Dateline Monday 4th December 2023

Happy Monday I hope all is well with you and yours, how was your weekend? OMG it’s December and it is blooming cold, freezing cold, time to hibernate, I can’t wait for the newspaper headlines to say “heading for a white Christmas” we get a cold snap early December then on Christmas Day it is balmy and warm. I guess we will all find out in three weeks’ time, three weeks till Christmas yikees, how did that happen.

Last week I was in Barcelona at IBTM, on the first day of the show at lunch time I met with James Kent of The J Team DMC Japan the sun was shining it was 17 degrees C so we sat outside we had lunch together with a great client I met up with in the IBTM corridors, I am sure if we had planned to meet it would never have happened a lovely chance meeting, the best. I go to IBTM to meet up with DMC we represent and recommend as well as meeting James I met up with Candy Lobo Manager –MICE and Groups Travco DMC Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Doug and Erika Directors of Mi Malta DMC, Stephane Louise Director of Hello Islands DMC Mauritius Lina El Fassi El Fihry General Manager Visit Morocco, and Imola Goro of COSMOS DMC Budapest. Lots of DMCs under one enormous roof.

Week EIGHT of the war that Hamas, on behalf of the innocent citizens of Gaza declared against Israel by massacring 1,200 unarmed civilian and taking 240 pensioners, men, women, children and babies hostage. The “truce” lasted seven days which was two days more than expected. That’s seems to be about it, the dreadful tragic hostilities have started up again both sides seem to have walked out of further truce meetings.

Then there is the good news, all the 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in India's Uttarakhand state were rescued and return safely to their families, lets hope that the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas have the same outcome.

COP 28 is well under way in Dubai judging by reports coming out of the Dubai conference centre progress is being made and we are not just talking about political hot air. although there is clearly an abundance of that useless gas.

And finally on Thursday it is the first night of the Jewish festival of Chanukah, the festival of lights, as ever I like to get the story behind the festivals so here is what I found. Chanukah translates to 'dedication' in Hebrew, it commemorates the Maccabean (Hasmonean) who were a group of dedicated Jews who believed fervently in their right to religious freedom, and their victories over the forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175–164 bce) and the rededication of the Holy Jewish Temple on Kislev 25, 164 BCE. Chanukah also known as the "Festival of Lights," Hanukkah celebrates the miracle that occurred when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple. So if Chanukah is your thing, I wish you a wonderful eight days of Chanukah full of light and loveliness

That’s it from a David point of view.

MM and Company news update

Japan

James Kent and the crew at The J Team DMC Japan totally believe in forward planning, so James has asked to me tell you that last Wednesday 30th November 2023, it was exactly 500 days till the opening of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Expo will be held in an area of about 155 hectares on Osaka City’s artificial island of Yumeshima and is scheduled to last 184 days, from April 13 to October 13, 2025. So far a total of 160 countries/regions and 8 international organizations have pledged to participate in the event which will focus on the theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.

France

Pascal, Enrica, Melanie and the team at NACARA DMC like I guess all the DMCs we at MM and Company represent and recommend love their city and are rightly proud of the place they live in and work. Café culture is a strong part of life in Paris they especially like two cafes in the Marais district. Café Carette overlooks the historic Place des Vosges, the first public square of Paris, inaugurated in 1612. The outdoor area spills over into the covered arcade with brick-lined archways and the inside has an elegant tearoom with gilded mirrors and marble floors. Au Petite Versailles du Marais Boulangerie and Pâtisserie, just off the Rue de Rivoli, is an award-winning bakery and pastry shop. In 2014, it won the highly coveted and competitive award for the second-best baguette in Paris. I must ask Pascal and the NACARA DMC team which bakery won the title of the Best Baguette. Next door to Au Petit Versailles du Marais is their offshoot tea salon and café, Marie Antoinette, continuing the royal theme. The outside has classic, rattan café chairs and small, round tables, and the inside salon has hand-painted, mirrored ceilings, period-style furniture, and crystal chandeliers.