- David J Marks
DATELINE MONDAY 21ST NOVEMBER 2022
Good morning, Monday morning again I hope all is well with you and yours.
Yayyyyy it’s not raining today, well at least in London that is the case, although with all this working from home going on I doubt very much if the rain is a factor these days. The weather has finally reverted to normal November weather wet, cold, windy and not very nice
I hope you had a great weekend.
We work with an awesome DMC in Iceland, they have a confirmed group of 50 pax traveling out there second week of December they are doing funky stuff like glass igloo to watch the Northern Lights snow mobiles across the glacier and other cool stuff. My lovely agency client received the menus for the various dinners and lunches to be taken by the delegates attending the event. The agency reviewed and approved menus they were happy with everything except they asked the team at the Essence of Iceland DMC to change one of the starters which was carpaccio of Reindeer. Christina from the Agency decided that eating Reindeer that close to Christmas was a dish too far. Christina’s e mail did make me laugh. How would Santa drive his sleigh if one of his reindeers was a starter dish on the group menu.
Our Friends across The Pond including Clem and the team at C Florida Hospitality DMC and Beth with her team at Details NYC DMC New York will be celebrating Thanksgiving a national holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.
James Kent and the crew at The J Team DMC Japan is also celebrating Labour Thanksgiving Day on 23rd November Labour Thanksgiving Day in Japan is a modern name for the ritual of Harvest Festival Niinamesai. In the ritual, the Emperor makes the season's first offering of freshly harvested rice to the gods and then eats the rice himself. The history of Niinamesai goes back many centuries; the first written account is found in the Chronicle of Japan - one of the oldest histories of Japan, dating from 720 - which says that a Niinamesai took place in November 678.
Niinamesai came to be held on November 23rd during the Meiji era (1868-1912) and was a nationally celebrated event. In the suburbs of Tokyo, nursery school pupils present drawings and handicrafts to local police officers, who look after their safety every day.
The World Cup has just started and its beginning to annoy me already, The President of FIFA was given news airtime to prostrate himself at the feet of the Qatari Government which speaks volumes and volumes about FIFA, that man should not be re-elected as its President. The Qatari government stance LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, human right, immigrant works rights alcohol and many other issues is unacceptable in today’s 21st Century. According to FIFA its OK for the team to “take the knee” but not OK for the Captain to wear an arm band supporting LGBTQ+ rights double standards or what?
I LOVED the fact that the England team travelled to The World Cup in Qatar on Virgin Atlantic’s “Rain Bow” plane, the company’s symbol of LGBTQ+ pride, for the World Cup. The plane carries a cartoon image of a man wearing rainbow-coloured shoes and carrying the Union flag.
Congratulations to the Wales National team for qualifying for the World Cup the first time they have qualified in 64 years
That’s it, you are up to date from a David point of view
MM and Company news update
Cancun Mexico
Manuel, Liliana and the team at The EPIC Group DMC in Cancun have told us that in May 2023 the Maroma, A Belmond Hotel Riviera Maya will once again open its door for guest to enjoy a fully refurbished hotel located between 200 acres of lush tropical jungle and the secluded white sands of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, the property has been completely reimagined with Mayan culture at its core. The Maroma will feature 10 new waterfront suites
Florida
Clem, Nora, Krystina and the team at C Florida Hospitality tells me that the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World has reinvented what the hotel can do for meetings and incentive groups. Situated on 26 acres, the resort includes more than 66,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space. With event lawns, a golf club, a water park with a lazy river, sport courts and more. The hotel is situated within the gates of Walt Disney World Resort, Four Seasons offers groups convenient access to the "Most Magical Place on Earth"
Dubai
Jyoti, Christina, Jean Yan and the team at TRAVCO DMC Dubai and Abu Dhabi has told us that there will be two new NH Collection properties planned to open next year in Dubai. NH Collection Dubai The Palm will open in February 2023. The 14-story hotel will have 227 hotel guestrooms and 306 suites, five dining outlets including a rooftop venue and a sports bar. The hotel will also house a private beach club. The new-build hotel is situated on Palm Jumeirah, on the main trunk next to Nakheel Mall. NH Collection La Suite Hotel Dubai with 265 guestrooms including suites and one, two and three-bedroom apartments will open in the latter part of 2023, the hotel is located on the Sheikh Zayed Road.
IBTM Barcelona 29th Nov-1st Dec 2022
Habib of Visit Morocco DMC will be on the Morocco Booth
Travco DMC Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be there, stand information to be confirmed
Erica and Douglas of Mi Malta DMC will be on the Malta Stand
Loic Mention one of The J Team DMC Crew will be representing The J Team at IBTM, on the Tokyo stand.
Muge of Blue DMC Turkey will be at IBTM on Stand # G 60