leadership Program. During her tenure as I-CHRIE Executive Board Member, she will work to develop each federation and strengthen the I-CHRIE brand to fulfill the vision that “I-CHRIE will become the recognized global leader in hospitality and tourism education and research.”
http://www.chrie.org/
http://www.eurochrie.org/ http://www.ritz.edu/

With Robert Wetterauer, EuroCHRIE President, Jouni Ahonen, EuroCHRIE Past President and Bill Samenfink, I-CHRIE former Past President

Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in Valais

2011-07-21T22:27:00.004+02:00

Following an invitation from Gérald Imfeld, a Chinese delegation of painters are visiting the State of Valais in order to select sites where Chinese artists will paint the breathtaking landscape of the unique Swiss Alpine scenery and expose their work in China. The delegation was led by Ms Tao Qin, Vice-Secretary General from the China Artists Association and Mr. Qiu Zhenzhong from the School of Chinese Painting Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Industrial Tourism

2011-07-21T22:04:00.004+02:00

The Italian delegation with Dr. Marie-Françoise Perruchoud from the HES-SO ITO Tourism Research Institute in Sierre

A delegation from Piemonte visited the State of Valais in order to explore opportunities to work on a joint project to create a model of "Industrial Tourism", that is to initiate both the resident population and tourists to visit production sites. The idea is to propose tours to local production sites from industry, factories, manufactures, food processing plants, etc. The Piemonte and Torino tourism boards together with the Chamber of Commerce launched the "Made in Torino, tour the Excellent" program, whereby tours to local sites such as FIAT, Pininfarina, Martini&Rossi, Lavazza and others are organized on specific dates. http://www.turismotorino.org/ In Valais such visits could include not only cheese factories and wineries but also hydroelectric plants and dams, high tech firms, etc. A site visit in Torino will be organized in the fall while various contacts will take place to incite companies in Valais to open their doors to tourists.

Bienvenue chez les Valaisans!

2011-07-21T21:56:00.005+02:00

Chaque année le Théâtre du Croûtion présente un spectacle de qualité au Bouveret. Cette année il s’agit d’une comédie de création maison mise-en –scène par Olivier Duperrex. C’est une réalisation de grande envergure sur près de 800 m2 avec un immense décor de carte postale traversé par un téléphérique. Cascades, humour, personnages cocasses et regards critiques aussi sont au programme du spectacle. « Bienvenue Chez les Valaisans » remporte un immense succès, les 800 places pour chaque soir sont déjà vnedues et les 4 supplémentaires prévues du 10 au 13 août se vendent à vitesse grand V. L’accueil, le catering et les infrastructures sont de très bon niveau et contribuent ainsi au succès de ce spectacle. http://www.croution.ch/

Opera Festival in Avenches

2011-07-10T10:07:00.011+02:00

The Avenches Opera Festival is set in the magical surroundings of the Aventicum Roman Arenas. Since its first edition in 1995, The Opera Festival has enjoyed immediate success, attracting tens of thousands of spectators every year, who are thrilled by the show’s immense quality. The greatest and most beautiful works in the opera repertoire have been presented at the Festival such as Aida, Carmen, Nabucco, The Enchanted Flute, La Boheme, La Traviata, etc.
This year, it is Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Rigoletto, being performed in a new production. The casting is exceptional, with Olga Peretyatko, the young Russian soprano, in the role of Gilda. The Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (OCL) is another highlight of this event. http://www.avenches.ch/

Restaurant in Chiboz

2011-07-07T19:56:00.009+02:00

Le Relais des Chasseurs in Chiboz above Fully is a great restaurant. Challenging mountain road with 13 hairpin turns to get to it... great welcome Quebec style from the Ançay family. A superb view of the Valais and the Swiss Alps and in summer swiss-style BBQ beef served on hot slate; in the fall great local game: chamois and deer, the best venison around! http://www.chiboz.ch/

Staycation on Lake Geneva

2011-07-04T15:58:00.014+02:00

A week-end in Le Bouveret on Lake Geneva feels like a week holiday anywhere... From sunrise to sunset... See for yourselves!

Rotary at Olympic Museum in Lausanne

2011-07-04T15:21:00.011+02:00

The new Governor of the Rotary District 1990, Peter Pfister, took the leadership from now Past District Governor Charles Zaugg at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Participating at the event were the incoming Presidents of the 72 clubs located in 7 Swiss Cantons and other members of the Rotary leadership. The Keynote speaker was Denis Oswald, Member of the International Olympic Committee, Head of the co-ordination commission for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In his speech, he compared athletes "serving" their sport to Rotarian whose motto is to serve by engaging themselves in various charity events. DG Peter Pfister outlined his program for the up-coming year : Reach within to Embrace Humanity

RegioSuisse, NPR & Tourisme

2011-07-04T14:42:00.007+02:00

François Seppey, Chef de Service du Développement Economique DEET, Canton du Valais

Le tourisme est le secteur économique dominant dans de nombreuses régions rurales de Suisse. Dans certaines régions, en effet, il contribue, directement ou indirectement, jusqu’à 70 pour-cent au produit intérieur brut régional. Les systèmes de création de valeur ajoutée touristiques jouent donc également un rôle central dans la Nouvelle politique régionale (NPR) : plus d’un quart des projets NPR approuvés à ce jour sont orientés vers le tourisme. Il s’agit principalement de projets qui améliorent durablement les conditions économiques pour les investisseurs, simplifient les structures, mettent en place des réseaux ou génèrent des innovations. Ils ont ainsi des effets positifs sur les destinations en tant que telles. C’est pourquoi la dernière « Journée thématique formation-regiosuisse » fut entièrement consacrée au thème du tourisme. Les questions suivantes y furent abordées :
Quelles sont les tendances et défis actuels du tourisme suisse ? Dans quelle mesure les régions rurales sont-elles concernées par ces derniers ?
Quelle importance attribue-t-on à la NPR en matière de promotion touristique?
Quels rôles jouent d’autres programmes et instruments de promotion ?
Où se situent les priorités des projets touristiques NPR mis en oeuvre à ce jour ?
Qu’est-ce qui fonctionne bien dans la pratique ? Où peut-on encore trouver un potentiel d’amélioration ?
Les expertes et experts de la Fédération Suisse du Tourisme, du Secteur Tourisme du SECO, du canton du Valais et de l’Association régionale Jura Bienne, ont présenté les sujets suivants :
Le tourisme en Suisse : tendances et défis - Mila Trombitas, directrice adjointe, Fédération Suisse du Tourisme
La promotion du tourisme en Suisse : la nouvelle orientation d’Innotour Davide Codoni, chef de programme Innotour, Secteur Tourisme (SECO)
Les projets touristiques NPR de la première phase de mise en oeuvre :où en sommes-nous ? André Rothenbühler, directeur, Association Régionale Jura-Bienne
Promotion touristique et NPR : commentaire du point de vue d’un grand canton touristique - François Seppey, chef du Service du développement économique, canton du Valais.
http://www.regiosuisse.ch/

