WACS Delegates Mingle Through The Night At Dubai Congress 2008 Welcome Reception
From Australia to Cuba, and from Korea to Belarus, WACS delegates from around the world met for an evening of casual cocktails, catching up with old friends and meeting new colleagues at the welcome reception for the 33rd WACS Congress held in the Dubai Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Dubai UAE. Delegates and their guests for the event arrived at the convention centre and were treated to a red carpet entrance as they made their way to a ballroom filled with canapés, traditional Arabic and creative Western desserts, and a selection of delicate cold items. Outside in the foyer, an interesting array of hot food items catered for the needs of everyone present. Guests were constantly crowded around the two whole lambs set atop mountains of basmati rice, intrigued by the traditional Middle Eastern dish.

WACS President Ferdinand Metz began his welcome speech by asking everyone present to smile at a person nearby. As President Metz pointed out, that person was probably from another country and from a completely different culture too. He pointed out that with so many nationalities present at the welcome event, it truly showed that the strength of WACS as an organization lay in our ability to come together despite our differences — differences in language and culture. He said, “This difference is the true and only strength of our association. I suggest we accept, even celebrate our differences.”

Indeed, with four full days of WACS meetings scheduled ahead of us, it is time to bury our differences and to work hard together for the good of our beloved organization — the World Association of Chefs’ Societies!

Want to spot all the different nations represented at this year’s WACS congress? Click on to our photogallery!