I spent almost all night at the 'caisse', and most of my feedback is based on what I heard from the guests.

Overall, very good party. Full house, good vibes, and happy people.

There were some things that worked less well:
- not enough 'xmas feel' for a Xmas party. Some Xmas decorations would have helped.
- The Vestaire!!! People had to wait 20 minutes to check in a jacket...that's quite long...

Anything else to add?
Iolly, Dec 9, 2007 @ 04:29

Despite the long queues to get in and then the disorganized mess at the cloak area upon checkout, the music was great, and to see Roberta & her band perform again was really great!! Sure xmas decorations would've been great, but then some santas came along and enough santa hats walking around.
What's great about these events is that it brings together so many of the wonderful people that I have met this past year all under one roof. Glad Oded was finally able to get a flight.
Have a good night all, and have a wonderful holiday. See you in the NeW yEaR!!

YouMe
YouMeCo, Dec 9, 2007 @ 05:49

Party was awesome! Great atmosphere, great crowd... oh and please tell me where you got all of the good looking men ha ha ;)

The only thing I would suggest is cut the band. The band was terrible. I'm sorry if they are someone's friends or something, but they were horrible. Complete mood killer. Even the guys playing on the tram would have been a much better choice. I felt that I was at a rock concert for awhile and not a Christmas party... oh and speaking of Christmas party, more Christmas decorations would be nice.

Otherwise great party. Enjoyed myself a lot... stayed from start to end and that doesn't happen often. Will be back again for sure.

Oh and it was great to see familiar faces and new ones.

Gotta love Geneva (and glocals)!!!
parisdepaul, Dec 9, 2007 @ 06:08

Well it was a great crazy night of mayhem tonight. The venue was generally great, and the atmostphere as always very positive. I had a fun time saying hello to people coming in, and once inside, hanging out with my buddies, dancing and partying.

I just know that everyone will post something about the vestiare. Me, I just felt sorry for the poor people running it: overwhelmed by numbers and with three of the clothes-racks collapsing, they certainly had a hard time trying to keep on top of it. I even hopped behind the counter myself for an hour or so to give them a hand before getting kicked out by an enthusiastic security guard. But despite, or perhaps because of the difficulties, I have to offer the staff my admiration for doing their best in trying circumstances and for managing to stay calm and friendly despite the madness.

Thank you to all the party goers too, who on the whole, waited in good humour for their coats to be found - it was a great reflection of the good quality people we get to these events that people kept as calm as they did.

Thanks to the team for organising yet another immense and fun event - you guys rock!

Kiriel

Kiriel, Dec 9, 2007 @ 06:21

Ok.. even though i posted my comments under the Party Feedback forum, I'll just add here also, to say - Mission Accomplished for coming up with the venue which no doubt is an easy task. And sure not everyone was happy that it was held in a 'tent', or that the music was not to their taste, but to be dancing and spending the whole night out with so many of the wonderful people that I have met this past year all under one roof was just fantastic. Glad to see Oded make it out here.
Have a wonderful holiday and a HaPpY NeW yEaR!!

YouMeCo, Dec 9, 2007 @ 11:11

I had good fun last night. Happy people and great venue !! But I agree with others on the need to improve the cloak facility and maybe re-think the band's repertoire...apart from that, a BIG THANKS for organizing everything and my wish that in 2008 we'll have more great parties promoted by Sindy !!!!

Gracie, Dec 9, 2007 @ 13:11

I had a good fun, but i think i missed previous years' hotel ballroom christmas parties. Not trying to be a snob, but this felt more like a charity party than a classic christmas party which for 7 years i always thought was the best party in the year. Can't say the same about this one, I guess the standard set by the previous ones was very high..
Rasputin, Dec 9, 2007 @ 14:11

I'm never in a practical mood. I will not tell you where you should ajust the decoration or how the musicians should sing. But I owe some compliments to Nir, SiteAdmin and people around.

I discovered your parties in spring this year. There, I understood what GOL (glocals.com from June this year, if I make know mistake)really was.

Ok, people have to show up at these parties to make them say all these praises, at the end ;), about glocals.com people. I think this is what all these parties are about.

And to know that all the benefits from it will go to UN's World Food program, make us feel that we can do something useful for others without saying stupidities about African or Asian children in a country which we do not remember the name, at our workplace or in the street.

Careful
careful, Dec 9, 2007 @ 14:57

although i really could have done without the 'snow' cannons... it was annoying and smelt like bad shampoo.

as for the band, although i kind of like what they played, the acoustics didn't help them at all and some of the music wasn't what most people dance to (i danced to most of it, but then, you know me...)

i got there early enough and left early enough to not encounter any problem with coats (nice it being free!) or anything else, so well done!
Minda, Dec 9, 2007 @ 15:10

The party was so much fun, I had a great time. Met alot of people, and there were some enthusiatic dancers out there. I hope there are some more upcoming parties organised by the glocals gang. I am sure alot of people had problems with the cloak room but you got to hand it to the people running it, they were efficient and helpful.

