ANNIVERSARY GALA IN COLOGNE

The Oceandiva shortly before casting off.
Set table with anniversary flyer.
Klaus Agsteiner (CEO DHYS Group and GVS) during his speech.
Impressive atmosphere during dinner on the upper deck.
Lively celebration on the dance floor.
View of the Cologne Cathedral and Deutzer Bridge from aboard the Oceandiva.

The “ANNIVERSARY GALA“ in Cologne marked a golden highlight for the GVS Group. The trading group spent one whole day and one night together with its members, cooperation partners from all over Europe, business partners and service providers. Great company, a lot of conversations, a bit of glamour but never over the top, music, dancing and a great atmosphere showed that the Group is not only on top in business but also in celebrating.

The over 200 guests were welcomed already around noon to join the “Churches, Kölsch and carnival” city tour with a visit to the tradition-steeped brewery Sion. Only some hours later the actual highlight was about to start: the festive ANNIVERSARY GALA aboard the event boat “Oceandiva”. It was already on the gangway that the chairmen of the board Klaus Agsteiner and Joachim Homberger, chairman of the supervisory board Tilmann Klein and procurator Matthias Ikas gave a warm welcome to their guests. The gala started with a champagne reception in an atmospheric surrounding while the ship left for its night tour on the Rhine.

On board the guests were able to recall the 40-year-old history of the GVS Group on large history banners. In his speech Klaus Agsteiner gave a moving impression about the past, starting with the foundation as a union in 1976, recapped the many stages of expansion and came to a conclusion with some words about the currently imminent construction of a central warehouse in 2017.

With this prospect Agsteiner emphasized the growth and strength of the Group, “which is in the perfect position to start into the future”. Agsteiner gave thanks to all his guests for all the years of successful cooperation, especially to the honorary chairman of the board, Georg Zoller, who had been head of the Group for 24 years and without whom the association would not be where it is today.

Meanwhile, the new and investigative ways of the Group were also shown at the dinner buffet which offered international specialties from Germany, Italy and Asia. At the event stage, the bars and on the dancefloor the gala gradually turned into a terrific party. A high-class DJ, a superb live band and, on top of that, singer Verena Heinz brought a very special atmosphere to boat and amazed their crowd until late at night. The city lights were sparkling through the windowpanes of the Oceandiva – the Cathedral, the crane houses or the Deutzer bridge seemed to be within one’s reach and as beautiful as never before. A special shuttle service brought the guests back to the hotel – where the evening was not yet over for some of them. Others found little surprises on their hotel rooms: exclusive heart-shaped chocolates and a fluffy blanket as a souvenir of a very special event.

The controlling body of the GVS Group, all festive (from left): Tilmann Klein (chairman of the supervisory board), Jan Butze (member of the supervisory board), Klaus Agsteiner (CEO), Andreas Wencke (co-chairman of the supervisory board), Anton Groß (member of the supervisory board), Joachim Homberger (CEO).
Matthias Ikas (Procurator DHYS Group / GVS) and Joachim Homberger (CEO GVS) welcome Yael and Philippe Scemama (Deputy CEO DHYS Group / GEH).
Frederic Romagosa (Finance Director DHYS Group / DINO), Marc Cerón (Secretary DHYS Group / DINO)
Maria Schefer, Simone Bertocci and Graziano Roma (both DHYS Group / WE ITALIA) with Matthias Ikas (Procurator DHYS Group / GVS)
Matjaž and Ksenija Smlatic (DHYS Group / Europap), in the back Dr. Claus Butze (CEO Dr. Butze GmbH & Co. KG)
Ralph Musselmann (CEO mwi / Advertising Agency of GVS Group, DHYS Group) and Marc Cerón (Secretary DHYS Group / DINO)