2017 Skål USA Journeys, Volume 3
Table of Contents President’s Message ● FV Fund Update ● Skål USA Press Releases ● Skål Event Information ● Community Involvement ● Skålleague Spotlight ● Skål USA Resource Center ● Club News ● Skål USA Shop
A Message from the Skål USA President Dear Skålleagues, It is impossible to think that we are already two thirds through our year. So much has happened and your Executive Committee is working hard to modernize and continue to grow Skål USA. We took a big risk holding our National Committee Meeting (NCM) via webinar. It was our desire to help save the clubs the cost of attending a second meeting and of course make sure we had a quorum, which was always difficult to do in the past. The savings to the club with just the cost of the land package was over $57,000 plus air. We were thrilled that the webinar attracted all but one of our clubs and the membership overwhelmingly enjoyed the meeting and the use of technology. We are now the example for National Committees around the world. Thank you all for your support and great feedback. While we were in Washington for the NCM we were invited to participate in the Skål Washington DC meeting which was held at the Uzbekistan Embassy. It was a wonderful evening and we thank the Embassy staff and Skål Washington for including the Executive Committee.
I was invited to attend the Miami Board and meeting in early September but because of another commitment I had to decline. Along came Hurricane Irma postponing the meeting so I was able to attend. It was a great evening where I connected with old friends and had the honor of pinning 3 new members. The next day, I was able to help Robert Burke and David Ross put the finishing touches on the Miami bid to host the Skål World Congress in 2019. Bids went sent out to all clubs in the US to bid to host the North American Skål Congress (NASC) for 2019. I am happy to report that the NASC committee has received letters of intent from Skål Hawaii and Skål San Jose. 2018 NASC will be hosted by Mexico in Playa Majeres, just north of Cancun City at the beautiful beachfront, all-inclusive, Secrets Resort. This will be held May 3 – 6. Book now because there is an early booking discount offered until mid-November. This is the one mandatory meeting so book early and why not make it a club trip? Our International Skål Councillor, Cyndi Golden was unable to travel to India for the ISC meeting before World Congress due to a reaction to injections she took to attend the midterm ISC meeting in George, South Africa. I was deputized and participated in the meeting held in Hyderabad, India. It was a pleasure representing the USA and contributing ideas of how to modernize Skål International. I enjoyed leading our delegation to the Congress. 1
The US Delegation attending the World Congress.
Although a small delegation we contributed a great deal to the event while having fun. We all realized that traffic lights, road signs and street lines are only suggestions in this city of 21 million and if you do not have a horn you cannot drive. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones was a highlight of the Congress. Thanks to a suggestion to the organizers by our VP Administration, Burcin Turkkan, the entire World Congress was life streamed to all members. Thank you, Jim Dwyer, our Director of Membership, who took snap shots from the life feed and posted them on Facebook. Thank you, Steve Richer, for organizing the Twinning of all 9 Clubs in India with Clubs in the US. The ceremony was excellent. Congratulations to Steve Richer, our Director of Public Relations and Communications, for being named International Skålleagues of the Year. This is a tremendous honor for Steve but also for the United States.
Jim O’Neil, Robert Lowell, Skål Northern NJ, Holly Powers, Keith Hyatt Skål New York
Skål Miami has won the bid to host the Skål World Congress in 2019. Their bid is to host the event on the new RCCL Symphony of the Seas, which will sail to Mexico, Belize and the Bahamas. The ship is under construction and will be the largest cruise ship in the world. The dates are September 14 – 21, 2019. Why not start now to promote this event as a club trip. For those of you who participated in the NY World Congress on the Carnival Glory will agree it is a wonderful way to have a World Congress. The 2018 World Congress will be in Mombasa, Kenya, and is being marketed as the Congress on the Beach as the host hotel is a beautiful beachfront resort. Now it is time for elections for our 2018 Executive Committee, International Skål Councillor and Auditor. Nominations are now closed and the slate of candidates is being vetted by our Auditors. I will announce the slate of officers on October 26. Voting will take place November 1 until midnight on November 30. Complete instructions will be sent with the slate of candidates. Our focus is still to grow and maintain membership. The Richmond Club is now in the system and they will have their first meeting in early November. A special thank you to Andres
Hayes of the Washington DC for working hard to get this club up and running. Andres is also working on establishing a new club in Savannah. On October 26, we will hold a membership development event in Naples, Florida. We feel Southwest Florida will be a great area for a new Skål Club. The meeting was originally scheduled for mid-September but of course Hurricane Irma blew into the area and caused tremendous damage and the loss of power for a few weeks. Opening other new clubs is being worked on by our Membership team. Thank you for your continued support.
Holly Powers President, Skål International USA
A Message from the Skål USA VP of Administration Dear Skålleagues,
First of all, to all of our Skålleagues who live and work in the areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey & Irma, we hope and pray that you and your families are safe. Please keep in mind that Skål International has the Florimond Volckaert Fund (FVF) available for members to utilize to request financial assistance whenever needed, particularly in times like these where their homes and businesses have been affected by a natural disaster. Instructions on how to apply for the FVF can be found within the current Manual of Instructions (pages 18-20 of the pdf document). We would also like to encourage all Skål USA Clubs to contribute to supporting the relief efforts, either through donations to the FVF or other means.