François Seppey, Mila Trombitas, Davide Cordonni, André Rothenbüler

Rotary Club in Le Bouveret

2011-06-23T15:21:00.014+02:00

The new Rotary year starts on 1st July. Traditionnally at this time of the year the new officers are being formally appointed. RC Monthey Past-President Claude Pottier passed me the gavel during a formal evening in Le Bouveret. The event took place on the Anfibia http://www.anfibia.ch/
It was themed as an Indian evening, the new President of Rotary International Rot. Kalyan Banerjee being a citizen of that country. The guests enjoyed the exotic gourmet dishes prepared by Sandeep Tada and Cedric Bussien and the Bollywood ambiance...

with Past-President Claude Pottier and wife Raffaela

with Raphy Coutaz, newly appointed President-Elect

Sandeep Tada

Alinghi wins Bol d'Or

2011-06-19T09:53:00.017+02:00

Alinghi wins the 73rd Bol d’Or regatta on Lake Geneva. Former America’s Cup winner Ernesto Betarelli won the famed Geneva-Le Bouveret-Geneva regatta in 6h25’ ahead of world renowned French skippers Michel Desjoyaux and Loick Perron. It took the D35 catamaran only 2h10’ to round the barge in Le Bouveret. 477 yachts took part in this year’s race in stormy and changing wind conditions. http://www.alinghi.com/ http://www.boldor.ch/

Swiss Vapeur Parc - Le Bouveret

2011-06-19T09:22:00.012+02:00

Every year the Swiss Vapeur Parc in Le Bouveret organises an International Steam Festival. This is the main event of the season. At least sixty steam engines and also electric and gasoline powered locomotives operate on the tracks or are in the yards of the station and the park. http://www.swissvapeur.ch/

Zermatt Summit

2011-06-17T14:47:00.008+02:00

The Zermatt Summit Foundation was created through the collaboration of a variety of stakeholders across the globe concerned with how the process of globalization can enhance the common good. The 2nd Zermatt Summit "Humanizing Globalization" took place at the Zermatterhof hotel in presence of 150 delegates from 16 countries. Several key notes and panel discussions highlighted the concerns regarding social corportate responsibility as well as how to put ethics back in the world of business and finance. For example, Father Nicolas Buttet asked in his key note "Isn't it time for a paradigm change : the global economy to serve the human person?"
http://www.zermattsummit.org/
The State of Valais, the Loterie Romande and Zermatt Tourism are the institutional partners of this event. They will also sponsor the International Tourism Symposium which will take place at the same venue on 19-21 September this year. http://www.idealp.org/

Musee de l'Hospice du Grand St-Bernard

2011-06-15T21:36:00.014+02:00

En plus de la traditionnelle visite du chenil où une douzaine de chiens du St- Bernard ont pris leur quartier d'été, le musée de l'Hospice du Grand St-Bernard accueille cet été une exposition temporaire concsacrée à la Via Francigena. Ce chemin historique date du 10ème siècle quand Sigéric, archevêque de Canterbury, rentre de Rome en Angleterre. En chemin, il dresse une liste de ses étapes en suivant un itinéraire déjà mis en place par les romains. Son périple est considéré aujourd’hui comme l’acte fondateur de la Via Francigena à travers l’Europe. A la chute de l’empire romain, la « voie des francs » reste un des principaux passages alpins: marchands, soldats, têtes couronnées s’y succèdent.

http://www.viafrancigena.com/

Mgr Roduit Abé de St-Maurice, Mgr Lovey Prévôt du St-Bernard, Alain Maret Sous-Préfet d'Entremont

Cap Sante à Iserables

2011-06-13T08:49:00.007+02:00

Le Conseil de la Fondation Cap Santé s’est déplacé à Isérables afin de visiter l’exposition temporaire « L’exp-eau : l’eau dans tous ses états ». A cette occasion, le Président de la commune Régis Monnet et le député Narcisse Crettenand, par ailleurs Président de la Fondation Iserablos, ont reçu officiellement la délégation de Cap-Santé emmenée par son Président Pascal Gross, les Président(e)s des communes fondatrices Margrit Picon (Port-Valais), Reynold Rinaldi (Vouvry), Bertrand Duchoud (St-Gingolph) ainsi qu’Hervé Fournier (Business Valais), Gilbert Fournier, directeur de la Fondation et Pascal Morard, mandataire. Le Président de la Fondation pour le Développement Durable des Régions de Montagne (FDDM) Charly Darbellay a également participé à cette visite. A noter que la Fondation Cap Santé contribue à l'information et à la formation de tout public dans tous les aspects et dans toutes les composantes de la santé, de l'eau, de la qualité de vie et du développement durable au sens des définitions de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS). http://www.capsante.ch/

St-Tropez & Port-Grimaud

2011-06-08T22:10:00.014+02:00

The town of St-Tropez remains an almost clichéd picture-postcard: from pink ochre buildings with red-tile barrel roofs and blue and white shutters to historic forts overseeing the forest of masts that sprout from yachts in the sparkling sapphire water. The Vieux Port is a maze of narrow twisting cobblestone streets radiating from the harbor. The French daily Figaro once noted St. Tropez in summer presents "the greatest number of famous faces per square meter." Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Sean Combs, Elton John, Sly Stallone, Sting, the Hilton girls, Bono, Beyoncé and the list goes on and on.

Port Grimaud is a beautiful Provencal style Village overlooking the bay of St-Tropez. It is a maze of canals, cobbled streets and elegant squares. There are numberous cafés, bars and restaurant serving delicious mediterranean foods.

