Finally, after three years, we could meet again and this time in sunny Nice. The combination of many attendees and a beautiful location made the 49th conference in Nice a great success.
Some members already arrived on Tuesday. It’s a real surprise when you suddenly see a familiar face in a restaurant in Nice. The beautiful coast of the Cote d’Azur made people want to stay an extra night. You can’t blame them.
After the board meeting the next day, the board rushed to the panorama terrace on the roof of the hotel for the new members and first-time attendees’ reception. To our great surprise, we saw that the terrace was already full of delegates. Nobody could wait any longer to meet each other. After the welcome reception, members split up to have dinner somewhere in Nice. A special moment to share with your manufacturer or distributor alone in a beautiful place with good food and drinks.
Our President Lari Hahtonen kicked off the event on Thursday morning by handing over bottles of champagne to the members celebrating their birthdays during and before the conference. Several inspiring speakers told us mainly about sustainability and during the coffee breaks the tabletops of our manufacturer members were showing their materials. It’s part of their membership package. The margarita hour on the roof terrace was a pleasant networking opportunity to end the day.
It was a great honour to have our gala dinner in Le Negresco this year. We were surprised by two opera singers who enlivened our dinner with beautiful singing. It made several people cry. After a delicious dinner, the auction starts and this year a lot of French wine was offered. This wine was popular and not only among the Finns this year. Our German members were also very interested in the special French wines. Besides wine, ski accommodation in Austria is offered and a sustainability screening and session by BeGaMo. In the end, we raised € 8,250 for The Ocean Cleanup. Well done, members!
At our AGM we voted for two new board members, a vice president and a new president, Cintia Rebelo. Lari Hahtonen finally changed places on the board after 6 years of doing a great job as President. After the AGM, our manufacturers and distributor members discussed the production and use of recycled materials during a panel session. Cintia Rebelo, our new President, closed the official part of the conference with her inauguration speech.
Traditionally, you can join an optional tour on Friday afternoon. Some prefer free time; others like to explore the area with other members. This year’s optional tour took us to St Paul de Vence, a medieval village that is very popular with artists. The beautiful narrow streets with galleries meander through the small village situated on a hill. The afternoon is completed with a game of pétanque (boules). Martin manages to win the EPDA Cup with his two fellow team members!
The informal closure of the conference is with an optional dinner, this year in the old streets of Nice. We toasted a successful Anniversary Conference in London next year! Hope to see you there!