As we are approaching the end of the year, I would like to remind you on some of the great opportunities your Executive Committee created with the hope that all Skål USA Clubs would take advantage of them to use towards increasing their club visibility which will lead to increased brand awareness of Skål that will help with increase in membership; 1.Skål USA has received an offer from the internet technology company who manages the Skål USA website to offer a special discounted price to build micro websites for the Skål USA clubs who do not have a website. The company is offering to build the micro sites for $300 per site. Please visit http://skalusa.org/partnerships/ or click here for the description of a "Micro Site" and its advantages. Clubs who do not have a website due to low budget are strongly advised to take advantage of this offer. Please contact Chile Banks at Novatross, email cbanks@novatross.com or call (678) 381-0037 for further details. 2. Skål USA has asked our strategic partner in PR, the PR Newswire, to offer their news feed services to Skål USA clubs at no cost. The news feed will be customized to fit your audience and built to match your site's look and feel. In exchange for placing the PR Newswire feed on your site you will receive up to 3 free nationwide Press Releases for a year. This will allow Clubs to promote their local Skål events and promote Skål brand/ club in their local community. Interested clubs should contact Jeanette Jirau at PR Newswire at Jeanette.Jirau@prnewswire.com to discuss this opportunity further. We have also been working on trying to simplify the operational duties of the Club Officers. Using the great platform on our new
website we have been able to create the Skål USA Club Officer Resources portion on the Members Area where Club officers can find helpful advices/ shortcuts on how to navigate on Skål International website when enrolling new members. We have also added redefined so called ‘Form 2’ that used to be emailed to officers and created the ‘Skål USA Online Club Data Form’ which is an easy online form that can be completed by the officers once their elections in local club level are completed for the upcoming year. Our goal is to add additional features that will simplify the jobs of the Club officers and save them more time to complete procedures. Last but not least, I would like to invite all Skål USA members to review the Skål USA Media Kit prepared by the Skål USA Sponsorship and Advertisement Committee created for the Skål USA website and the Skål USA newsletter. The goal is to leverage our collective networks and contacts to help obtain new advertisement and sponsorship deals for Skål USA, with placements on our website skalusa.org and our Skål USA Journeys quarterly newsletter to help enhance ongoing membership development efforts. Please note that 25% of the income from each new advertisement or sponsorship obtained will be shared with the Club that generates it. The remaining portion will be used towards membership retention and membership development projects. All this has been a result of a great team work not only in on the Skål USA Executive Committee level but also on the membership level; Skålleagues who led/volunteered in the PR/ Communications & Website Committee as well as Sponsorship/ Advertisement Committee have been very instrumental in accomplishing all these achievements. I would like to thank them ALL for their volunteer time and support!
As always, for any questions please do not hesitate to contact me or anyone on your Skål USA EC. Best Regards & Skål,
Burcin Turkkan VP of Administration, Skål International USA
A Message from the Skål USA VP of Membership Dear Skålleagues, It is amazing that this year has gone by so fast and I believe our Executive Committee has done a great job in moving us forward. Membership is on the rise! I truly believe that there is a renewed energy in Skål USA and you can see that by our continued monthly increase in membership numbers. Each month, we have seen increases in our numbers but we have much more to do to get us where we need to be. We have opened up the Richmond, VA. Club and are working on opening clubs in Naples, Phoenix, Savannah, Fresno and a club in the North East. Richmond and Naples will be opened this year and we are anticipating on opening the rest of these clubs in early 2018. This is a great accomplishment. Richmond was the first club that we opened in the past 17 years. This is how we will grow our organization. We still need to increase our membership by clubs too. We need to be out there teaching our members how to bring in new members. We have held 2 webinars for “New Members”. This webinar is an orientation for “New Members”. Please tell your new members that
they can find the webinars on www.SkålUSA.org website. Our next “New Members” webinar will be held in December. It is very important to teach our new members what their benefits are for being a member, how to navigate the www.Skål.org and www.SkålUSA.org websites and how to participate on the club level and the Skål USA level. We need to make sure that we as an organization show our new members that being a member can help their career – we need to be relevant! The incentive program has been working for a couple of clubs. We hoped to have more participation but it is working for some of the smaller clubs. Keep up the good work! Lastly, as we are approaching November and December, remember that this is a great time to bring in new members. These new members can join the clubs and their dues will not be assessed until January.
Toni Koster VP of Membership
A Message from the Skål USA VP of Finance The 3rd Quarter Financial Report has been finalized and has been posted to the Skål USA website. You can view them by visiting: http://skalusa.org/financial-documents/
Florimond Volckaert Fund (FVF) Update
Remember, to each and every one of you, if you can bring in just one new member, we would double our membership. That I believe is the easiest way to increase our membership! Toni Koster VP of Membership 775-848-9666 toni@zoomaway.com Dave Ryan Director of Membership 916-752-0187 dryan@classicvacations.com Jim Dwyer Director of Membership 908-420-5921 Jdwyer114@gmail.com Sincerely and Skål!
What is the Florimond Volckaert Fund? The Florimond Volckaert Fund (FVF) was set up in 1954, in the name of the acknowledged founder of Skål, to provide assistance to Skålleagues and their immediate families who are in serious need of assistance, during times of desperation. If a Skålleague is in need of help, an application should be sent to either the President of your Club or the Skål USA International Councillor, who will convey the application to the three FVF Trustees. They will assess the request and quickly come to a decision. Policy Change: As previously advised, all donations to the FVF must be received by Skål USA within the calendar year for which the
donation is intended. Donations received after the deadline will be considered and recognized for the succeeding year. We can no longer account for pre-payments or accept payments after the deadline based on when the funds are required to be transferred to Skål International.
A Message from the Skål USA International Skål Councillor Skålleagues, As all of you are well aware, the United States has been hit pretty hard this year. Hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico have taken a toll on many Skålleagues homes and businesses. Wild fires in Montana, Oregon, and Northern California are devastating in the sheer number of lost homes and displaced families. I want to thank all of the clubs for their donations (listed below). These donations are greatly appreciated, but I would like to encourage you to please help us help others. This year, SI United States has donated a total of $7,700.18. While this is good, I hope we can do better. SI United States has asked for more than $30,000.00 for those Skålleagues in need and paid out over $22,000.00. Remember that you must be a Skålleague in good standing at the time of your request. Submit your application online at www.Skal.org and should have an answer within 3 days. Thanks so very much,
Cyndi Golden International Skål Councillor, Skål USA The deadline for 2017 FVF contributions is December 1, 2017.
Donations from the Club’s help make the FVF viable and able fulfill its special purpose. We would like to recognize the following for their contributions in 2017: • SI New York • SI Charlotte • SI Tampa Bay • SI Atlantic City • SI San Jose • SI Arkansas • SI Orlando • SI Boise • SI Boston • SI Tucson • SI Memphis • SI Albany • SI Colorado – In Memory of Bill Sweet • SI Washington • SI Kansas City • SI Atlanta • SI Santa Fe • SI Northern NJ • SI Sacramento
Tourism Cares Destination Recovery Fund
Skål USA has once again shown support for our partner, Tourism Cares, who established a fund to help repair tourism sites destroyed during the recent hurricanes to hit Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. While many other organization are focusing on the individual needs, Tourism Cares is focusing on Tourism Destinations that may be forgotten.
