What a brilliant evening! Being my first Conversations evening, I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was – the evening way surpassed any expectations I could have had. A beautiful evening, an absolutely magnificent venue, and interaction with some really awesome people. The Queen Victoria Hotel exudes a kind of a “you are home” feeling as one enters the building. The staff are professional, well presented and nothing is too much trouble for them to make your time there a time to remember and an absolute pleasure.
On arrival we were greeted by our host, Andrew Howard and after the formalities of name badges and numbers for the prize draw, we were given our complimentary glass of wine (a beautiful Merlot) and then shown onto the patio of the Dash Restaurant where the beautiful evening air and the buzz of people connecting with each other was infectious! I think I was probably expecting the usual bowls of peanuts and the like as little morsels offered at such an event, but not at the Queen Victoria Hotel – dry wors, biltong and popcorn is what I saw and I was drawn to it like a bee to a flower! That sort of set the tone for the evening and what followed was just as pleasing to the palate as it was to the positive energy levels which connected people from all sections of the business world.
My mingling had me chatting to Iyan Kirschner from Tru Colors – a guest speaker for the evening – whose sense of humour and easy manner made the few nerves I had felt when I arrived, leave instantly – thank you Iyan too for giving me a lift at the end of the evening – I owe you, and have already pledged some of my spare time to you for Tru Colors.
The speeches and prize giving followed and sadly enough, I was not one of the prize winners, but a hearty congratulations to those folk who were lucky enough to receive a prize! Well done!
My evening ended on a really good note and had me leave the hotel with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement at what lies ahead for Triarc.
I had an in depth conversation with Waleed, who represented the Queen Victoria Hotel and with whom I was able to share some important information about who Triarc is and what we do. This is a subject which creates a passion in me and so to find someone who could identify with what I was telling him, was a real bonus. Waleed’s past involvement in the medical aid industry made it easy for me to chat to him about the plans going forward for Triarc, who currently attend to brokering for Discovery and Momentum, and who are on the verge of launching their life insurance product. It was interesting to watch as the impact of what I was sharing actually sunk in – it was one of those ‘WOW moments as Waleed realised that what I was telling him was in fact vision and a dream becoming a reality. What lies ahead for Triarc and our products for the LGBTI sector, is something so huge and innovative, that when the Tsunami we are building at the moment, actually hits this country, the wake that we leave behind will not be one of destruction and devastation, but indeed one which will finally protect and provide for the needs of the LGBTI sector in its entirety.
A really heartfelt thanks to Andrew for an awesome evening and to everyone involved at the Queen Victoria Hotel for their hospitality – I will certainly recommend your hotel as a perfect venue for any occasion!