A New Year, a New Road to travel

A New Year, a New Road to travel

Hello January! With the brand new start of 2013 we like to share our resolution.

SHARE TODAY had their ‘resolution period’ already last summer. We felt the need for another challenge. Moreover we wanted to reach our audience on a far more regular base than we did with our e-magazine. We noticed the number of readers of our e-magazine had stabilized. We also realized—even more importantly—it was too difficult for readers to share the e-mag with others or to comment on the various articles in a way that it was visible for everyone. And this was beside the fact that people hardly have the time anymore to read a complete e-magazine waiting in their mailbox.

That’s why we decided to develop a new website with more focus on our blog and interaction with our fans, followers and readers. With this launch we stop issuing our e-magazine, however, tailor-made e-mags will remain one of our core services.

By posting our articles one by one on our brand new blog, we are confident to create more buzz and interaction. The new website features a forum for everyone eager to share their thoughts, experts willing to answer specific questions, and services for communication solutions and the blog.

In short, we created a lively  and transparent website  to show the value of SHARE TODAY for the global Event Professional of today.

So that’s our resolution for 2013: being the inspiration behind the global Meetings & Events Industry.

Are you ready to join? Take a look and please feel free to give your comments and share your thoughts! This was our last post on this blog, hope to see you in our new surroundings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yolanda & Kim

PS To receive new posts in your e-mail, simply register at the new website.

Around the world in 48 hours

Around the world in 48 hours  by Kim Alderden

Where are you able to sip a mojito in Mexico, taste Swiss cheese and connect in your best Chinese (Ni hao) with the sales person of that amazing new hotel in Shanghai? In Barcelona! In Barcelona? Yep. Every year the EIBTM trade show stages more and more exhibitors. Over 3000 suppliers gathered last November to show their X-factors at the three-day event.

Say cheese! I see myself on the spotme.com Ipad wall

My character is a bit chaotic and it helps that I have to schedule appointments on forehand otherwise I probably fill my time by just gallivant from booth to booth. Focus! Okidook, I need to know more about the South American countries. I ‘travel’ to Argentina and Uruguay. Here I meet a very nice French lady who lived in Argentina for 12 years, her stories are for real. A great incentive treat, no doubt about it. However there is also a downside on this beautiful destination. The economic situation is far from ideal. But let’s keep up the goods spirit because Argentina deserves it!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Santa Claus is coming to town  by Kim & Yolanda

Santa Claus is coming to town

But do you know Santa has a friend?

We Dutchies call him Sinterklaas

And he knows how to spend!

He arrives mid November

All the way by boat from Spain

He brings his white horse and lots of helpers

For kids he is king, who knows how to reign.

Part of the fun is writing short poems

In which you tease your kids or mother-in-law

Share your thoughts and create a good laughter

Success guaranteed, we always have a ball!

Are you in for an evening with family & friends?

Invite them now and make them write

We hope we inspired you

So that you can have a great Dutch night.

More information about this typical Dutch event, click here

A business dream alive!

A business dream alive!  by Neil Darish

Meet Neil Darish, our guest blogger from Alaska and a remarkable man with his own wonderful, for others maybe strange or at least remarkable, dreams like serving 5 star food in a town like McCarthy.

It was a pleasure to write for Share Today a few years back about our unique group destination in Alaska. I was reminded of how unusual our tourism operations are recently when, a few weeks back, I was asked to make a presentation to the members of the Alaska Travel Industry Association about developing travel related businesses in remote Alaska. We are located far “off the grid”, have only a four-month season, and must hire, train and ramp up in just a few weeks. Needless to say, realizing a small business dream in remote Alaska creates challenges that can be daunting. Each year starts with interviewing and hiring 34 staff for two small hotels, a fine dining restaurant, a saloon, a few stores and the support team to keep it all running, and these are the obvious obstacles.

El Zanjon, A vision narrated 25 years later

El Zanjon, A vision narrated 25 years later  by Jorge Eckstein

In modern films it often happens that the last scene is displayed at the beginning and only at the end it is fully understood. That is what happens when you arrive at El Zanjón, behind an 1890 facade and a solid iron door; an impressive mass of ancient bricks and arches welcomes you into the origins of the city.

This project, an example of “Rearchitecture” was selected among the 10 finalists to the Gubbio Award (economic reuse combining preservation and innovation). It was distinguished with a special mention for the integration of important archaeological remains to the old urban maze. The architectural frame and detail developed to enhance this project was described as Timeless Architecture in the Journal of Architecture. UK 2003. Today it is a fascinating museum, also used as a venue for private events, (Corporate or Social). This is an unusual use of a Memory Site.