Skål USA has sent $2,380 to date to Tourism Cares. We thank our members for their generous support. Donations are still being collected and can be sent to our administrator. Thank you to all the clubs and individuals who have donated to date. We would like to recognize the following Clubs for their contributions in 2017: • SI Sacramento • SI Northeast PA • SI Anchorage • SI Washington • SI Columbus • SI Albany
A Note from Ronald C. FloresGunkle Surviving Maria: A Skålleague’s Tale
Oct. 22, 2017 –31 Days after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Ronald served two separate terms as president of Skål International Puerto Rico and has represented his club in more than a dozen Skål International, Skål USA and NASC meetings and congresses.
During my more than half century in Puerto Rico, I have seen countless storms born in Africa whirl across the Atlantic and reach hurricane speed somewhere in the Caribbean. It is, in a sense, a rite of autumn.
I think of the Caribbean as their bowling alley: storms appear as balls on the meteorologists’ maps. The balls roll over (and wreck) hapless islands on their way north—some toward Florida and the eastern coast of the mainland United States; others veer west and head for the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. I don’t remember the names of the little ones— an alphabet soup of wind and rain that interrupt or damage lives. But I remember some of the big ones that missed us but wreaked havoc elsewhere as if they were the evil characters in a horror movie: Andrew, Charley, Ivan, Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Ike…. I remember telling my children as we bunkered down for one of the “little” storms heading for Puerto Rico: “An occasional hurricane is the price we pay for living in paradise.” I explained to them that a hurricane is a natural phenomenon that serves to clear the canopy from the forests and allows new vegetation to emerge. Homes, however, built in their path are at their mercy. Hurricanes did hit Puerto Rico directly, about once a decade: Hugo 1989, Hortense in 1996, and Georges in 1998 are some of the most memorable. Our hilltop home near the rain forest was reinforced after every storm and by the time Irma hit on Sept. 6, 2017, I felt confident that it could survive a Category 4 or even a 5—the house was built of reinforced concrete, the security windows and doors were rated to resist 200 mph winds. I had a mid-size generator in a separate attached concrete building with a steel door and enough gasoline for several weeks of power. A 500-gallon stainless steel cistern on the roof supplied water to the house, and I stockpiled food and bottled water—enough to last my wife and me for weeks. Category 5 storm Irma “grazed” the corner of Puerto Rico where we live, downing power lines
that affected us and over a million homes. Compared to the islands and other points in its path before and after its visit, damage was not severe. Power was restored to us within a week and most of the island’s recovery efforts were directed to the devastated Leeward Islands. By September 10, the main island had recovered enough to serve as a refuge for people stranded on other islands, including 1,200 tourists from Saint Martin and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Airlifts had brought more than 50 patients to Puerto Rico. Our house suffered no damage. Our grounds were a mess, of course, with tree limbs that made our roadway impassable. Our neighbors helped clear it and within days we were back to normal: cooking hot meals for our neighbors and celebrating the recovery. Then, just two weeks later, the monster Maria roared toward us to destroy everything in its path. It was a bowling ball larger and heavier and more devastating than anything that had come out of the sky in nearly a century. It made a direct strike on Puerto Rico; the center of the storm was wider than the entire island. It ripped through the breadth and length of the island scattering pins and pieces, tumbling towers and trees. It moved slowly making sure not a leaf was left in place. It sand-blasted the few staggering stalks of trees until the entire verdant island looked as if carpet bombing had incinerated it. Everything that was not firmly anchored to the earth was swept away. Houses made of wood were splintered, their roofs blown away. Utility poles snapped and crashed by the hundreds. Even “hurricane-proof” houses like ours were battered and loose shutters, basement doors, satellite dishes, wooden decks, solar heaters and panels became airborne. Maria started gusting at midnight, was furious by 1:30 a.m. We moved from the storm side of
the house when the winds started ballooning the French doors in our bedroom. The doors held, but water jets blasted through beneath them. We could hear trees being ripped from the ground, the crash of items zooming into the night, the terrible din of our single wooden deck—with my wife’s orchid house—being ripped from its concrete pillars and tossed onto the doorway of our house. The storm sounded like a steamroller, its engine screeching and whistling as it raced recklessly around the house. For hours it sounded like a jet plane was attempting a jagged landing on our roof. After a terrifying night, the steamroller creaked down the mountain and went on to flatten the remainder of the island. A few naked and bent trees were left standing on our mountain but most lay like a giant’s game of pickup sticks. Among them were scattered satellite dishes like tiddledywinks, tin torn from neighbor’s roofs and all manner of domestic flotsam and jetsam. The remains of palm and mahogany trees obliterated our driveway and the road to our daughter’s house. It would be months before they can be cut and cleared. But, we were safe and, we reasoned, if we live long enough, new trees will grow. The next week was like a camping trip in hell. No running water, no telephone, no mobile signal, no news, no internet, no power—except when we ran our generator—no way to reach our family or friends. One single radio station could be heard and it broadcast only desperate calls from people wanting to know if their loved ones were alive and safe. We joined our neighbor in clearing the debris from our doorway and cut a path to their property. Our car was safe in another neighbor’s garage. We were among the lucky ones, the privileged ones, the ones who prepared for the worst and were as ready as possible when the worst came. Some 3 million others are not as fortunate.
A month after the storm more than 80% of the 3.4 million people on the island are still without power; more than half have no running water. They are fated to live as if in a war zone—food, fuel, drinking water and medicine are scarce and infrequently available and only after waiting in long lines. Traffic lights are inoperative and police and soldiers direct traffic by day and everyone sequesters themselves during the dark of night. As I was the Skål Puerto Rico delegate to the World Congress in Hyderabad, India, we had our bags packed and a round trip ticket that would allow us to get on one of the first flights off the island. If we could not make the connecting flight to India, we decided, we would stay with our family in Georgia until things returned to normal. My wife and I are both in our seventies. I am sight-impaired: I can’t drive. We can live on our own in the best of circumstances but certainly not in the worst. Most predictions placed the restoration of services—especially power—in our rural area in six months at the soonest. So we gave our stored food, bottled gas, water and gasoline to our neighbors and headed to the airport. We passed queues of cars—I counted more than 100 in line at one of the few open gas stations—and small brigades of neighbors clearing snarls of power lines, poles, branches and trees from the roadway. It was a week after the storm and the airport looked like a refugee camp. Hundreds of families trying to get off the island waited in lines, many with small children and pets in tow. Harried airline employees—some worked around the clock—did their best with the few computers that worked under emergency power. The heat was intense. After six hours in line we boarded one of the three flights that departed that day. During the Congress in India, we suffered what Skålleague Steve Richer described as “survival guilt.” Each day I would watch the news in our hotel and on the Internet and read the messages that began trickling in from the island. None was good. Help was agonizingly slow to come; politicians squabbled over nonsense while our people were suffering.