Congrès Mondial OIA Toulon

2011-06-08T21:13:00.017+02:00

C'est au Centre de Congrès Neptune à Toulon qu'eut lieu le 50ème Congrès Mondial de l'Ordre International des Anysetiers. Ce sont plus de 400 délégués et accompagnant(e)s des Commanderies de France, Italie, Autriche, Belgique, Hollande, Allemagne et Suisse qui participèrent à cet événement. Le programme sur 4 jours comprenait en plus des excursions découvertes, l'Assemblée Générale et le Châpitre Magistral, ainsi que 3 soirées recréatives.
En 2012, le Congrès Mondial sera organisé par la Commanderie du Valais à Martigny et à Sion. http://www.anysetiers.org/ http://valais.anysetiers.org/

Caran d'Ache - Geneva

2011-06-08T20:58:00.012+02:00

Pour la traditionnelle sortie annuelle, les Past Présidents du Rotary Club furent reçus à Genève par le Président de Caran d’Ache, M. Jacques Hübscher, membre du Rotary Club de Genève.
Les étapes de construction d’un crayon de couleur ou traditionnel, jusqu’au gros format pour les charpentiers furent explicitées avec brio et passion sur des machines spécifiques ou l’apport humain reste toutefois un bon allié de la robotique. L’effectif de 300 personnes est au service de produits de qualité, réputé pour son expertise « Swiss Made » au développement des instruments d’écriture et des Beaux Arts. En plus de 80 années, Caran d’Ache a inspiré et accompagné plusieurs générations dans la découverte de leurs émotions et de leur sensibilité artistique. http://www.carandache.ch/

Après cette visite très appréciée et ce fut l’embarquement sur le bateau CGN Savoie, lieu prévu pour un menu concocté par Philippe Chevrier, Grand Chef étoilé http://www.chateauvieux.ch/ où il fut question, de foie gras, d’agneau de lait, de dessert chocolaté, le tout arrosé de pinot blanc et rouge.

Promoting St-Bernard Dogs

2011-05-11T22:33:00.001+02:00

Around 30 Tourist Offices and tourist sites of the area met in Monthey in order to exchange their promotional brochures prior to the summer season. Business Valais organized the event and invited the Director of the Foundation Barry Rutdolf Thomann to present the activities of the Foundation and the marketing impact that the image of the famous St-Bernard dog has on the tourist destination Verbier-St-Bernard in Valais.As owner of the breeding kennels of the “Great St. Bernard” since 2005, the Foundation is responsible for the continued management of the over three-century old breed at its place of origin and the preservation of the special type of hospice St. Bernard dog. The St. Bernard is the Swiss national dog. The sire, Barry 1 (1800 – 1814), after which the foundation is named, is said to have saved the life of 40 people and is the most famous member of his breed. The Foundation owns 33 dogs which are showcased in their kennel, at the Musée du St-Bernard in Martigny and in the summer time at the Hospice at the top of the St-Bernard pass at the Swiss-Italian border.
http://www.fondation-barry.ch/ http://www.museesaintbernard.ch/

The website http://www.123chablais.com/ was also introduced. It showcases 12 itineraries with 3 packages of hikes in the Swiss and French Chablais around Lake Geneva.

Rotary + Kiwanis on Lake Geneva

2011-05-11T22:13:00.000+02:00

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self. http://www.rotary.org/
Kiwanis International is a global organization of members of every age who are dedicated to changing the world, one child an one community at a time. http://www.kiwanis.org/
Each year, members from the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs of Monthey meet to share their ideas and common goals. This year Rotarian Ephrem Fracheboud, Director Sagrave SA invited the members to sail on Lake Geneva aboard the Mercure, a barge which used to transport gravel and has now been upgraded to a party boat. www.sagrave.ch

The Monthey Presidents : C. Grau Kiwanis - C. Pottier Rotary

Capri - Naples... Florida

2011-04-28T01:55:00.012+02:00

Near Naples, Florida and across the river from Marco Island lay the Isles of Capri. This small community with the romantic name offers idyllic allure to residents and visitors. Four mangrove islands amidst Johnson Bay, Tarpon Bay, the Marco River and the Gulf of Mexico, natural beauty surround these islands.
The winding waterways provide wonderful boating opportunities and the abundance of trout, snapper, tarpon, redfish and Snook make the Isles of Capri a fisherman's paradise. Manatees feed in the grass beds, dolphins play in the bay, and ospreys and bald eagles soar overhead. Rent a boat from http://www.isleofcaprimarina.com/ and go to Keewaydin Island beach… it’s great fun.

Rotary - From Langnau to Cape Coral

2011-04-21T03:03:00.014+02:00

In order to prepare for the Rotary presidential year, all president-elects must participate to the PETS (President-elect Teaching Seminar). The event is organized by the club of the future District Governor with a goal of preparing upcoming district and club leaders for their terms in office. In-depth seminars that emphasize participation in conjunction with fun and fellowship make for a powerful learning experience for Rotary's leaders. The members of District 1990 were hosted in Langnau im Emmental by DGE Peter Pfister who put together a great event, including a great evening in Trub, home town of current District Governor Charles Zaugg.

Change of scenery 4 days later at the weekly meeting of the Cape Coral Rotary Club in Florida. As a visitor, I was able to exchange the RC Monthey banner with a local one. The club was founded in 1967 and counts 75 members. The Rotary Club of Cape Coral took charge of many city improvement projects initially such as building the Memorial Arch at the entrance of Cape Coral; planting hibiscus in the median strips; sponsoring a petting zoo for handicapped children; building bicycle racks at school bus stops and building a Welcome sign at the west end of the bridge with the clubs’ insignias. Education has been a priority including:
International Students Exchange, which had students coming and going from Cape Coral to Belgium and Germany ; group Study Exchange which was originally founded by International Rotary Foundation; scholarships for Edison Community College, FGCU and High Tech Center North; career Days supported youth with vocational presentations in Middle Schools.

Backstage Hotel @ Vernissage in Zermatt

2011-04-09T08:10:00.013+02:00

The Backstage Hotel @ Vernissage will be the place to be during the Zermatt Unplugged festival fearturing Seal this year http://www.zermatt-unplugged.ch/ . Musicians, artists and members of the Friends of Zermatt Unplugged Club all stay there. The candelabra that decorates the large festival marquee is the centrepiece of the hotel lobby during the rest of the year.

The beautiful Backstage Boutique hotel created by Heinz Julen and run by his wife Evelyne, at the very heart of Zermatt is a designer jewel, small but beautiful. The hotel bears Heinz Julen's signature, and each piece of furniture has been hand-made in his Zermatt studio.

The six cube lofts are for enthusiasts, while the elegant deluxe double rooms and the cosy double rooms allow for wonderful relaxation. The rooms consist of 6 Unique Cube-Lofts that make art inhabitable, 6 Deluxe double rooms with free-standing bathtub and mountain views and 7 Double rooms.

