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Miami – Career Development
30 March - 5 april 2008
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Sunshine, long sandy beaches and beautiful hotels were what we expected when our noses turned west to Miami in Florida on Sunday 30 March. But after a ten hour flight it was rain and wind that met us when we stepped out of the airport.
Luckily, the rain didn’t last long and, as we drove into Miami Beach, the sun was there to greet us. So too was Christoph Wilke, our new Alumni Chapter President. He had organized a dinner at the Van Dyke café, with a long table, good food and live music. A great start to a great trip.
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The group of 20 students and staff, as well as Todd Buchla representing the WISE Foundation, were all excited to be a part of this vibrant city. We were there for a week and every day from morning until night was filled with meetings with managers and alumni, lunches and interviews (programme).
Despite this busy schedule, we did have time to watch Miami Heat lose to the New Orleans Hornets in the American Airline Arena. We also had dinner at Hooters, drinks at Delano and did some shopping at Cocowalk. A highlight of the visit was the Alumni Reunion held at The Setai Hotel on South Beach. Over 40 students from all over the USA found their way to this popular five-star hotel.
Our first stop was the Trump International Beach Resort. After a tour of the resort and a delicious lunch in the aptly named Neomi’s Grill, we went to see the building works happening at The Fontainebleau Hotel, which will be one of Florida’s largest when it reopens later this year. The Conrad Hotel took good care of us when we visited them downtown and after another scrumptious lunch there, we moved on to the Mandarin Oriental where we were greeted by an enthusiastic team of staff members.
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After four busy days in Miami, we drove 45 minutes north to Fort Lauderdale and were exceptionally well looked after by our friends at the two Starwood Hotels, St Regis and The Atlantic (A Luxury Collection Hotel). A welcome committee greeted us with a fabulous lunch at the St Regis and a presentation of Starwood Hotels and Resorts before we were treated to a tour of the two properties. The tour ended in the penthouse suite with relaxing five-minute massages on the balcony and a special signature drink with Starwood Associates – their cucumber martini. Ah, life is certainly good in sunny Florida!
The next day, the Hilton was on our agenda and we were again greeted by the management team plus a group of our students training there. In the evening, a farewell reception at the Atlantic Hotel was a perfect end to a perfect trip.
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We are already looking forward to the next one that will take place in June – destination Panama.
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