Our hearts remained in Puerto Rico and we yearned to be able to do something. We would retire between meetings to our room and feel helpless and dismayed. Our friends from Australia, particularly Max and Desley Ellerman, held our hands throughout our time in India making sure we were always comfortable and included. Our Skålleagues constantly expressed their support. Steve oriented us about Tourism Cares and encouraged me to write about the storm for publication. Holly Powers asked us to remind our members about the Florimond Volckaert Fund and how to apply. Cyndi Connell Gorden, Jim Dwyer, Burcin Turkkan and other Skål USA board members reached out in messages to me and to our Skål Puerto Rico president Ivan Puig. Keith Hyatt of New York and Victoria EavesYoung of Australia proposed opening discussions on how Skål can help Puerto Rico revive tourism once the island has recovered. Many members and friends sent messages of concern through Facebook. Several even offered us shelter in their homes! We truly appreciated each one. Most important, I published—and friends helped distribute—a list of trusted organizations offering aid to Puerto Rico (www.losambulantes.com/help-puerto-rico/) and I invite you or your club to support United for Puerto Rico (www.unidosporpuertorico.com/en/), a major fundraising effort being headed by the First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló. In a further example of the spirit of Skål, I received a message from our Skål Puerto Rico president asking me to let him know the moment we return to Puerto Rico from our “exile” in Georgia. My Skålleagues are waiting to welcome us and help us put our home—and our life—back together.
Skålleague Spotlight: Marcelo Mattos This quarter our Spotlight Skålleague is Marcelo Mattos. Mr. Mattos has been a member of Skål for 34 years now. He is a current member of Skål International Orlando. Mr. Mattos has been volunteering on Skål USA committees for the past three years. He has served on the Fundraising Committee, the Public Relations, Communications & Website Committee, and the Advertising & Sponsorship Committee. The biggest service he has offered to Skål is creating the Skål App! This app is available for downloading for smart phones (IOS & Android). Marcelo has created this app on his own at no cost as a volunteer project for Skål USA. If you have not downloaded the Skål App yet please go to your App store on your smart phone, search “SKAL CLUB” and download it for free today! This app connects you to Skål USA, Skål International Websites and newsletters instantly with one click! Skål USA appreciates Marcelo Mattos for all of his work and contributions to Skål USA! Mr. Mattos is the present CEO and Executive International Director of FENACTUR (Brazilian National Federation of Tourism), and President of Brazil Connect US. Brazil Connect US is the Association of a 24 state union, with 15,000 travel agencies in Brazil. Mr. Mattos is also the US President of the Clube do Feijão Amigo (the Friendly Bean Club) that includes over 100,000 travel industry members worldwide. He has over 40 years on his professional experience in the travel industry and hospitality. Mr. Mattos is the founder and tour operator of Transconsult Travel. It is one of the largest Brazilian tour operators with 10 + Million in sales per year. The travel company based in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo sends more than 5,000+ people per year to central Florida.
He has extensive experience in consumer and trade markets all related to the travel and hospitality industry in Brazil and Florida. His accomplishments also include being an integral role in Travel Telecommunication International (TTI) in Brazil, becoming the second largest telecommunication company for Brazilian travelers visiting Disney World and Florida with an exclusive contract with American Airlines. During this time he was participant on all of the main trade shows in Brazil and USA including ABAV, BRAZTOA, POW WOW, Florida Huddle and many others. Between the two companies they achieve more than 15+ million in sales annually with 65+ employees in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Mr. Mattos deals directly with major airlines, attractions, and hotels. His companies extended from Brazil, to Argentina, and other South American countries. Mr. Mattos is also one of the founders of ABAV and SINDETUR (Brazilian National Association of Travel Agents), established in 1980. You can find Mr. Mattos’s contact information below: Marcelo Mattos, CEO President of BRAZIL CONNECT US T: 407 468 0630 marcelo@brazilconnectus.com 6617 Cherry Grove Circle, Orlando, FL 32809. www.brazilconnectus.com Skype: Mattosoffice Skål,
Burcin Turkkan VP of Administration – Skål
Skål USA Press Releases October 12, 2017: Skål International to Bring Worldwide Tourism Event to Miami, Mexico and Caribbean in 2019; First Global Support for Disaster Impacted Region September 13, 2017: Skål USA Joins Trade Groups to Aid Hurricane-ravaged Destinations September 13, 2017: Work in Tourism? Meet Other Pros with Skål Group September 5, 2017: Uzbekistan Embassy Hosts Skål International USA Executive Committee, SI Washington and Skål Scholars June 5, 2017: Skål International USA Urges Retention of Funding for Brand USA April 1, 2017: Project Time Off, U.S. Travel Association February 13, 2017: New Skål International USA Executive Committee Officially Takes Office, Defines Goals at 2017 Winter Board Meeting in Orlando
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Skål USA Resource Center How to Find the Skål USA Website:
➢ Click on the member link on the navigation bar on top From there you can navigate around the site ➢ Club Locator – here is a contact list of all Club Presidents with their contact information. A map of the clubs is coming soon ➢ About Skål USA – here you will find the history of Skål, information on your Executive Committee and the Skål USA Administrators. You will also find Skål USA Honors and Skål USA Members who have national and international recognitions in the industry and information on the FVF Fund. ➢ Membership Benefits, Dues, Development Assistance – here you will find information on why to join Skål, what benefits there are for members, annual dues amount, membership video and membership development assistance ➢ Partnerships – here you will find the different memberships that we have nationwide. There is information on accepting credit cards, developing a website, travel insurance, job postings and travel trade shows
How to find the Skål USA website: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Go to Skålusa.org Click on the “Member Area” Your user name is: skalusa Enter your password – skalusa@123 If this does not work for you, please contact either Toni Koster at toni@zoomaway.com or Steve Richer, richeradvisors@gmail.com.
