At The Mover we often hear about companies ‘celebrating’ important anniversaries, but when we ask how the party went … well, they didn’t have one. Not so with 50th anniversary celebrations for Metropolitan Transports from Brazil.
The Metropolitan party was held at the Palacio Villa Luisa in Seville, Spain on 4th April 2019. The location and date coincided with the start of the OMNI conference which was convenient for many. Guests gathered in the palace’s beautiful gardens for cocktails. That sounds simple enough, but this was no ordinary cocktail party. Wladimir De Mello, the company’s founder; his wife, Martha; son Pedro and Deputy CEO Fabricio Bertoldo had really pushed the boat out to make this event special.
Cocktails were prepared and canapés served in the palace gardens as live music played to greet the guests. Canapés is not quite the right word: delicious gastronomic creations were beautifully presented in a constant stream from 7pm until the start of the dinner itself two hours later. So lavish was the welcome that guests might have struggled to embrace the fine dining that followed, were it not so … well, fine. The food and wine were delicious, the setting divine and the company of friends a pure joy.
The after-dinner speech was made by Wladimir’s close friend and colleague Peter Schaefers. Peter started his moving career in New York in 1957 and had a wealth of amusing and often irreverent stories to tell, struck through with a great affection for Wladimir and admiration for what he had achieved. Wladimir himself responded with stories of how he started the company and how he focussed on sales as an imperative. In what was something of a surprise, Peter invited all the members of the mysterious and elite Mongoose Club to join him and the family for a group photo.
The evening was rounded off with dancing until late for those who had the energy. A thoroughly good evening to mark a significant milestone in the development of one of the moving industry’s leading players.