Liyah
Liyah24, Dec 9, 2007 @ 15:54

GREAT PARTY AND VERY GOOD VIBE. LOVED THE VENUE :)
Agree that there was a problem with the vestiaire. The crowd just got stuck there because everyone arrived at the same time. It's the kind of place, an end of summer party would be better because there are less coats!
Carol A, Dec 9, 2007 @ 16:46

Congratulations guys for organizing another huuuge party. I know it wasn't easy. It was my first GOL Christmas party and the feedback I have had from people who went in previous years was great.

+ Lots of familiar faces, friendly people, cheap drinks, overall good fun

- The tent (it was kind of tacky, it was cold and it leaked), the band (slow songs, no energy), the loudspeakers and their setup (bad sound quality), no Christmas feeling (maybe some Christmas-theme songs?), the snow machine, the music choice (too many "oldies")

See you next time.

catalin
catalin, Dec 9, 2007 @ 17:06

(+) Overall a great event and I left when the lights were turned on, telling us the party is over.
(+) Welcome was good with Nir standing in the rain to welcome the guests.
(+) Non-acloholic and beer prices were reasonable, service was prompt thanks to the very long counter.
(+) Non-smoking event (there were a few smokers who lit up in the tent but tolerable)
(+) Security staff were discreet but present.
(++) The people who came.
(-) Cloak check-in service needs improvement but hey it's FREE and the staff did their best.
(-) The tent was a bit chilly for some of the ladies in they elegant dresses. Maybe it explains why the lobby was crowded with people.
(-) Toilets were busy as usual but no one resorted to using the bushes outside.

A big thanks to all who organised this event and giving the proceeds to charity.

Novecento, Dec 9, 2007 @ 18:48

Thank you, it's my first party, and it was a great party, enjoyed myself a lot.

I dont understand who choice a band ?

A big thanks to all who organised this event and giving the proceeds to charity
Lolita, Dec 9, 2007 @ 19:20

It was a great party. I had a great time with many friends. Thought I would leave in 2-3 hours, I ended up staying till almost the end. Thanks to Nir and many others…

The Xmas party was a smokefree party but I still saw some people smoking in this enclosed venue. Secondhand smoke has been scientifically proved as carcinogen increasing the odds of getting cancers to nonsmokers. There is no safe threshold of exposure to secondhand smoke. The only way to avoid this is to go total smokefree. Many countries like Ireland, Italy and UK have gone smokefree in all workplaces like bars and restaurants. It proves that the health of bar/restaurant workers have been largely improved…

No one should be forced to work, earning a living, or having fun in a place where it is known to be hazardous to their health especially when it is so easy to prevent this harm from happening.

There is a paradigm change of society refusing to be exposed to known toxic secondhand smoke in ANY public indoor places. Glocals will be taking the lead in this very positive transition by implementing this policy to all its activities. Since Geneva or overall Switzerland is largely behind in this advanced transition that potentially will save million of lives. Partially because some powerful tobacco companies are based in Switzerland like I heard Phillipp Morris EU headquarter (I just learned that Basel Tennis Cup, home town of Roger Federer, the most famous Swiss person in the world and arguably the best tennis player even in history, is the only sport tournament that is still openly sponsored by a tobacco company… That is really a shame! A pity for me since I’ve always wanted to see him play here while I am in Switzerland…

I am glad Glocals/Cindy party has basically gone for smokefree policy but we need to put more smokefree signs in the venue to remind people. If possible, organizers should also help to enforce this rule to make sure all people breathe fresh air when dancing crazily.

Attending a smokefree party is really much more pleasant than a smoky one….I really would have gone out more in Geneva if this were a smokefree city like NYC or LA and many other cities. No one needs to go home with horrible smelly clothes and hairs after a good night out…We want to be able to speak next day after a whole night yelling and dancing which certainly not a case if it were in a smoky environment.

Obviously many people were drunk last night. Bottles and broken plastic glasses were everywhere on the ground. Put more garbage bags in obvious places might help since it was a bit annoying to step on those broken plastic cups when dancing.

Overall! It was a great party; Thank again to Glocals gang who put this together.

wayne, Dec 9, 2007 @ 21:48

Thanks again to Nir & Co. for throwing another great party!! Of course there were a few things that weren’t prefect, the coat check line was quite long (I think we waited 20 minutes to check our coats) and the bathroom line was over a half hour long at one point, but overall it was a really great party. The venue was great, I loved the tent (the heaters and body warmth kept is quite comfortable), and all that Glocal holiday cheer!! I’m glad you were able to raise so much money for charity. Thanks again and keep up the good work.