➢ Events – here you will find different events happening around the country. You can post your events here by sending the information to richeradvisors@gmail.com. You can also download photos of your club’s events in this area. ➢ Skål Newsletters – here you will find the most recent newsletters and an archive of older newsletters. It is
important that you read the newsletters; they give you an abundance of information. Please make sure that all members read these. ➢ Skål International Membership - this area takes you to the worldwide database of all members across the world. ➢ Member Area Login – this area is where you can also login. This area has all of Skål’s International and National legal documents, our official meetings, the club’s resources and our financials reports. ➢ Press Room – this area contains information on all of our press releases, promotional brochure, press kit and our positioning papers. ➢ Useful Links – here you will find links to club websites and social media links ➢ Skål USA Shop – you can purchase Skål merchandise in this area
How to Find the Skål International Website: How to find the Skål International website: Go to Skål.org Click on the “Member Area” Your user name is: Your last name Enter your password – Membership Number ➢ If this does not work for you, please contact either Toni Koster at toni@zoomaway.com (775) 848-9666 or Yvonne Mansell, Yvonne.mansell@Skål.org. ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
➢ Click on the member link on the navigation bar on top From there you can navigate around the site ➢ Membership Development – here you will find information on membership o Why Join Skål o Why I left Skål and Membership Perception Survey o Financial Assistance Application from the Membership Development Fund o Requirements to start a new club and more o Skål Projects/Public Relations/Skål Agreements with other organizations ➢ Skål Database – here you will find the complete database around the world. You can contact people all over the world. You can search by country, region and by clubs. This is very important to meet other Skålleagues when you travel or just want to reach out to other members. ➢ Young Skål – here you will find information about Young Skål. How to recruit Young Skål, the YS application and Social Media Guidelines ➢ Benefits and Greeters – here you will find information on what benefits there are for members across the world. You can even list a benefit from your company if they want to offer a special rate to Skål Members. If you are travelling out in the world, clubs have
greeters to help make your trip memorable. ➢ Twinning– here you will find information on how to twin your club with another club, domestically or internationally and how to do it. ➢ Florimond Volckaert Fund – here you will find information about this fund. This fund is available for members that are in need of financial assistance. The application form can be found here. ➢ Legal Documents – here you will find the legal documents for Skål International. ➢ Forms - this area is extremely important. There are many forms for you here. This is where you will find a new member application for Active and Young Skål potential members. You will also find a Modification Form. This area is very important as this is where you need to keep your member information up-to-date. You can change your company name, email address, phone numbers and job title. It is imperative that you keep this current. There is also a deletion form to delete members. Fill these forms out and send them and a response will be returned to you that the changes were made. ➢ Congress Information – this area is where you can find information on the World Congress and other congresses around the world
➢ International Skål Council Documents – this area contains information on all of the International Councils. Minutes on their meetings and more. ➢ Boutique – here you will find Skål merchandise to purchase ➢ Job Bank – here is where you can see if other clubs and members have jobs available and you can post jobs here too This website and Skålusa.org’s websites are your tools to have as a member. We all need to do a better job of keeping our member information current. Reach out to other clubs, see what they are doing to grow membership. We can all help one another. We are members of this outstanding organization and we need to let the world know that we are the trusted voice in tourism around the world.
Skål USA Club Website Offer Skål USA has received an exciting new offer from the internet technology company who manages the Skål USA website to offer a special discounted price to build micro websites for the Skål USA clubs who do not have a website. The company is offering to build the micro sites for $300 per site. Please visit http://skalusa.org/partnerships/ or click here for the description of a "Micro Site" and its advantages. Clubs who do not have a website due to low budget are strongly advised to take advantage of this offer. Please contact Chile Banks at Novatross, email cbanks@novatross.com or call (678) 381-0037 for further details.
Passings
NASC 2018
Charles “Chuck” Lawson It is with great sadness well tell you that Chuck Lawson has passed away. We remember Chuck as a great Skålleague and friend. Chuck served as a past President of Skal International from 1965-1966; NAASC 1962-1965 and SI Cleveland in 1957. Chuck was the owner of The Travelmart which celebrated its 65th anniversary this year.
Upcoming Skål Meetings & Event Information SI Central Pennsylvania 40th Anniversary Celebration
November 14, 2017 Spooky Nooks Sports Complex @ 6 pm
SI Orlando Christmas Gala
December 2, 2017 Hilton Orlando, 6001 Destination Parkway
SI Miami - Christmas Party
December 15, 2017 Riviera country Club @ 7.00 pm
SI Raleigh-Durham Club Annual Auction The auction will happen on November 14, 2017 taking place at the Hilton Garden Inn Durham Southpoint. The reception and Silent Auction will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7:30 p.m. and the Live Auction at 8:15 p.m. So far the auction items available for bidding includes: rounds of golf, Carolina Hurricanes tickets, wine & spirits, gift baskets, basketball tickets and weekend getaways.
Skål Isla Mujeres – Puerto Morelos looks forward to welcoming fellow Skålleagues to the 2018 North American Skål Congress in Playa Mujeres that will take place from Thursday, May 3 to Sunday, May 6, 2018. This Congress will provide you with great opportunities for networking while experiencing all that Playa Mujeres and the surrounding areas like Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Cancún, Tulum, Cozumel and all of Riviera Maya have to offer. (Check out this welcome video) The theme for this year’s Congress is BREAKING BARRIERS. The name by itself represents not only the coral barrier natural surroundings, but represents the great opportunity we´ll all have to share ideas and business practices with fellow Skålleagues in both formal and informal sessions. Click here to Register
Skål Reno’s Holiday Party You are invited to attend SI Reno’s Holiday Party taking place at 6 pm at The Atlantic Resort & Casino on December 19th, 2017. Visiting Skålleagues will receive discounts on attendance and be recognized with a toast in their honor.
Skål Colorado December Meeting You are invited to attend the December Holiday Meeting at the Historical Brown Palace Hotel and Spa. Skål International USA has bestowed the “Bill Sweet Member of Distinction Award” to honor our own late Bill Sweet. Bill’s family will be in attendance to accept the honor. We are once again are supporting “Brent’s Place” the only facility of its kind nationwide that specializes in Safe-Clean housing uniquely designed and maintained to minimize the risk of infection for severely immune compromised patients. We ask you bring an unwrapped toy to the dinner. Skål International Colorado Holiday Dinner Skål International USA Salutes Bill Sweet December 7, 2017
issues, such as freedom to travel with security, to create global relevance in the travel industry. President Holly presented these concepts at the International Skål Council meeting and they were discussed throughout the Congress, including during the General Assembly and meetings with the Skål International Executive Committee. During the Congress, Skål USA highlights included the unanimous decision to bring the 2019 Skål World Congress to Miami on a cruise based Congress on the Royal Caribbean's "Symphony of the Seas" with stops in Mexico, Honduras, and the Bahamas; thirteen US Skål clubs twinning with all nine Indian Skål clubs; and other high visibility activities.
