Swarovski Signing & Gala - Orlando, FL 3-16-13

Invited as SCS (Swarovski Crystal Society) Members, we arrived in Orlando the evening before the Gala Event to a gaggle of traffic! We really didn't think we would meet with this much traffic so early, but we learned that the Canadians were in town. So was a Comic Book Convention. The traffic situation remained miserable the entire weekend.

The Signing was really nice. The entire Swarovski staff could not have been more pleasant or more accommodating. It was a pleasure to be received so happily.
While there, we learned that the Event was supposed to have taken place the weekend before, but we never found out why it got rescheduled.

The Signing 'Gift' was the Event Butterfly Bracelet (shown in our CFC Photo Galleries). 
I was thrilled to have all my retired items signed without question. Swarovski staff unpacked & repacked the boxes for the Designers to sign.
Elisabeth Adamer & Verena Castalein (on her First Swarovski Signing Tour & loving it) could not have been nicer. 

Verena Castalein at Signing Event

On each table, an abundance of Swarovski Magazines were available (the one with the Cinta Elephant on it); each Designer signed the front of the magazine, and Verena also signed the page where the 'Happy Ducks' are located.

I had the following items signed by Verena:  Duck J and the Medium Siam Heart
And by Elisabeth: AE Tiger, Loyalty Tiger Cub, the infamous Peacock (yes, I told her what I thought about the 'new' crystal), Gnu, Zebra & Sister Bear.

The Gala Dinner was lovely, planned by Robin McCall, Swarovski's Event Manager.
The Cocktail Reception (cocktails not included, you had to pay for them) had Table Place Tags with the participants Names on them.
Everyone received a real live orchard lei that was placed around our necks. Nice Touch!

Prior to entering the Dining Room, the Bar crashed, but they managed to move it to the Dining area.
There weren't as many people/tables as I expected. There were about 8 or 9 tables with 9 people seated at each table. We were seated at the table with Verena Castalein, & the Swarovski Rep for the Mid-West/Southeast & Puerto Rico. The tables each had a lovely orchard vase in the same color as the lei, encircled with Swarovski Crystals.

The Dinner Gift was the Fu Ornament (so much nicer than the line drawings, also posted in the Event CFC Photo Album) & the Chopsticks we received at the San Francisco Event last year, but packaged differently in a Chinese print fabric holder.

Elisabeth Adamer at Gala Dinner

The Designers were introduced & each had a Greeting for the crowd. Elisabeth told us about the Elephant & that Cinta means 'love', and Verena discussed her Heart creations.

Dinner consisted of a Luau Buffet with a Roasted Whole Pig, complete with an apple stuffed in his mouth.
Entertainment included a live Hawaiian Band and Dancers, who danced several different dances from the islands, and then they started choosing people from the audience 'to learn how to dance', including the Designers.

All in all, Swarovski did a really good job and treated the Collectors as they should be treated.  We enjoyed ourselves.

All the Photos can be seen in our FABULOUS CFC PHOTO GALLERIES!


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