The outdoor & indoor wellness center is themed on the 7 Days of Creation, a different kind of spa that brings together body, mind, art, music and nature. The Vernissage Cultural Center is accessible from the rooms by the lift. Also on the facilities is the Cinema, where it is possible to share a delicious meal at the Ciné-Dinners. Clubbing and enjoying selected concerts at the Vernissage Club is a must in Zermatt after hours. http://www.backstagehotel.ch/ http://www.heinzjulen.com/

Thermes Parc in Val d'Illiez

2011-04-05T20:12:00.019+02:00

The Thermes Parc Resort in Val d’Illiez with 34° thermal water, is a real oasis of wellness and relaxation in an enchanting natural setting. http://www.thermes-parc.com/ It offers : - An area of over 110,000 m2 - A spa of over 1,000 m2 - A large indoor pool of 200 m2, 2 outdoor pools, a spa river, 2 Jacuzzi, a hammam and sauna, health center with spa, beauty treatments and massages - 2 Residences with a total of 40 flats for rent - A restaurant "La Bergerie" with 80 seats inside, 80 seats outside - A snack with 80 seats inside and 50 seats outside. A 140-room four-star hotel will be opening soon. The resort is managed by Deep Nature, a French company with resorts in Bora Bora, Tahiti, Paris, Nice and Chamonix www.deepnature.fr/ The Thermes Parc is ideally located in the Portes du Soleil ski area, one of the biggest players in world skiing , with 12 linked resorts on either side of the French-Swiss border just one hour from Geneva. The Portes du Soleil in numbers: • 280 slopes: 26 black, 105 red, 112 blue, 37 green • 201 mountain lifts • 650 km of groomed slopes • 9 snowparks • 89 slopeside restaurants http://www.portesdusoleil.com/

The thermal water has a temperature of 30° and with a heat-exchange system it is heated in order to provide heating hot water for the whole resort. An additional woodchip boiler provides added heating capacity for the surrounding buildings.

Skiing in the Aletsch Arena

2011-03-27T12:19:00.021+02:00

Business Valais – SDE partipated to a ski outing in the Alestsch Arena : Fiesch, Bettermalp, Riederalp in the heart of the the Swiss Alps‘ Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. Herbert Volken, ski instructor, mountain guide and President of Valais Tourisme, led the group through the various slopes and on the new chair-lifts showcasing the major investments which were made by the cable-car companies. http://www.aletsch.ch/ Herbert Volken will be retiring at the end of the season from his post as Director of the Sport- und Feriencenter Fiesch, a 1050 beds facility ideal for school, sport, training and holiday camps, seminars and various events. http://www.sport-feriencenter.ch/

EuroCHRIE Board in Dubrovnik

2011-03-20T23:18:00.021+01:00

The EuroCHRIE governance met in Dubrovnik, Croatia for their traditional spring Board meeting. EuroCHRIE President Jouni Ahonen chaired the event. Also present were Vice President Robert Wetterauer, Secretary Paul Jackson, Treasurer Herve Fournier, Director of Networking Risto Karamavuo, Director of Marketing Hilary Murphy, Director of Industry Relations Othmar Mueller, Director of Education Kevin Nields, Area Consultants Liz Ineson, Maureen Brookes, Richard Ginioux, Jan Meyerhof, Clemenz Berendsen, as well as the I-CHRIE President-Elect Susan Fournier http://www.chrie.org/ http://www.eurochrie.org/

The Board of Directors always meets at the location where the annual conference takes place in order to discuss the final arrangements with the conference organizers and to inspect the venues. The 29th EuroCHRIE Conference will be held from 19th – 22nd October, 2011 at the Excelsior Hotel, a beautiful 5-star property right on the Adriatic sea where the opening ceremony, keynote speeches and the break-out sessions will take place. On Saturday, the paper presentations will be held on Campus at ACMT, while the gala dinner will take place at the spectacular fortress Revelin.

Hotel Excelsior

The theme of this year's conference is "Tourism and Hospitality, Drivers of Transition". This year's hosts are the American College of Management and Technology, Dubrovnik (www.acmt.hr) and the Rochester Institute of Technology (www.rit.edu). Francis Domoy, Chair Emeritus – Constellation Commons for Global Learning at RIT in Rochester, New York was the initiator of the joint venture which led to opening ACMT in Dubrovnik in 1997. He underlined the importance of global networking and is very happy that his institution can welcome hospitality educators for this upcoming conference. Students will be working on the conference in a unique Event Management class. The Croatia based students will be participating in distance learning from RIT while attending ACMT and the 15 students enrolled in the course in the USA will get to travel to Dubrovnik for the conference, no doubt a great hands-on experience. ACMT President and Dean Don Hudspeth praised Irena Ljubisic’s excellent job as conference coordinator, as well as Jennifer Matic who so far has reviewed 137 papers with her scientific committee. http://www.eurochrie2011.hr/ irena@acmt.hr

President Jouni Ahonen and Emeritus Chair Francis Domoy

Hilary Murphy presented the 2012 EuroCHRIE conference which will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland on 25-27th October 2012 focusing on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Robert Wetterauer gave an overview of his bid to host the 2013 conference in Freiburg, Germany which will showcase the Angell campus and the International University of cooperative education.

In addition to the actual meeting and the tour of the conference venue in Dubrovnik, the EuroCHRIE board members participated in 3 panel discussions with ACMT students on the following themes: Hospitality and tourism education - study abroad; Tourism as a vehicle for intercultural dialogue and cross-cultural understanding; The importance of alumni associations-networking, placement and job hunting. The students were very keen to discuss these various topics. Having chosen to study in English in an American College in Croatia, they have already made a step towards internationalizing their education and several of them are contemplating the option to study abroad in the US at RIT or elsewhere in Europe.