321 17th St, Denver, CO 80202 Reception: 6:00 PM Dinner: 7:30 PM Cost $60.00 per person Guest and Spouses welcome RSVP - www.skalcolorado.com/rsvp
Past Skål Meetings & Events SI World Congress The Skål delegation from the United States, led by Skål USA President Holly Powers of SI Boston, had a very successful presence at the Skål World Congress held October 5-9 in Hyderabad, India. Skål USA brought four concepts to the meeting to help improve Skål International which were more effective representation, better fiscal management, a focus on building new clubs and expanding Skål to new nations, and developing
US and India twinning Skal Clubs post for a group photo in Hyderabad
As the largest national committee and approximately 14% of the membership of Skål International, Skål USA looks forward to maintaining a leadership role within the organization moving forward. Newly elected officers for 2018 for Skål International are Susanna Saari, President, Finland; Lavonne Wittmann, Junior Vice President, South Africa; Mark Alexander, Northern Ireland, and Peter Morrison, New Zealand, Directors. Carlos Banks of SI Fort Lauderdale placed third for Director. Thank you for representing us in this race, Carlos! John Ruzich of SI New York was elected Auditor, succeeding Frank Klare of SI Philadelphia.
US delegates, including James Enright, SI Washington, and Brigitta Ammonn, SI San Francisco, attend opening party with Addis Ababa Skålleagues Benyam Bisrat, center.
Twinning ceremonies matched thirteen US Skål clubs with all nine Indian Skål clubs. Skål Washington also triple twinned with SI Nairobi and SI Addis Ababa.
US delegates attend the opening of the Skål Congress, Hyderabad, India. Skål USA delegation had a great dine around night out together.
The US delegation at the 48th Skål World Congress. Skål USA delegation had a great dine around night out together.
Instructions, Media Kit, Upcoming Skål International World Congress and Membership Development. The National Committee also approved a new bylaw change to be put into effect as of January 2018.
2017 International President David Fisher with 2017 Skål USA President Holly Powers.
Skål USA National Committee Meeting Skål International USA conducted its second National Committee Meeting of 2017 using the Webinar. The meeting took place on August 25, 2017. The Skål USA Executive Committee (EC), Auditors and the Skål USA administrators were present for the meeting held at the Skål USA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The 46 out of 47 Skål USA Club Presidents and the Skål USA Representatives were present for the meeting online. In addition, there were 20 observers who were in listen only mode to watch the NCM. Some Clubs have gathered their Board members to watch/observer the NCM-Webinar together. All participants logged in from their own device from their own location anywhere in the country. The meeting started at 3.00 pm US EST and adjourned at 4.20 pm US EST. The meeting agenda followed the same format as in previous destination NCM’s; covering the usual business; as approving the minutes of past meetings/ financial reports as well as discussing new online features offered for Club Officers at Skål USA website, the new Manual of
It has not been the first time Skål USA has used the webinar format for causal format meetings; the Skål USA EC has been holding their monthly meetings via Webinar since Jan 2017 and there have been many educational and informative webinars prepared for membership on a regular basis throughout the year; however it was the first time we conducted a formal meeting including all the club presidents and the Skål USA representatives. The feedback from the Presidents and Skål USA Reps have been extremely positive. The Skål USA Clubs have saved an estimated $55,200 or more, by having the NCM organized in webinar format using the latest technology. This also allowed Skål USA to have 99% participation for a NCM. Skål,
Burcin Turkkan VP of Administration – Skål
Skål USA Executive Committee, Auditors and Administrative Staff
Share Club Event Information and Photos with Fellow Skålleagues! Skålleagues are encouraged to share photos from Skål USA and club events as well as information on upcoming meetings of clubs and the travel and tourism industry as a whole on the Skål USA Facebook page. The Facebook page is open to members and interested non-members alike. To view or share photos on our page: 1. Visit the Skål USA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SKA LUSA/ (you may need to log in to Facebook and/or click “Join Group”) 2. Click the “Photos” tab near the top of the page, under the board photo. You will now see a compilation of photos sorted by the date posted. 3. Click the “Albums” tab below the “Photos” tab. You will now be able to view albums of photos that have been uploaded, sorted by the date posted. 4. From here, you can create a new album for a particular event by clicking “Create Album”, or add photos to an existing album by selecting that album and clicking “Add Photos” at the top.
clubs SI Atlanta, SI Central Pennsylvania, SI Northern New Jersey, SI Philadelphia, and SI Washington; and the award of 25 and 15-year membership certificates. The Skål International USA Executive Committee was represented by Director of Membership Jim Dwyer and Director of Public Relations and Communications Steve Richer.
Charter members—Ed Davis, Nancy Schott, Vic Stampone, Joe DiGiorolamo, and Steve Richer
Club News Skål Atlantic City’s 25th Anniversary Celebration At an elegant dinner at the Tropicana's Olon Restaurant the Skål Club of Atlantic City marked its twenty fifth anniversary, presided by Club President Allan Doerr. Highlights of the evening were the presence of five charter members Ed Davis, Joe DiGiorolamo, Steve Richer, Nancy Schott, and Vic Stampone; representation from five other
Six clubs represented—Steve Richer from SI Washington, Jim Dwyer from SI Northern New Jersey, Allan Doerr from SI Atlantic City, Debra Magladi from SI Philadelphia, Larry Hemberger from SI NE Pennsylvania and June Seminario from SI Atlanta
Jeff George (second from right) receives 15-year certificate from club president Allan Doerr. Joined by (l to r) Richer, Jim Dwyer, and Ed Davis.
SI New Orleans October Meeting Celebrating Oktoberfest
New Orleans SkĂĽl International held their annual Oktoberfest themed meeting in the courtyard of the historic Maison Dupuy Hotel in the famed French Quarter. The menu included the traditional German menu of flammenkuchen, sauerbraten with warm potato salad and braised red cabbage. It was the first hint of fall weather and, with German music in the background, was a magical evening and sold-out.
