Skål International Roma and Skål International Prague twinning
On February 25th, 2021, Skål International Roma and Skål International Prague held a twinning ceremony at the historical headquarters of the Czech Club, located at the magnificent Grand Hotel Bohemia.
The twinning event was conducted in a hybrid way, partly in physical presence and partly over the internet. The two club Presidents, Heinz Reigl and Paolo Bartolozzi conducted the ceremony in presence of some members while hosting over the platform representatives from the Italian Embassy in Prague, Dr Alessandro Pitotti for the Ambassador H.E. Francesco Saverio Nisio and the Italian Institute of Culture Dr Alberta Lai, the Italian Czech chamber of Commerce, Dr Mariani, the chairman of ENIT Italian tourism board Giorgio Palmucci, the President Bill Rheaume and Director Juan Ignacio Steta Gandara of Skål International Executive Board, past Skål International President Karine Coulanges, Skål Europe President Eric Etienne, Armando Ballarin President of Skål Italia, Antonio Percario and Augusto Minei, amongst other Officier positions Former Presidents of Skål Roma, Luigi Sciarra and Tito Livio Mongelli vice Presidents of Skål Roma, together with over 30 between Club Presidents and officers of European Clubs and National Committees.
The overall attendance was over 100 people across 12 time zones, confirming the international nature of Skål International.
The President of Skål International, Bill Rheaume, underlined the value of twinnings as a “unique relationship for exchanging ideas and cooperating in fostering tourism, (…) overcoming obstacles in the name of friendship”.
The President of Skål Europe, Eric Etienne, remarked that “every effort to blend club activities and aggregate members through the values of Skål is a step in the right direction for overcoming this terrible crisis”.
During the ceremony, the two club Presidents introduced a program of shared activities, including setting up soon B2B sessions for operators involved in the tourism inter-exchange existing between the two countries, establishing technical collaboration on web development and club management best practices, and planning common online and in presence events.
The ceremony ended with a strong statement of resilience during the crisis, and new energies and creativity ready to be deployed for the recovery of tourism industry.
During the traditional toast to the event, the two Presidents remarked how many points of contacts exist, many of them going back hundreds of years in art, culture, architecture, and human values. Both countries have similar economies, based on tourism, high-end agriculture, wine, and industrial production.
Source and pictures, here.