INTO THE FUTURE
May 15th, 2007
Read full “INTO THE FUTURE” , 25-27 April 2007 Special edition
Edited by Lili Gospodinova
Those of you who didn’t attend our presentation…you missed out! I think it was very beneficial and we had lots of fun all the 2-3 days in Varna. It was as much fun for Alan and I to organize it also, despite the stress and hard work we put into it. Of course now, we feel very much satisfied, happy and proud. Thank you Alan!
I will now tell you the whole story from a point of view of an organizer. It all started on Wednesday, 25th Apr, at the Varna airport, where we collected a big group of 29 guests. I had organized for 2 girls, dressed-up in Bulgarian national costumes to offer the guests a piece of the traditional bread and honey, often used at different receptions in Bulgaria. I also got a coach to drive everyone to the Astera hotel at Golden Sands, which is among the most popular holiday resorts in the region of Varna.
Arriving at the hotel, everyone was astonished by the look of it, all lightened up by flashing signboards and illumination. Astera Hotel & Casino is centrally located in Golden Sands Resort among incredible beaches, clean sea-water and bright sun. Situated in the immediate vicinity of the beach, Astera Hotel & Casino offers an improbable and impressive panorama to the azure water of the Black Sea. The stylish interior, the contemporary architectural decisions and the accents on the colors combined with ultramodern and different design create a unique feeling of coziness and comfort. The hotel offers many facilities, as steam bath, sauna, swimming pool, fitness centre, casino, pool table, lobby bar, 3 restaurants and a night club, all for the pleasant stay of the guests. Excellent choice Alan!
The first day of the presentation, Thursday, 26th Apr. All staff was up and ready to receive the guests right before the conference hall of Astera Hotel. Alan had organized to have coffee, tea and mineral water for those who wanted to have a drink and chat before we start. Upon entering the hall everyone was given a neat company folder with an Agenda, company pen, the Managing Director’s card, plain paper and a plastic pocket. Thanks to the perfect organization of Alan and professionalism of the speakers, during the Into The Future presentation, I could tell that everyone found the lecturers interesting and coming to the end all the guests’ questions had their complete and consistent answers.
The speeches were very professional, held by Alan Coleman, Sales Director of Buy & Sell Bulgaria, Christopher Violaris, MD of Eurolink Investment Group, Alexander Nikolov, Director of Eurolink Build, Vasil Djulgerov, Mayor of Konstantinovo, Graham Coombe, Golf Professional and Consultant, Basil Preuveneers, client, exclusive representative of Buy & Sell Bulgaria and very good friend of the company and Antonis Kostantinidis, also client and good friend of the company.
We then moved to the Arrogance restaurant of the hotel, where Alan arranged for beautiful buffet tables, covered with all sorts of salads, meat, vegetables, bites and many more, to be eaten-up.
Followed by the delicious lunch, all the guests had an hour or so to relax before the Big Open Fire Party at Marina Hills, scheduled for the evening. I got 2 coaches waiting outside the hotel ready to take part of the staff and all guests to Marina Gardens and then transferring them to our company 4×4 WD, they went up to Marina Hills.
Of course, me and the rest of the staff of Buy & Sell Bulgaria, Eurolink Finance and Eurolink Build, were already up there, doing bits and bobs, making sure everything was covered and looking good: Iani from Eurolink Build had put-up 3 huge tents, the catering company I hired had placed the tables and chairs, and organized the block table with food and drinks, the lamb was cooking on the open fire, I had organized for a folkloric band to be playing when the guests were arriving, Petio from Eurolink Build had hired 2 chemical lavatories, Iani made 2 improvised sinks, we got our electric generator for the lights, our CD player and mineral water machines.
We made sure, even though we were under the open sky and amongst vines and fields, with no facilities whatsoever, that we didn’t feel the lack of anything. Later on in the evening I had organized for a folkloric group to perform a 1 hour programme with animation where members of staff and guests also took part in the Bulgarian dances. All of a sudden a man from the village of Konstantinovo came with his horse and cart and many guests and colleagues had a ride in the area. Others were taken by Chris and the drivers to see their land. Those who felt chilly stood by the big Bon Fire with a glass of fine Bulgarian wine in their hand, watching the sun set to the West and Varna behind the Lake to the East. Unbelievable tranquility!
The second day of the presentation, Friday, 27th Apr. In the same style, speakers being Ismet Badjakov, Executive Director of Eurolink Finance and once again Chris and Alan. The surprise…we had a stand in the conference hall, covered with a cloth and a sign underneath: “Guess who is going to be your neighbour?” So guess who was in the poster…Some guests even managed to guess….GEORGE MICHAEL!!!!!! Knowing George’s father personally, Chris has been on the phone with him and he will actually be buying 3000 acres of land at Marina Hills. We are all very excited of the fact and look forward to have him come in the office this summer.
During lunch, I got the errand-boy of the hotel to put 2 bottles of wine (white – Stella Maris, Cabernet Sauvingnon and red – The Argonauts, Merlot) in each room of our guests, with compliments from Eurolink Investment Group, so our guests could see the surprise when they go back to their rooms. I arranged for wine, which was made from the vines of our land in Konstantinovo and the back side labels say:
“XAIPE KAI ΠIE EY”
We bring to you, our esteemed clients, friends and partners this excellent wine that is produced with a lot of care and love from carefully selected and fully matured grapes from our vineyards on the slopes of MARINA HILLS in Varna. These hills have produced excellent wines for over 2500 years and there is historical proof to this respect. The first settlers of the bay of Varna, were Greek, descendants of Jason and the Argonauts, who knew the art of winemaking more than 3000 years ago! XAIPE KAI ΠIE EY – DRINK AND BE MERRY, is written on a stone scripture recently found very near to the grounds of MARINA HILLS! We drink to your health….NAZDRAVE!
After the afternoon break, our guests could choose either to take a drive to their land or go on a trip to Albena Cliffs. Once again I hired a coach waiting in front of the hotel and we had a fantastic excursion to Albena Cliffs and on the way back, we passed through the holiday resort Albena and had a cup of tea and some cheesecake at a charming cafeteria on the beach
Finally, we had a dressed-up evening meal at the Mon Ami restaurant of the Astera Hotel, where Michael Costello, one of our clients, made a toast to St Christopher, in answer to which Chris said: ‘This wine was water a minute ago!’ 
Everyone was happy and satisfied with their stay in Varna, which makes me and all the staff even happier. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all colleagues from Buy & Sell Bulgaria, Eurolink Finance and Eurolink Build for their hard work and efforts to make the presentation successful as it was. Great teamwork guys! Hope to organize another gathering of the kind very soon.