It may be of interest to know that the German influence is an important ingredient that makes up the cultural gumbo of Louisiana. Just west of New Orleans is a body of water called Lac des Allemands, which is French for "Lake of the Germans." The surrounding area, which to this day is known as the German Coast, had been owned by a Scottish speculator named John Law who was seeking workers to increase the value of his land. In the early 1700s, he promoted his holdings in war-torn Germany, particularly in the Rhineland. For more information click on http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/ multicultural/multiculturalhistory/german.html
Skål International to bring Worldwide Tourism Event to Miami
Clubs in its membership, due to a broad base of national backgrounds and a reflection of Miami’s status as an International Community. For information on Sponsorship opportunities and general information, contact: David Ross at skalmiami@yahoo.com.
Skal Reno/Tahoe Hosts Guest Speaker Highlighting New Hospitality and Tourism Degree Miami FL - October 16, 2017 - Skål International, the global organization of Travel and Tourism leaders, has voted in its General Assembly recently in India, to bring its 2019 Skål World Congress to Miami and will sail on a Royal Caribbean seven night cruise in September, 2019. David Ross, Executive Secretary - Treasurer of the Skål Club of Miami, presented the proposal with the support of Skål International USA. “This is the first time that Miami will host the Skål World Congress." said Ross, " We are excited to have offered a cruise on the new Royal Caribbean international Oasis Class ship, Symphony of the Seas, which will sail from September 14-21, 2019" he said. “The General Assembly unanimously supported the proposal just after the wake of a very difficult year for South Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean. We are very grateful.” Holly Powers, Skål International USA President, commented, “The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas can accommodate more than 1500 delegates to the Skål World Congress and can set a new record for a Cruise based Congress. Skal Clubs throughout the United States are thrilled that Skalleagues from throughout the world are supporting the region.” The Skal Club of Miami was founded in 1950 and is known to be one of the most diverse
Recently Skål Reno/Tahoe hosted a guest speaker. Mrs. Vanina Coudriet from the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno. She is launching a new Hospitality and Tourism Management Associates Degree that ties into University of Nevada Las Vegas or Sierra Nevada College to seamlessly achieve a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Administration. Attached please find pictures of her speaking to our group. If anyone is interested in assisting Vanina with internship or curriculum review, they can reach her at vcoudriet@tmcc.edu , we are working towards having Vanina join the club on a more permanent basis.
Skål International Boston Cruise to Provincetown, Cape Cod July 20th was the perfect day for Skål International Boston to hold their July meeting in Provincetown on Cape Cod. 89 members and friends boarded the Bay State Cruise Company’s Provincetown III fast ferry for the 90-minute cruise from Boston to Provincetown. Upon docking in Provincetown, everyone boarded Mayflower Trolleys for a tour of this historic town. After the tour and some time for shopping the group walked to the Crown and Anchor Restaurant for the meeting presided over by Skål Boston President Carrie Campbell. Additional members who drove to the Cape joined the luncheon. Provincetown’s Town Crier, Ken Lonergan gave the history of Provincetown and the Pilgrims first landing in the new world before breaking into patriotic songs. After the lobster luncheon members had additional time to shop before boarding the Provincetown IIII to return to Boston. Special guests, Jim Dwyer, Skål USA Director of Membership, Skål Northern NJ, President, Tim O’Neil and Skål USA Rep, Robert Lowell along with the new President of Skål Richmond, David Becker, joined Skål USA President, Holly Powers for the festivities. A great time was had by all. A special thanks to Past Skål Boston President, Julie Pagano for hosting the group for the cruise and trolley tour.
Robert Lowell, Tim O’Neil, and Jim Dwyer of Skål Northern NJ with Hon Warren Powers.
Jim Dwyer, Robert Lowell and Tim O’Neil at the Red Sox Game.
Skål Boston President Carrie Campbell and Skål USA President Holly Powers.
Planning a meeting that taps virtual reality or driverless cars?
VisitPittsburgh asks millennials to think ahead. By Rachel Treisman / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
VisitPittsburgh is taking an unconventional approach to its strategic planning: Allegheny County’s tourism promotion agency has put four of its youngest employees in charge of shaping its marketing vision for the next decade.
Mr. Loftus, who chose the four committee members from various departments, said the thinking was twofold: to get employees involved with strategic planning at a younger age and to take advantage of their perspective to help better market the city to people of their age group.
With the creation of a 2022 Committee, the agency is putting more power in the hands of its millennial managers — members of the demographic usually defined as 18- to 34-yearolds.
And it’s a key age group, almost as big as the baby boomers once were and much more likely to get information via social media than through the marketing tools that helped attract the attention and spending of their parents’ generation. As the nation’s largest living population segment, millennials have purchasing power of over $170 billion per year.
Members of the committee are first gathering information and ideas with the goal of envisioning what the year 2022 might look like. From there, they will create a plan for the marketing of Pittsburgh between 2023 and 2028, and present it to VisitPittsburgh’s board of directors in January.
“It’s hard in the workplace, especially as part of a younger generation, to feel like you have a voice and a say in what’s happening in strategic planning,” said committee member and advertising sales director Ashley Steckel. “For us, being given that opportunity has been eyeopening.”
“We have to figure out who’s the best and catch up with them and leapfrog them, and that’s what we’re trying to do: get ahead of the competition planning for the years 2018 to 2021,” said chief marketing officer Tom Loftus.
Ms. Steckel said VisitPittsburgh has about 54 full-time staff members and has seen an influx of millennial employees.
Tourism is important to Pittsburgh’s economy: As of 2014, visitor spending in Allegheny County amounted to $5.7 billion, and the industry directly supported over 40,250 jobs. Estimated state and local tax revenue generated by visitors annually is about $356 million, translating to each Allegheny County resident saving $675 a year on taxes thanks to tourists. Planning ahead is particularly important when working to bring in conventions and meetings, which are often scheduled years in advance. So why put millennials in charge?
