After Party in Montmartre

Guys,

After the cocktail party at CCIP, myself, Albertyn & Samir decided to go and meet a very good friend of ours, Mr. Laurent Moissonnier (Project Manager for International Programmes at the CCIP). We made a very good circle of friends through Laurent and we really felt a part of this group. It was unbelievable how they hosted us and always invited us to hook up with them - we became locals at "The Burq" - a little cosy pub down the road from Moulin Rouge.

The amount of beers and shooters last night was unbelievable, see how the girl was crying when we bid final farewells - Samir the bachelor boy among us was a real hit with the girls here in Paris...

Anyhow, we're happy to be leaving for the airport as I write to you, we catch our flight tonight (Saturday 30 Oct, at 23h20 back to SA)... An experience of a lifetime!

Paris Chamber of Commerce - Closing Ceremony

Ladies & Gentlemen,

On Friday 29 Oct, we had the 2010 JIPSA JMDP closing ceremony and cocktail party at the Paris Chamber of Commerce offices. The ceremony was attended by a very high-level delegation once again... "myself & Albertyn are starting to feel like big businessmen by now, I might add".

In attendance was (His Excellency) Mr. Geoff Doidge, South Africa's Minister of Public Works, (Her Exellency) Mrs. Dolana Msimang, South African Ambassador to France, Mrs. Corinne Brunon-Meunier, Deputy Director Sub-Saharan Africa Department (Agence Francaise de Development - AFD), Mrs. Barbara Lombard, Executive: Corporate Services - National Empowerment Fund of South Africa and Mr. Michel Destouches, Vice President - Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP). Along with these VIP's were their advisors, etc. so there was a lot of networking opportunities once again.

The attendance of these calibre of business people (Governement & Private sector) displays the commitment of the initiative signed between Nicolas Sarkozy & Jacob Zuma in 2007. With the stroke of a pen and a signature on a piece of paper, the wheels are in motion to bolster the SA / French partnership, I hope that more alliance initiatives like this can happen so that SA's development can unfold on a much broader scale in a shorter space of time.

We ended of on a high note... see pics of us rubbing shoulders with the "big-wigs" at the office of CCIP, which is more like a museum than offices, right down the road from the Arc de Triomphe adjacent to Champs Elysees.

Farewell at Spiecapag

Hi Guys,

On Thursday, 28-Oct we wrapped up business at Spiecapag. We worked with a very warm and welcoming bunch of people whom we now regard as fellow colleagues, even the most straight-faced of the frenchmen & frenchwomen were sincerely sad to bid us farewell.

All in all, lifetime relationships with very strong networks have been created. This is the cornerstone of our mission, i.e. to partner with multinationals in developed countries to bolster SA's economic development in high-potential emerging markets. Europe is extensivley developed in terms of infrastructure, energy generation & transmission, developmental finance for emerging economies like SA, etc. and tehre is a lot to learn. We can truly leverage of strategic partnerships like these if SA is to fast-track development inititaives and be the big-brother for leadership in terms of development throughout the African Union.

Here's some pics of the guys who were around for some photo's. The little frenchmen below is Monsieur Laurent Lefevre, he is a design engineer at Spiecapag and the relationship that Albertyn & I have made with him in particular made him cry (literally) - he promised to come visit our beautiful SA soon, the way we sold SA to him, he might just leave France...

Our last day at work!

Dear All,

The last day of work at our host company has finally dawned.  Keith and I have both wrapped up and completed our respective tasks.  Our supervisors are pleased with the outcomes and have communicated such in a report to the CCIP (Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris).

To show our appreciation, we took our supervisors out to lunch yesterday at a local restaurant.  We had a very relaxed and informal discussion about our 4 weeks stay at Spiecapag – in all, definitely a positive experience for all concerned.    This morning we bought croissants for the whole office and shared them over coffee this morning.   Even some of the big bosses joined us!  There was a great vibe!  We dished out business cards and did some last minute SA marketing.  I reckon Keith  and I will be getting quite a few visits in the not too distant future  J

All in all, Spiecepag  has a great bunch of people with a healthy family culture highly evident throughout the company.  I am positive that our paths will cross in some way or other in the not too distant future.

So, what do the last 2 days entail?  Lots of packing, the last bit of shopping, feedback sessions at the CCIP tomorrow evening, followed by the handover of certificates and of course, lots of night caps!!!!

Keep well and chat soon.

Note - I did a 90km bike ride with some locals the past weekend, I almost died! In the process I did some Group Five marketing, see pic blow.

Friday night at Sacre-Coeur Basilica & Moulin Rouge, Montmartre

Hi guys,

On Friday night I decided to go and check out the Basilica of the Sacred Heart which was built between 1875 & 1914 on the "hill of martyrs" (Montmartre) which was the place where Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was decapitated for his faith in the Catholic church. The Basilica was consecrated in 1919 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed in the Basilica, but you can imgaine the inside of the building if the exterior looks so beautiful.

What a view from the summit of the Basilica, you've got to either walk up or take the "Funiculaire de Montmartre". After such a moving experience, I decided to go check out Moulin Rouge which is just a walk down the road, with a nightlife like you cannot believe.