Skål gears up for elections

Arun Raghavan, Secretary for Asian Area at Skål International, will contest for another term at the annual Congress and General Assembly from May 12-15.

The upcoming 46th Skål Asian Area Annual Congress and General Assembly that will be held at the Gulf Hotel in Bahrain from May 12 to 15 will also include the association’s elections that take place every two years. Arun Raghavan, who is currently serving as the Secretary for Asian Area, Skål International, will be contesting for the same position. The elections will be held on May 14, 2017. Raghavan says, “For the past two years I have been the secretary for the Asian Area for Skål International and I’m contesting for the same position for another term of two years. I think I would need four years to do a better job for the Asian region because it is a huge area.”

Skål currently has 40 clubs in the Asian Area starting from Guam, Japan right up to Mauritius. India has 10 Skål clubs and another 30 clubs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Colombo, Nepal, etc. There are about 1,700 Skål members in the Asia area. Skål had called for nominations from local members who were willing to serve on the executive committee. All members in good standing of Skål clubs throughout the region are eligible to serve on the executive committee of Skål Asian Area for up to four years.

The programme includes a B2B marketplace where Bahrain operators will get an opportunity to network and market their products, and contract business with Indian delegates. Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air offered a 30 per cent discount on airfares for all delegates. Visa charges were also waived for delegates who registered before April 30. Sunil Mathapati, Country Manager, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority, says, “We are thrilled to organise the Skål West Asia Congress in Bahrain. Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority as a gesture had the visa charges waived off for all members who applied before 30 April. This is the first year of Bahrain Tourism’s presence in India and we would like to reach out to all segments that can help in creating visibility for the destination. The Skål Congress is a good platform and the members’ experience of the Kingdom will help in promoting the destination.”