Verbier - La Cordée des Alpes

2011-02-10T06:08:00.007+01:00

The Aparthotel Alba in Verbier will be fully renovated and become The Luxury Hotel and Residence “La Cordée des Alpes”.
Set in Verbier, the heart of the Swiss Alps, the hôtel and résidence "La Cordée des Alpes" is designed with the finest local materials, such as old wood, stone roofing and timber balconies which reflect the alpine architecture. Serviced by a luxury hôtel, the 14 apartments and 34 double rooms and suites will benefit from all the services and facilities, such as spa, a 14m swimming pool, a fitness room, concierge service, business centre, conference room, restaurant, bar and room service.

http://www.cdaverbier.com/

Zermatt : International Tourism Symposium

2011-02-05T15:07:00.013+01:00

The International Tourism Symposium will take place in Zermatt on 19th-21st September 2011 in partnership with Business Valais. The ITS 13th edition which will focus on showcasing innovative start-ups and SMEs. The Innovation Business Platform (IBP) will monitor on its website and feed into a global network for innovative companies in tourism that provides a showcase for entrepreneurs with innovative products, encouraging the creation of partnerships to enhance competencies and skills, identifies best practices in the market, and stimulates the development of activities with high potential for innovation.

The opportunity to debate this topic with international experts will contribute to achieving IBP’s perceived benefits of: creating awareness of innovative products in the tourism industry and promoting sustainable development; stimulating the development of innovative business, providing investors and financial institutions with investment opportunities; and supporting the development of a cluster "Creators - Developers - Investors - Users". In relation to global networking, innovative entrepreneurs will have a collective on-line presence and compete for an annual award for innovation. The top start-ups will be able to present themselves through the “Five Minutes of Fame” event at the symposium in Zermatt.

Grand Saint-Bernard 360°

2011-02-05T10:47:00.008+01:00

The Interreg project "Grand Saint Bernard 360°" is financed by the Bas-Valais Region through Business Valais, the State of Valais, the Swiss Confederation and the European Union for the Italian side. The goal is to develop tourism, to enhance the specificity of the area through its cultural heritage and to promote cross-border traffic in order to increase the attractiveness of the destination Grand Saint-Bernard on both sides of the border. A competition was launched to get ideas in order to develop a concept of communication. Four agencies, two from Valais and two Italians, have deposited their project. Ultimately, the project presented by the agency GREN www.gren.ch in Venthone, Valais, was selected. It includes a graphic line, a roadbook, a web-site with various smart phone applications as well as a an architectural design for rest stops to be used by the pilgrims hiking along the Via Francigena.

The Via Francigena is a historical itinerary leading to Rome from Canterbury, a major route which in the past was used by thousands of pilgrims on their way to Rome. At the beginning of the 11th century pilgrims took the habit of travelling across Europe. There were at the time three main centers of attraction for that journey: Rome, first of all, the site of the martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; Santiago de Compostela, the place chosen by the apostle Saint James to rest in peace and obviously Jerusalem in the Holy Land. In 990, Sigerich, Archbishop of Canterbury, returned to England from Rome and documented the stages on his journey, a route known even to the Romans. His itinerary is now considered the oldest description of the Via Francigena through Europe. Since 1300, it has been regarded as the most important pilgrims’ path in Europe, crossing Switzerland via the Jura and Alps.

The Swiss stage runs through a variety of landscapes and is without doubt also one of the most spectacular pilgrims’ paths in Europe. From Lausanne, the ViaFrancigena runs through the vineyards of Lavaux to the bend in the Rhone. From the ancient city of Octodurus (Martigny), it winds through the narrow pass shaped by the wild waters of the Dranse to the northern slopes of the Grand Saint Bernard Pass where the famous dogs have been raised since the 18th century in order to rescue the lost pilgrims caught in snow storms. The trail continues down the other side of the mountain in Italy through the Aosta Valley. The details of the itinerary with stages, maps and packages for accommodation and luggage transport are available on www.suissemobile.ch http://www.wanderland.ch/en/routen_detail.cfm?id=284505

http://www.viafrancigena.eu/

The Associazione dei Comuni Italiani sulla Via Francigena was founded in Fidenza in April 2001 by 34 Italian Municipalities and Provincial Administrations belonging to seven different regions in order to promote the ancient pilgrim route. The association has kept growing steadily over the years and now it numbers 95 members, including Rome, Canterbury (Uk) and Communauté Lys-Romane (F). In 2006 the Association became the European Association of Vie Francigene and in 2011 the Region Bas-Valais through Business Valais joined the AEVF.

Snowshoeing in Champoussin

2011-01-29T14:34:00.008+01:00

The trend of snowshoeing created a small revolution in the mountains. It is now possible to discover beautiful areas, without having to hike through snow up to your knees. With light material, warm clothing and a little bit of physical effort, discover breathtaking alpine scenery and pure mountain air.
The tourist office of Val d’Illiez, Champoussin, Les Crosets, hosted the first Snowshoeing Fair. Several exhibitors showcased material and literature related to the sport. Outdoor tours led by local guides were organized during the two-day event.

Chablais Tourisme

2011-01-29T11:25:00.007+01:00

The shareholders of Chabalais Tourisme voted against the dissolution of the company. The activities will be reduced as of 1st November 2011 and a study will determine how the tourist offices of the region will cooperate in the future.

Below is an excerpt of the article published in the local media.

L'assemblée générale de Chablais Tourisme SA n'a pas entériné la dissolution prônée par le conseil d'administration. Le vote exprimé hier soir à Monthey ne souffre aucune discussion. Une large majorité a choisi de mettre la dissolution de Chablais Tourisme SA en stand-by. Pour l'heure tout du moins, Chablais Tourisme SA (CTSA) ne cessera pas les activités le 31 octobre après douze ans d'existence. A une large majorité (561 voix contre 171 pour et 12 abstentions), ses membres ont refusé la dissolution qui leur a été proposée hier soir afin de bénéficier d'un temps supplémentaire de réflexion jusqu'à la date précitée. Suite aux décisions de diverses communes de mettre un terme à leur relation contractuelle au déubt de l'hiver 2011-2012, la majorité des membres du Conseil d'administration de CTSA avait choisi, fin novembre dernier, de proposer une liquidation de leur société. En mettant Chablais Tourisme en stand-by, la majorité des votants en a décidé autrement, en ne la démantelant pas dans l'urgence. "Prenons le temps de la réflexion", a lancé avant le vote Fernand Mariétan au nom de l'ensemble des présidents de communes du district de Monthey, ce qu'admet le préfet Antoine Lattion: "Il aurait toutefois été idiot de dilapider tout ce que l'on a fait jusque-là". Cette décison ne signifie pas pour autant un blanc-seing accordé à CTSA. Celle-ci, désormais présidée par le Montheysan Daniel Cornut, devra piloter une réflexion qui s'articule autour de la future entité socio-économique du Bas-Valais. Une structure qui reposerait, au niveau touristique, sur trois régions: les Portes du Soleil, la région de plaine entre Riddes et le Lac Léman et une région alpine regroupant le domaine de Verbier-Saint-Bernard voire des 4-Vallées. II s'agit de l'étude Papillon qui avait été effectuée à la demande de l'Association Régionale de Martigny en 2006-2007. Cette approche est plébiscitée par la présidente de Troistorrents Marianne Maret et soutenue par son homologue de Val d'Illiez, Philippe Es-Borrat. "Bien sûr, il faudra dépasser les craintes de pertes d'autonomie, certains conservatismes et les rivalités", résume Hervé Fournier, Chef de Projets à Business Valais pour la partie francophone du canton. "Il resterait ensuite à régler toute la question du financement . II nous faudra rassembler les prestataires économiques et fédérer les sociétés de développement, les remontées mécaniques et les communes". L'ancien directeur du Cesar Ritz a été nommé pour diriger cette étude.

