The End - my thoughts

As I sit back on a warmish evening in Sydney, sipping a lovely glass of Australian Chardonnay, I cannot help but feel a little sad this is over. Even if you think this is cheesy, it's true.

I met some amazing people, who have graduated from the same college I did (maybe years before or years after), shared some fond memories, and they were just as excited about this reunion as I was - keen to assist - bursting with energy and motivation. This is exceptional, and rewarding - seems to me it is the true spirit of Cesar Ritz. I can only recommend you attend the next one, you will not regret it.

A special mention to Ayhan, Teg and Irfan, who were at this reunion from the very first hour, and who have contributed immensely to their Alumni Chapters. I was very impressed by your input - well done.

Also, a warm hello to Boon and Peter, who were in the first ever class of Cesar Ritz, in 1982. It was great to meet you, and find out what it was like then.

Finally, well done to the staff at Cesar Ritz. You all did a fantastic job to make us feel at home and welcome. Michelle, Marga, Mr Kisseleff, Dr Petri & all the others - see you next year - hopefully we will have 700 alumni attending (bring on the party!!)

I hope you all enjoyed this little write up - and please post your comments if you have any - and yes, they are moderated: welcome to democracy and censorship ;)

Yours truly, Richard Farr aka Jipo.

Day 3 - excursion to Berne & Swiss Dinner

Day 3, and we are relaxing after a strenuous couple of days of presentations and panels (hard work, really!) as well as some late nights keeping up the spirit of Excellence!



We are taken to Bern, and giving a guided tour of the Capital of Switzerland. During the coach trip to Bern, it was noted by the Alumni present that it was dissappointing to see that 20 alumni did not show up. A great shame, specially as this trip was excellent, and very well organised.








The first part of the visit takes us to the bear pit, where a lazy bear is being fed by excited tourists. We threw a couple of bits of carrots (a few hesitated to throw me in), and headed straight for the Tourist Centre. We were not particularly interested in the gifts, but more so in the brewery and bar next door. We were served up with a spectacular platter of Pretzels and 40 litres of beer - GREAT!

A delightful guide took us through Bern and pointed out various interesting points, and we headed back for Vionnaz, where we were invited to a Swiss Dinner Party.



The Swiss Dinner Party was great - a choice of Raclette or Fondue (I couldn't think of a better choice).



This dinner concluded the Swiss Alumni Reunion, which was a fantastic experience. I, for one, had an amazing time, and I am sure this feeling is shared by all who attended. The organisation was exceptional (thank you Michelle) and the entire organisation made us feel very welcome.

Day 2 - Alumni Panel & Gala Dinner

After a nice break during the afternoon, we were all gathered up in the 'Auditorium'. It felt like going for an exam again...

The panel was a great experience, however there was little time to fit questions, after the entire group of Alumni introduced themselves. The panel did, however, manage to answer some great questions relating to various aspects of life as an entrepreneur of hotelier.

If any Alumni have feedback about the setup of these panels, please email michele.patry@ritz.edu, all ideas are welcome.

As soon as the panel finished, we all gathered outside the 'cesar' bar (formely known as the Seiler Bar) for cocktails/aperitif before the Gala Dinner.

The Gala Dinner was exquisite. My hat off to the Chefs for the desert, which the highlight of the meal. Itconsisted of a 4 course meal - 2 starters, 1 main & a desert. The presentation was very nice. The dinner was a 'year 2' banquet, organised by students. Some of us have fond memories of the Banquets, which used to be a fierce competition between each class.

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The Gala dinner was followed by the usual 'Student Club - The Dog & Lamppost' party, which went on until the early hours of the night. It was nice to see that the traditions of the past had been kept, and the Student Club was well and truly still alive.

update soon

Greeting everyone,

My apologies for not giving you an update on the Reunion Gala Dinner and Day 3. This will happen very as soon as I return to Sydney. I am currently at Heathrow airport, waiting to take-off to Sydney.

I appreciate your patience... the wait is worth it as there are some great photos.

Yours truly,

Richard

Alumni Reunion - Day 2

Day two started off (for some I am sure) with a painful wake-up call after a heavy night. However, everyone managed and was in Le Bouveret on time for the traditional Swiss breakfast 'croissants' and orange juice.
For my part, being back in Le Bouveret brings back amazing memories of fun times, with a little bit of studying here and there (yes?)

I arrived a little earlier than the rest, and raced around to say hello to everyone before the big mad rush. I was glad to see many familiar faces and all were very excited about this reunion, and were looking forward to seeing 'long-lost friends'.

Above: Christian Konrad (left) and Jolanda Hains (right)
Below left: Susan Fournier, RF, Allain Muller, Herve Fournier

Above right: The World Famous student bar 'The Dog And Lampost'. Tonight will be wild. I am sure the monks up the hill are expecting a little noise. They might even join, who knows?

Dr Petri did tell us he was retired, but it is nice to see his reserved space is still there, which means he is still visiting from time to time.

Us, looking fabulous. At the time of this photo, there were still a few alumnus to arrive. We will no doubt be taking group photos later again.



At 10:45 am, (15 minutes late... and 5 points deducted from our PA score), we were ushered into the Auditorium (aka called 'the Chapel') for a presentation on Cesar Ritz in the 21st Century. The presentation was to demonstrate the progress and various changes that have been recently happening in the world of Cesar Ritz Colleges.

