The second leg of our autumn showcase evenings took place at a crowded and vibrant Chigwell Golf Club.
Previous events had ensured much anticipation amongst the members and our own clients. On arrival, all guests were treated with complimentary drinks and tasty bites courtesy of the magnificent Gill Marzell and her team.
We were thrilled to welcome a variety of partners to Essex who set up colourful and informative display pods and mingled with guests in advance of the presentations.
Coinciding the event with the week of the World Travel Market in London helped us bring associates directly from their home countries to provide a unique insight into some wonderful places around the world.
Elias & Patricia from Eat Northern Spain created a superb display with amazing ham and wine they had brought to share, a three-strong team from Authenticities in Sri Lanka inspired us all with their incredible pictures from the local communities they engage and work with and our partners all the way from Thailand included Chris and Ca from the amazing Elephant Hills and the charismatic Danny Sukomol from the stylish Santhiya Resorts.
In addition to the colourful displays and exhibits, each of the organisations had generously contributed some incredible prizes, details of which were circulated by the Abbotts Travel team and displayed on the club’s TV screens to add a buzz of expectancy in advance of the presentations themselves.
With everybody now housed in the main bar and nachos available in beach buckets on each table for snacking, proceedings began with specialist Tom from the Inspiring Travel Company introducing us to the delights of Cuba and how to create a perfect first visit combining superb beaches with unique culture.
Regent Holidays are pioneers of travel to unique destinations particularly Iceland, the Arctic and taking visitors to the Northern Lights. Michael is a seasoned visitor and was able to share some of his personal insight and tips into the variety of ways to add one of the most sought after experiences to our own bucket lists.
It was to South east Asia next where Karen from Premier Holidays teased us with a glimpse into Borneo before introducing the effervescent Chris who talked about the incredible experiences that await at Thailand’s Elephant Hills, a unique tented resort situated in the heart of the Khao Sok Mountains.
With our adventure taste buds fully aroused, we were shown how to complete a traditional Thai holiday with a glimpse into the eco-luxury beach resort properties of Santhiya Resorts & Spas. Deriving from the Thai words meaning “natural” and “beauty” these fantastic resorts were brought to life with a scintillating presentation from Danny, the deputy Managing Director of the group, who had the audience in raptures with his presentation style.
Our own Danny had enforced a strict time limit on each of the speakers and Santhiya’s Danny undoubtedly set a new record never to be beaten of the amount of words, content, jokes and visuals that can be achieved in a 7-minute slot whilst managing to keep the crowd transfixed throughout.
It needed an experienced and strong character to follow Danny and fortunately, Rupert from Beachcomber Tours was next up who in keeping with the general theme of relaxation and exotic locations brought us to the Indian Ocean haven of Mauritius. Increasingly popular with ourselves and our clients, Beachcomber are market leaders with eight hotels on the island each offering something different, exceptional service and the highest standard of cuisine. Great options exist here for Honeymooners, weddings themselves, all-inclusive family holidays and fantastic golf experiences too and the Abbotts team will be only too happy to share their own first-hand stories upon request.
Elias brought us back to Europe temporarily to introduce his homeland, a perhaps lesser known area of Spain and how to experience it in a unique way with his dedicated and enthusiastic style, personal knowledge and the story behind Eat Northern Spain.
Our final guest presentation took us back to Asia and another country we cannot recommend highly enough, Sri Lanka. This is a wonderful country with several options for different types of holidays and Dilshad introduced Authenticities’ focus on local lifestyles and culture through experiences going beyond typical itineraries.
There was one final edible treat in the form of ice cream served as everyone geared up for the eagerly awaited prize draw to conclude the evening’s entertainment.
We had a lottery style numbered ball drum, numbers were drawn and lucky recipients of those corresponding to their entry ticket went home with some very special and generous prizes.
Our sincere thanks and gratitude to Kathleen and all the staff at Chigwell Golf Club, to our photographer Sophie Yershon, to the brilliant Liz Hawkins for ensuring all the presentations ran smoothly and to all the speakers, partners and guests that helped make a fantastic night. We hope you were inspired and please contact us for further information on any of the experiences featured.
Danny