IIF Worshop in Verbier

2011-01-22T08:31:00.012+01:00

http://www.forecasters.org/

The International Institute of Forecasters holds annual worshops on special forecasting related theme. The first workshop was held in Madrid in December 2003 and others have followed in Spain, Germany, Brazil, Portugal and in the USA. The most rescent took place in Verbier on the subject of "Flash Indicators“. Flashing indicators refers to short-term estimation, namely nowcasting, of relevant information for policymakers, like GDP. Flashing indicators are a compromise between timeliness, higher frequency and accuracy. They allow a snapshot of the ongoing economic situation. 60 international specialists and practitioners from 15 nationalities participated to various paper presentations on these fundamental issues of forecasting methods in real time indicators.

The event was organized by the Research Institute of Tourism (ITO) from the University of Applied Sciences HES-SO Valais and was supported by several sponsors, including : the Federal Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss National Bank, the State of Valais Economic Development Office (EDO), Verbier-St-Bernard, guinnard.com, Distellerie Morand and the Commune de Bagnes.

The programme included an extended lunch hour between round tables in order to allow the participants to hit the slopes, or for the non-skiers to visit the St-Bernard Dog Museum and the Distellerie Morand.

Miriam Scaglione from the ITO HES-SO Valais, IIF President Antonio Garcia Ferrer and Hervé Fournier from the EDO

Anne-Christine Rey form the HES-SO Valais and Daniel Guinnard from Guinnard.com

Business Valais at Belalp Hexe

2011-01-16T20:41:00.029+01:00

Ursula Kraft, Gerhard Walter, Emannuelle Samson, François Seppey, Albert Gaspoz, Jean-Daniel Antille, Luciano Rey-Bellet, Hervé Fournier

Our team from Business Valais participated to the Craziest Ski Race in the Alps, the Belalp Hexe. While 509 skiers race down the 5 km slope at high speed in less than 2 minutes, 893 witches take their time skiing with their group and stop several times on the way down the hill. Eric Bianco, from our partern CCF SA, took 3rd place in 1'35''85. Our team finished 160th in 2h38'30''00. http://www.belalphexe.ch/

The boss with the media

With the Matterhorn in the background

E.U. Project Comunis

2010-12-13T22:24:00.014+01:00

COMUNIS is an European Union funded project that aims at developing a well-defined integrative and cooperative strategy for Commercial Location Development (CLD) and enhancing inter-municipal and intra-territorial cooperation to overcome individualistic attempts of problem solution on the level of single municipalities. It will provide broadly adaptable guidelines to apply this strategy and offer practical instruments for the assessment of the local and regional demand for and the steering of commercial development. COMUNIS will particularly focus on diversification and efficiency of economic activities, environmental and social concerns as well as human and cultural capital. The project will result in a transnational knowledge management and establish sustainable structures for managing CLD in the pilot regions. It is part of the international "Alpine Space Programme", which is also co-funded by the EU.

The participating regions are Grosses Walsertal and Leiblachtal (Austria) – Alpsee- -Grünten - Sonthofen (Germany) – Tarare (France) - Gorenjska (Slovenia), Asti and Passeiertal (Italy) Sierre, Sion, Martigny, Monthey (Valais Romand - Switzerland) .
The project partners met in Lochau near Bregenz in order to present the progress of the project in the pilot regions. Franz Rüf and Peter Steurer from Telesis – VLBG, the regional development agency of the Voralberg Austrian region hosted the meeting at the Schloss Hofen in Lochau. Presentations for the Valais Romand were made by Dr. Marie-Francoise Perruchoud and Nathalie Stumm from the HES-SO University of Applied Science in Sierre and by H. Fournier from the State of Valais Regional Economic Development Agency.

Visits to the town of Sulzberg and an excursion to the Biosphere Park Grosser Walsertal were also organized. After working together for the Biosphere Park, the small municipalities of St. Gerod, Blons and Sonntag continued their cooperation with projects such as developing their wood related industry by creating the brand Bergholz – Mountain Timber, using the abundant supply of silver fur trees growing on their land. Furthermore all municipalities built functional community buildings using all wood and geo-thermal energy system. For example in St. Gerold, the municipality building houses the public administration, a day care center for pre-school children and a small grocery store, opened from 8 to 10 in the morning and serving the local population of 350 inhabitants. The elevator tower of the comunity center of St.Gerold was the first one worldwide to be totally made out of wood. In Blons, the building includes the public administration offices, a library and a small museum dedicated to the avalanche that struck this community in 1954 causing the tragic death of 57 inhabitants. A restaurant was also built next door. In Sonntag, the municipalities created a cooperative and built the “Walserstolz Haus" a cheese making facility which can be visited along with an exhibition on the Biosphere Park. In the same building a restaurant enables visitors to taste local gastronomy while one can purchase local products on the way out. They are now planning to buy land in order to attract SMEs, these PSG (Projekt Struktur Genossenchaft) are being developed within the Comunis project. http://www.comunis.eu/

The community center in Sulzberg

The all wood community center in St. Gerold

The Avalanche Museum in Blons

The Walserstolz Haus with cheese-making,

Biosphere Park exhibit, restaurant and shop

Verbier GPS 2010

2010-12-09T22:16:00.005+01:00

The Verbier Green Pioneering Summit, in partnership with HRH the Prince of Wales's Foundation for the Built Environment in the United Kingdom, and in collaboration with Botza and the Commune de Bagnes is helping to develop a strategy for a more sustainable Verbier and Val de Bagnes.The 11th of December has been designated International Mountain Day by the United Nations General Assembly in order to bring awarness to the importance of mountain ecosystems and communities. The Verbier GPS 2010 in partnership with UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, will be celebrating this event in Verbier. Business Valais is supporting this initiative and Herve Fournier, Project Manager, will address the delegates on the following topics:

