On April 30, a Multi-chambers Networking evening was celebrated at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok in the cozy Stock room. Interestingly, the event was called a Walpurgis/Valborg celebration.
Non-Swedish or Non-Finnish guests must have asked themselves “What is Walpurgis/Valborg?”.
Well, it’s a traditional festival celebrated in parts of Europe, particularly in Germany, Sweden, Finland and some other central and northern countries.
The celebration has got its name after Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century English nun who became a missionary in, what is today, Germany. The date is marking the transition from winter to spring.
In Sweden and Finland, Valborg is celebrated with choral singing, speeches, and often bonfires to welcome spring. It has also become a major student festival.
This evening, however, business networking was in focus.
Many companies, including the exclusive Black Mountain Golf course, sponsored the evening with everything from beverages, snacks and lottery prizes.
Our relatively new manager of SWECHAM, Mrs. Anna Olsson Moore, greeted the guests together with Peter Björk, the SWECHAM longtime president. The atmosphere was very pleasant and people were mixing and mingling with each other. If I’m not totally wrong, I think this celebration will mark and set a new tradition in Bangkok.
On a television screen we could see a bonfire. A buffet, containing of various finger food and two Pasta dishes, were offered to the guests and much appreciated. During this evening, I think many new connections were made.
At least, I went home with a bunch of business cards after a delightful evening.