The ultimate picnic at high altitude: choose Patagonia!

The ultimate picnic at high altitude: choose Patagonia!   by Yolanda Logt

The more remote and mythical a place is, the more impact it has on you* 

I almost feel like a mountain goat as I struggle with the ice and search for the right place to stick my poles into the ground. I’m at the southernmost tip of Patagonia, one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world. Millions of years ago, it underwent major geological and glaciological transformations which created mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers. And there I was, struggling with these very elements. What I bravely considered the night before while sipping my wine, seemed daunting as I went to bed that night; climbing the Torres del Paine, first of season. A huge thunderstorm that roared with full force did nothing to make getting my rest any easier. After tossing and turning for hours I finally fell asleep, only to be brutally awakened by the alarm clock at 6 a.m.  Was I really doing this out of my own free will?

The most dusty event ever!

The most dusty event ever!  by Yolanda Logt

• 20,000 square metres of venue structures set up every year
• 270,000 authorised personnel
• 500 suppliers and 4,000 orders per year
• 45,000 stopovers per year
• 200 kilometres of banners

You probably wonder what kind of event demands such requirements. No it’s not the Olympics, but an off road endurance race crossing dunes, mud, rocks and camel grass among others. Distances vary from short to up to 800-900 kilometers per day. Yes… we are talking about The Dakar Rally, an annual rally raid type of off road race.

This year the rally took place from Mar del Plata via Copiapo to Lima in February. In 2013 it will be in January. Time enough to organize you might think. But imagine there are three major competitive groups in the Dakar: the motorcycle (moto) class (including quadbikes as one of the sub-classes), the car class (which ranges from buggies to small SUVs) and the truck class. Quite some organizing! Let’s ask details from Marc Glatigny of Argentina en Colores who takes care of the teams’ logistics and VIP programs.

A message from India

A message from India  by Kuntil Baruwa

Dear Friends,

I am off to Assam for two weeks to join my wife, who is enjoying the rains back home.  She has finally managed to convince my mother to share her secret recipe, river fish slowly cooked, wrapped in a banana leaf with the hottest chili in the world, Bhut Jolokia. In my native tongue, Bhut means Ghost, so it is the Ghost Chili (try doing a Google search). We are developing an exclusive gourmet tour, where there will be exotic food cooked with Bhut Jolokia. It will be a no fuss; no sauce kind of gourmet tour, plus it will be super hot. We will keep you posted.

During my recent trip to Deogarh in Rajasthan, I realized that our Company chauffeurs are such a huge resource pool when it comes to “experiences on the road,” impromptu and unpretentious. My chauffeur Pappu from Jodhpur added so much to the journey. From Jodhpur airport we went straight to Pappu’s favorite snack joint in Rohet. Prahlaldchand Mangilal is world famous in Rohet for his Kachoris, a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of yellow lentil, gram flour, black pepper, red chili powder, salt and other spices.  It’s about 45 minutes from Jodhpur, you may want to stop here briefly for a cup of tea or a cold drink and stretch your legs.

Space, the Next Destination…

Space, the Next Destination…  by Yolanda Logt

The countdown has begun!

The world is getting smaller; especially for meetings & events professionals who time and time again need to come up with a challenging destination that fits the client’s needs. Well, have you thought about space? Now there’s an idea that will knock your client out of orbit!  Not only a once in a lifetime experience, but a life changing experience as well!

A ghost town as setting for your event!

A ghost town as setting for your event!  by Yolanda Logt

You really think John Wayne will appear around the corner any minute.

In June 2009 I visited Alaska. One of the places I will never forget is McCarthy in the very center of Wrangell St. Elias. Imagine sitting in your rental car for 2 hours, driving on a bumpy untarred road with many potholes. For the daring people amongst us…it’s actually not allowed by your rental company. For groups I certainly recommend the short flight by private plane. Just when you start thinking your kidneys will end up behind your ears or you imagine you just saw a bear, you are rewarded.

We reached a small parking place where I could leave the car for the next 3 nights and took my luggage over the walking bridge to the other side. There I encountered my first beautiful view at the Root Glacier that I would climb later. At the other end of the bridge a minivan was waiting to bring us to the Hotel Ma Johnson in McCarthy. As soon as you enter the main street, McCarthy is not much more than that, you feel like you are in the middle of a western movie with the typical hotel, restaurant and saloon all with verandas, facing the dirt road. That’s where I met Neil Darish. I had great talks with him enjoying a good glass wine and fine food. Ever eaten a 10-course dinner of 5 star quality with a choice of 150 wines in the middle of nowhere as preparation for a next day adventure at the glaciers? A really special experience in an extraordinary environment.