Presentation 1 :
Valais Excellence – TQM dual certification (ISO 9001 quality and ISO 14001 for environment)- To distinguish businesses in Valais that are conscious of their social and environmental role and willing to strive for continuous improvement of their products and services.
Presentation 2: Industrial Ecology : An Oxymoron?
A project initiated by the State of Valais Regional Economic Development Agency to enhance sustainability in industrial parks and SMEs through efficient energy and waste management.

www.verbiergps.ch

European Curling Championships

2010-12-08T10:26:00.014+01:00

After the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2005, Champéry and Monthey are hosting the European Curling Championships. Curling draws an incredibly large TV audience and this event is being broadcast on Eurosport and live in countries where the national team battles for the championship. It is a great opportunity to showcase Champéry and the Portes du Soleil ski area before the Christmas holidays. The Swiss ladies team led by Mirjam Ott, silver medalist at the Torino Olympics beat Germany’s defending champion Andrea Schöpp by 7-4 after an extra end and has the realistic prospects of reaching the weekend’s final stage games. www.ecc2010.ch

Christmas Markets in Alsace

2010-12-08T10:03:00.012+01:00

Visiting Alsace in December is a must! Thousands of visitors walk around Alsacians towns such as Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Colmar. The streets are well decorated and merchants offer a wide range of high quality crafted products and festive gourmet treats. Gluhwine and sauerkraut are most popular and visitors are able to savour the authenticity and traditional French atmosphere. In Mulhouse, the Hotel du Parc is well located and la Brasserie l'Ardoise Gourmande offers excellent food and great service.

Verbier - Les Trois Rocs

2010-11-29T14:51:00.009+01:00

Building has started in Verbier on the Medran project with the two private apartments residences "Basalt and Baryte". In April 2011 Les Trois Rocs will be breaking ground. It will feature a 122-room five-star hotel managed by the Starwood group, as well as 15 apartments of 2 to 4 rooms, totaling 39 rooms. The “W Verbier” will be W Hotels’s first ski retreat. W Hotels is an innovative luxury lifestyle brand and a hotel category giant with 29 properties in the most vibrant destinations around the world. Ideally situated within easy walking distance of Verbier’s town square and right next to the main ski lift, the project will bring holiday luxury to new heights in one of Switzerland’s most attractive spots. It will comprise the 5* W hotel, luxury lodge-apartment lodgings and private apartments with hotel service and a commercial area called Place Blanche. The grand opening is planned for December 2013. http://www.lestroisrocs.com/

Swiss Skills National Championship

2010-11-28T16:18:00.020+01:00

Over its 60 year history, WorldSkills International (formerly known as the "Skill Olympics") has come to symbolise excellence in vocational training. Every two years hundreds of young skilled people, accompanied by their teachers and trainers, gather together from around the world to compete before the public in the skills of their various trades and test themselves against demanding international standards. They represent the best of their peers drawn from regional and national skill competitions held currently in 52 countries. In October 2011, the World Skills Championships will bring together young people aged 18 to 24 from across the globe to compete in their specialism, against the clock, in front of a live audience. The four-day event, which will be held at the Excel Centre in London Docklands, is expected to attract at least 150,000 visitors from all over the world.

The selection of the Swiss Chef and Food Service apprentices took place in Brig. 6 service apprentices and 16 young chefs participated in a 4-day event with various modules. The contestants were performing live in front of a large audience under the scrutiny of TV cameras broadcasting the event in various VIP lounges.. Experts in their field were evaluating the performances, while stars of the Swiss German TV Champions League show Gilbert Gress and Andy Egli with Chef Daniel Buman gave their appreciation of the work of each candidate.

Our server, Katalina Mitterer, apprentice at the Hilton Basel, served us a 4-course menu with the following table-side preparations: shrimp cocktail, duck carving and flambéing Crêpes Suzette. She obtained 1st prize from the People Jury and seems to be a strong candidate to represent Switzerland in London next year.

Service du Développement Economique

2010-11-04T14:42:00.007+01:00

La journée découverte du Service du Développement économique du Canton du Valais a eu lieu dans le Chablais valaisan. Le programme incluait la visite de Sanaro, une importante usine située sur la commune de Vouvry. Nous y avons été reçus par son directeur M. Helmuth Nonn qui présenta son entreprise de fabrication des produits édulcorants Assugrin-Hermesetas. http://www.sanaro.ch/

La journée se poursuivit au Bouveret où la Présidente de la Commune de Port-Valais et députée, Mme Margrit Picon, nous a présenté les divers projets d’aménagement du territoire et de développement économique de sa commune, notamment la nouvelle zone industrielle, l’ancienne friche industrielle BTR qui doit faire place à une zone sportive et commerciale, ainsi que l’aménagement de la place du village qui a fait l’objet d’un concours d’architectes présenté récemment à la population.

Le repas de midi à l’Hôtel Bellevue fut agrémenté par une présentation de M. Bernard Russi, Président Directeur Général du groupe BOAS http://www.boas.ch/ qui est actif dans la gestion d’EMS, d’EMS privés et d’hôtels. Ce groupe est en phase d’acquisition de l’Hôtel Bellevue pour y construire un EMS et a des projets à hôteliers aux Bains de Saillon et à Saxon.

M. Pierre-André Briguet nous a présenté Léman sans Frontière, groupement de sites touristiques qui a été formé afin d’optimiser les actions de promotion et de marketing. http://www.leman-sans-frontiere.org/

Pour terminer la journée, le Directeur du Swiss Vapeur Parc. M. Charles-Henri Coutaz qui est aussi Président de Léman sans Frontière, nous invita à visiter le parc ferroviaire miniature. http://www.swlssvapeur.ch/

Sailing on "Stars and Stripes" in St-Marteen

2010-08-12T20:02:00.006+02:00

Welcome to the home of the St. Maarten "America's Cup" 12 Metre Challenge. A great opportunity to race multi-million dollar America's Cup Race Boats in the warm blue waters and brisk trade winds of the Caribbean.
www.12metre.com

In 1987 "Stars and Stripes", sailed by Dennis Conner, beat Kookaburra III, sailed by Iain Murray, by four wins to nil in the best of seven final series in Freemantle, Australia. Conner, the winning skipper had thus become the first person to lose the America's Cup, and the first to win it back!