I have written below a very brief explanation of the various topics that were presented:

• 
  
  
• Marga Cretton
  Mme Cretton welcomed us, and highlighted the importance of the Alumni Network. She also reminded us to check the website regularly, and ensure we are receiving emails. It was noted that the Ritz.edu email address can be forwarded to any other email address if you wish. This can be done in the ritz.edu email account settings.
  
  
• Michele Patry
  Michele presented the various Alumni chapters currently existing throughout the world. There are now 20 chapters, and growing. There have been 28 reunions this year already. The new Alumni magasine, previously known as 'Alphorn', is now called 'Connection', and is formatted differently. She welcomed feedback on the new look.
  
  
• Chapter President presentations
  Richard Farr, Teg Brar & Ayhan Coner
  
  
• Trude Gulbrandsoy (Carreer Services)
  This presentation explained the various career activities that are being organised around the world and in Switzerland. For example, the last October 2006 Career Development Conference, held in Brig, had 400 hotels represented.
  
  
• Reto Leder (Director of Marketing & Communication)
  this part of the presentation highlighted the various partnerships that have been established over the years, and recently, with various colleges & universities.
  
  
• Herve Fournier (Director)
  Mr Fournier explained the changes that have happened to the courses held here in Le Bouveret. We were explained which courses were taken during each term, and how these are now structured. The Culinary Arts program was explained, as well as the new Leadership Program (which replaces the PA points system that we all loved sooooooo much)
  
  
• Mr Kisseleff (President)
  A new 'research group' idea will be launched in the near future. Mr Kisseleff realises that a vast amount of research and study papers are being written and simply filed away. The idea is to allow Alumni and current students to access these papers, and even propose various topics that could be researched.
  
  
• the current students prepared a short photo gallery presentation, after which Mr Kisseleff
  

Alumni Reunion - Arrival and Day 1

The Alumni Reunion Attendees on day 1

(in front of the construction site of the new dorms)

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Upon arriving (finally - Sydney is a long way...) in Brig, it was with great pleasure that I checked into the 'Good Night Inn'. The receptionist was all smiles, and gave me a huge welcome. This was Carolla, who has been working at the Good Night Inn since I can remember. Already I could feel this reunion was going to be a roller-coaster ride of fun and excitement.




A few Alumni were already having a few beers in the bar next to the reception, so I joined them. It was great to see Michelle (Alumni Network Manager), Mme Cretton (who knows - and is known by everyone!) and Mr Ortiz.







The beers were flowing, and a game of 'table soccer' was initiated. This brought back many memories (as well as long forgotten techniques), and Mr Ortiz still rules... As you all remember, table soccer is quite a 'cult' at Cesar Ritz Colleges.






Some familiar views in Brig...

For some of us, the reunion started at 9am, with a presentation from Jonathan Hilton, Director of Admissions & Enrolment, on Relationship/collaboration between Cesar Ritz Colleges and Graduates.


This presentation explained the various ways that Alumni have been involved in the Cesar Ritz Colleges, and how the relationships have come about. Jonathan took examples of some of the present Alumni in the room.

3 Alumni Chapter Presidents who were attending this presentation, were invited to talk about their involvement as Presidents. I was invited to present our side of the Alumni World (Australia Chapters). I have taken many ideas away from these presentations, and will hope to include them into the running of our Chapter in Australia.

We were also asked to contribute ideas on the Alumni Online presence (Website). There will be a new website to be launched in the near future. There were many suggestions, as you can imagine.

Photo: Dr Petri with Richard Farr

A special hello to Jeffrey Shim from Mr Rosskogler!
(Click here to view a video message from Rosskogler)

After lunch, we were taken on a lovely tour of Brig in a 'tourist' train (Disney style), which was very nice. We stopped by the new dorm construction. Now... dear Alumni... the new dorms will seriously make you want to return to studying!

It appears that ALL has been thought of. The idea is that 'Le Bouveret' campus always seemed to foster a better 'family' feeling, because all (more) students lived together. This is missing in Brig, so a new development, entirely designed by the Cesar Ritz Colleges, are due to be completed towards the end of the year. Hear this:

• Student Bar
• Night Club (with resident DJ)
• Reception
• ALL SINGLE ROOMS!!
• Fully furnished rooms with fridge/TV/internet/phone and own bathroom
• Car parking
• Many kitchenettes/kitchens
• and more...

I want to study again :)

Photo: the new dorm construction.

After our trip around Brig, current students were presented with a 'panel' of 6 Alumni, who presented themselves and answered questions. The outcome was very successful, and students were VERY interested in our network.

The following Alumni were on the panel:

• Nadia Akhmisse
  (World Conservation Union)
• Ayhan Cöner
  (Turkish DO&CO Airline Catering)
• John Jeong-Hyun Kim
  (Manager, Overseas Marketing Resort - Samsung Everland Inc
• Stefano Leone
  (Deputy General Manager - Baglioni Hotels)
• Eva Codina
  (General Manager - AC Hotels)
• Tine (Martin) Brodnjak
  (General Manager - M Hotels)
  

That's it for now.... I will post more information very soon.

Thanks for reading!

Alumni Reunion - Day 1 - evening

The PGD class organized a lovely themed dinner for all of us on the evening of Day 1. The theme was 'Alice in Wonderland'. Great food - good wine - lovely company!

Dr Petri & Mr Kisseleff addressed us, thanking everyone for their participation so far.





































After dinner, everyone went to bed... well, maybe not! All of us followed on with the great Brig traditions and joined up at 'Scala' for a few (or few too many) drinks. This brought back some fond memories of the 'good old times'.

Here is Boon. This Alumni was one of the Pioneers of the Cesar Ritz Colleges, and started in 1983.