The committee spent the first half of the year meeting internally, including holding a 15person discussion involving temp workers and interns in April, according to committee cochair and sports marketing manager Miranda Peto. The next six months will be spent meeting with local and national leaders in business, technology, politics and education. Digital marketing manager Molly Allwein said the committee has already met with a professor of entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University and is hoping to get on Mayor Bill Peduto’s schedule next. Ms. Peto said the goal has evolved over the past sixth months. Instead of trying to predict what
2022 might look like, the team is shifting its focus toward how to make VisitPittsburgh more flexible in order to adapt to inevitable innovation in marketing. “There could be the next Facebook or Google in someone’s basement right now,” said committee member and sports and meetings services manager Mike Robertson. “There’s no way to really predict the future, so how do we make VisitPittsburgh at the forefront of what’s available and the organization itself ready to anticipate these changes when these exciting new opportunities present themselves?” Mr. Robertson said his portion of the presentation might focus on how to be more adaptive while also giving a hypothetical scenario of what a meeting planner site visit might look like in 2025, with the implementation of virtual reality or driverless cars. VisitPittsburgh faces some challenges. Ms. Peto said one obstacle is that Pittsburgh does not have a “first day attraction,” like Orlando’s Walt Disney World or Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While attractions like the Duquesne Incline or Andy Warhol Museum are popular visitor destinations, Ms. Peto said they are not the type of places most tourists would seek out Pittsburgh specifically to visit. Ms. Peto added that VisitPittsburgh management has singled out some cities with inventive strategies to compete with — like Louisville’s self-branding as the Bourbon City and Nashville’s music-centric marketing — but members of the destination marketing industry are “all very willing to work with each other.”
Uzbekistan Embassy Hosts Skål International USA Executive Committee, SI Washington and Skål Scholars Washington, DC (September 5, 2017) At a unique gathering of the Skål family, including the Skål International--USA Executive Committee, SI Washington, some of its Skål Scholar program participants, and some prospective Skålleagues, the Uzbekistan Embassy hosted this distinguished group of tourism leaders in its efforts to expand its position as an important travel destination in Central Asia.
President Holly Powers speaks at Uzbekistan Embassy with Turkkan, Richer, Koster, and Golden standing with her.
The event was generated by early introductory discussions resulting from an initial contact by SI Washington Skålleagues Carolyn Howell and Andres Hayes with Uzbekistan Embassy Counselor for Trade and Economic Affairs Kamol Muhtarov. Uzbekistan is seeking to improve its national economy by stimulating growth through tourism and determined that Skål was an organization which offered an opportunity to do so after several Uzbekistan Embassy staff and Uzbekistan American Chamber of Commerce officials attended a SI Washington dinner meeting.
SI Washington Young Skålleagues Yang Zheng, African Union Ambassador Arikana Chicomboria Quao, and Skål Vice President Burcin Turkkan.
Skål Washington President James Enright with African Union and Skal USA Executive Committee guests.
The Uzbekistan Embassy hosts provided an extensive visual presentation on Uzbekistan culture, history, shopping, dining, and top destination cities, including its capital Tashkent, Samarkand, and Jizzak; a buffet dinner of Uzbekistan cuisine, and access to its ornate diplomatic home filled with cultural items, paintings, and historic photos. Muhtarov and Uzbekistan Charge de Affairs Sirojiddin Yahshilikov facilitated the program and all it entailed. The entire Skål International USA Executive Committee, except for one member who was travelling, were in attendance, as well as members of Skål International Washington, participants in its Skål Scholars program, and prospective Skål members, including Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao, African Union Ambassador to the United States.
On behalf of the national executive committee, Skål International--USA President Holly Powers offered the Skål toast, "Happiness! Good Health! Friendship! Long Life! Skål!" and acknowledged the special relationships developed within the industry through Skål, including ones such as those exhibited by Skål International Washington and its outreach to the global diplomatic community in Washington. The club has ambassadors who are members. Speaking at the event for the Washington club were President James Enright and Vice President Andres Hayes, who coordinated the arrangements with some of the same diplomacy skills offered by the Uzbekistan hosts. Skål International USA is currently the largest National Committee in Skål International with 2,000 members and 48 clubs nationwide. For more information on Skål International and Skål USA, and to find out more about membership, go to www.skalusa.org
Skål International Atlanta Hosted It’s First-Ever B2B Travel Expo in Metro Atlanta
October 17, 2017 – Atlanta; Skål International Atlanta hosted over 60 professional travel agents from Metro Atlanta for the first-ever B2B Travel Expo at the Wyndham Galleria
Hotel on Thursday, September 28, 2017. Participants registered in advance and over the course of the evening moved from table to table to hear presentations from various travel suppliers from cruise lines, airline and landbased tour companies including: Crystal Cruises, Club Med, Emirates, Mr. and Mrs. Italy, Oceania Cruises, Seabourn, Globus family of brands, Princess Cruises and Cunard. Several of the suppliers were Skål Atlanta members already and felt strongly about participating in the expo. Skål Atlanta also featured a table where participants learned about the club, local activities, member benefits and highlights of Skål International.
"The response to this forum from our local agency community was overwhelming. We were delighted to be able to showcase a number of travel products while also highlighting the importance and benefits of Skål in our city. " said Monika Pasquerello, co-chair of the B2B event and Princess Cruises BDM. Afterwards, guests socialized with each other and Skål members while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and wine. Raffle tickets for a 50/50 drawing were sold and door prizes drawn which were provided by the suppliers. Income from the tickets sold have been donated to Skål International Florimond Volker Fund which is a unique fund within Skål International available to Skål members worldwide offering financial
support during difficult times of natural disasters and/or serious health issues that results with loss of business.
‘This Expo exemplified one of our Skål principles, which is 'Doing Business Among Friends.' We welcome you to join us again at one of our regular monthly meetings and events and consider becoming a Member of Skål Atlanta. Our theme for this year is 'Together, Yes We Can', and we hope to grow our Organization and become the trusted voice in Travel and Tourism, especially in the Atlanta, GA area. We look forward to making many new Friends.’ said Skål Atlanta President Lorene Sartan. Skål Atlanta is a chapter of Skål International USA. Skål International USA is currently the largest National Committee in Skål International with 2,200 members and 48 clubs nationwide. For more information on Skål International and Skål USA, and to find out more about membership, go to www.Skalatlanta.org or www.Skalusa.org
New York Skål SI New York held its October meeting at Ben and Jack's Restaurant on Fifth Avenue. The club had an excellent board meeting to plan for 2018 with newly elected Skål International Auditor John Ruzich, a past club president, in attendance.
Skålleagues in attendance at the SI New York meeting are International Auditor John Ruzich, Club Secretary Iris Salazar, Past Club President Lisa Conway, Skål USA Director Steve Richer, and Club President Keith Hyatt
Skål USA Shop
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