With Skipper Ed

Great Caribbean Islands

2010-08-12T16:18:00.011+02:00

Barbados, the easternmost island of the West Indies, lies 340 miles north of the coast of South America
Mount Gay Rum, the world's oldest

Welcome to St-Lucia, one of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. It lies between Martinique and St-Vincent

Antigua is situated in the middle of the Leeward Islands. Antiguans tout their 365 beaches - one for each day, officially counted, they say!

Half Dutch and half French, the two-nation island St.Marteen/St. Martin is one of the Caribbean's premier playgrounds with great shopping!

St. Croix is the southern most of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, bought from Denmark in early 1900's for 24 mios, a good deal indeed...

Cruising the Caribbean Sea

2010-08-12T15:32:00.009+02:00

The Serenade of the Seas, 2500 passengers, 850 crew members, 13 decs, 294 m

With Captain Michel Claveau, French Candian raised in Alberta, when off the ship resides on a sail boat in Polynesia

Dinner at the Captain's table

Indoor pool at the Indian themed solarium

Lobby bar

Santé!

Pool party under the stars

The best greeter on the ship... Coleen at the Windjammer!

ICHRIE Conference in Puerto Rico

2010-07-31T17:52:00.012+02:00

Members of the EuroCHRIE Federation

Hilary Murphy, Susan Fournier, Sandra Watson, Rai Shacklock

Evangelos Christou, Mariana Sigala et friend

Fred Mayo and family

A classic : the EuroCHRIE Dinner

Happy Hour

Rai Shackolock, Bill Samenfink and Sandra Watson

Peter Jones enjoying local food

Conference hosts : Lausanne 2012 Hilary Murphy, Francis Domoy Dubrovnik 2011, Jan Meierhof Amsterdam 2010, Jouni Ahonen Helsinki 2009

Fred Mayor : S. Fletcher Award Recipient

Honoring our Sponsors : Stacy Veden Marriott International

With Bill Samenfink and Amy Dickson, ICMS Sydney Australia

Guess who won the Leeds Monopoly T-Shirt?

Peter Jones - President of the Jury - Duck Race

Fund Raising for the Future Fund : The Duck Race

Jury : Andy Feinstein, Peter Jones, Carl Winston

With Bill Ryan Oklahoma State University and Pat Moreo University Nevada Las Vegas

With Cara Dougherty and Laura Presnol, Talent Acquistion Manager from Whitelodging - 3rd largest Management Company in the USA with 150 hotels

The annual I-CHRIE conference took place in Puerto Rico from 27th July to 31st July 2010. The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education was founded in 1946 as a non-profit organization for schools, colleges and universities offering programs of study in hospitality and tourism. International CHRIE has since expanded its scope to include the enhancement of professionalism at all levels of the hospitality and tourism industry, monitoring ongoing developments and keeping its members at the forefront of trends. I-CHRIE is a tremendous source of interaction, information and influence for everyone committed to hospitality and tourism industry related education and training. Every summer professors from universities across the globe present their research in the USA while EuroCHRIE and AsiaPac-CHRIE organize a conference in the fall and the spring respectively.

With Jan Meijerhof, Rai Shacklock, Gilles Honegger

More than 400 delegates attended this year’s event which took place at a great venue : The Caribe Hilton Hotel and Resort in San Juan Puerto Rico. Key note speakers included Ana Maria Viscasilas President and CEO of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau and Joe McInerney, President and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. More than 250 local university students attended a full day of workshop and seminars, thanks to the sponsorship of the local Convention Bureau. Industry sessions highlighted the importance of social media and their use by corporations such as Hyatt, Marriott, Sodexo and Whitelodging, as well as the efforts made to achieve "greening" our industry.

Susan Fournier I-CHRIE Vice President, Cynthia Deale President,

Bill Samenfink Past President

The EuroCHRIE federation took center stage with Susan Fournier being installed as Vice President of the I-CHRIE board and Rai Shacklock being awarded the prestigious Howard B. Meek Award : the highest recognition a member of International CHRIE may receive. It is presented annually to a member in recognition of the individual's lifetime contributions and outstanding services to hospitality education. Rai Shacklock is currently Head of Languages and English Language teaching at Leeds Metropolitan University. She has been a member of I-CHRIE since 1990. In 2001, she was elected President of the EuroCHRIE Federation and in 2003 I-CHRIE President. She currently serves as Director of Education on the EuroCHIE Board.

Meek Award Winner Rai Shacklock

Jan Meierhof presented a 3-minute video clip to promote the Amsterdam Conference at the Awards Dinner. The event will take place on 25-27 October 2010 at the Mövenpick Hotel, a great venue near the main train station and close to downtown. At the General Members meeting, Francis Domoy from RIT, gave an up-date on the 2011 EuroCHRIE conference which will take place in Dubrovnik, while Hong Kong and Denver will host the Asian-PacificCHRIE and I-CHRIE 2011 events.

Manchester Metropolitan University Graduation

2010-07-17T08:59:00.007+02:00

Having submitted her thesis "Student biodata as a predictor of success on year one of an undergraduate Leadership Programme", Susan M. Fournier was awarded a Master of Science in International Hospitality Management with distinction from Manchester Metropolitan University on 13th July 2010. Her supervisors, Dr. Liz Ineson and Prof. John Swarbrooke attended the event. The Dean of Hollings Faculty, Dr. Richard Murray is retiring this year and thus presided over his last graduation which was attended by more than 500 students and 1200 guests.

Dr. L. Ineson, Dr. C. Brennan, S. Fournier, Dr. R. Murray, Prof. J. Swarbrooke

Habeeb Allah Mamoun with Dr. L. Ineson. Having completed his PGD and MSc. at UCCR in Brig, Mamoun earned his PhD at MMU.

Susan M. Fournier was asked to address the audience on behalf of the students with the traditional Vote of Thanks :

"Fellow Graduates, I have the honour to respond on behalf of the student body. I know that we have benefited from our time at MMU. Today we have received our awards and all our hard work has been justly rewarded. But today is also a celebration of student life. The friends we have made will remain with us throughout our lives. Make sure that you use today to stay in touch with your friends, but also to links with your lecturers and the University. This ceremony has been a wonderful climax to our academic career and the celebrations have probably only just begun- but the day will be soon past. Let’s hold this moment in our memories and thank the university and its staff for their support and encouragement and let’s commit to keeping in touch.

Enjoy the rest of your celebrations and please have a safe journey home. "