~Debbie :)
Debbie, Dec 10, 2007 @ 10:41

It was quite good!
The beer was very good but i was very disappoint for the rest of the drinks.
No rhum, neither vodka or gin and the whisky already mixed without any bubble in the coke...
No comment!
cristinsky, Dec 10, 2007 @ 14:33

I loved it! :-D
It had to be good: I arrived around 3 a.m. (after a birthday party) and it was still packed! :-DDD
It's so good to see such a bunch of party goers dancing until early morning!!!

Good to see oldies and newbies!
GOL/Sindy rock!
Stef__Granny, Dec 10, 2007 @ 14:41

a friend and i arrived at 10pm .. so first in .. the free champers is probably great if you drink, i don't .. so i didn't get to have a welcome drink ..

the tent was dull i.e. no decorations and the benches reminded me of rural english schools .. lol .. and i agree with others that the xmas atmosphere wasn't quite there ..

yes, the coats were a huge problem .. being bored, i watched them .. those 2 girls and a guy who eventually helped really did do their best .. but there were literally too many ..

we didn't see too many 40+ people .. and as we didn't aaaaaaaactually know ANYBODY there, we felt a little left out .. we thought there were going to be people who faciliated contact .. although there were a few red bonnets around, but they were busy chatting ..

the biggest let-down i found was the lack of spirit AND ........ the lack of elegant dress !!!! .. i really thought they meant it when the do was advertised .. some did make the effort, others just plain didn't ..

i fought my way out of the incoming folks at around 11.15pm and left .. and to be fair .. after having told the *boss* at the entrance how we felt .. he gave us a refund ..

this was my first at a huge glocals do and i didn't know what to expect .. organising isn't easy and i'm sure some people put a lot of work and heart into it .. so well done anyway, it just wasn't my cuppa !!!

:)
atoll, Dec 10, 2007 @ 15:12

...simply because i can't remember 90% of what happened back there... mayB i just should put this "blame" on my good friends who took situation off my control :-)) but what i can infer from these guys here, i can guess the party was okey (?) :-))
Good_One, Dec 10, 2007 @ 16:43

Really good night - nice to go to a party with good value bar prices! Agree needed some decorations and also some cheesy christmas tunes. Also a little tricky getting a taxi home. Others had the same problem as someone tried to offer me 100 Francs for my cab..
Many thanks to the organising crew and all the helpful volunteers.
Cheers
S
simon1, Dec 10, 2007 @ 18:16

Hi everyone,

Recovering from that amazing party, I have an article on SalsaFlash with some pictures.

To view them follow

http://salsa.tla.ch

or directly

http://salsa.tla.ch/articles/2007/2007-12-09-glocals-xmas.htm

Have a great time,

Christian
chris22, Dec 10, 2007 @ 18:26

Nir and Oded have them - so the pics will be posted on glocals.com and sindy.ch soon.
Meanwhile I posted most of the pics I've made to http://facebook.com

search for "Andrei Loginov" and enjoy

those who don't have facebook/don't want facebook send me an email to [email protected]

I will send you a very secret link
extremal, Dec 10, 2007 @ 19:01

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sami.haqqani/SindyGlocalsXMasParty
shadow69, Dec 10, 2007 @ 21:26

Dear Nir & Co.,

Thank you very much for having invited my band (www.marders.ch) to play for Glocals at the Xmas Party. You already got my feedback on all the hiccups that occured during the set-up and the concert (lack of assistance & organisation with sound and light, and a non-cooperating DJ), and evidently have the feedback now too about our concert: sound (beyond our control, sadly), as well as our music. Nevertheless, I enjoyed performing for you guys, and was happy to see some people really rocking their Christmas stockings off during our performance, especially in the front row! :o)

It's difficult to please 1000+ people, but for this party you certainly provided them (and me too, since I partied on after we played) with quite a varied evening: 7 hours of party fun, and different kinds of music, both DJ and live! - club, r'n'b, dance, latino, 70's, 80's, 90's... and I guess we provided a little bit of rock'n'roll ;o) to help try and complete your very difficult challenge to attempt to please all walks of life attending the party! WELL DONE ONCE AGAIN!

I have been a helper and contact/intro person at Glocals parties in the past, so I can imagine what you had to deal with in the cloakroom. It happens. But it certainly won't discourage many a hard party and fun loving Glocaler to go to the next party you come up with ;o)

As you know me, I get really geared up for fun with good music and good company, so a couple of drops falling from condensation on the cieling of a heated tent with 1000+ people in it and cold outside (surprise surprise!), I didn't even "see" ;o] For the Marders, the trouble was just prior to the party, as the tent was not heated at all when we setup our stuff for 3h as you know. So we were very very cold from "working outside". But during the party, I think the tent was just fine :o)

I simply - ADORED - the big disco ball! That was Christmas disco deco enough for me!! ;o) Along with the Santa hats dotting the place. I never really appreciate foam parties and snow-canons (also doesn't go down very well with contact lenses). But I think it was still fun to have SOME snow at an Xmas party (especially since there wasn't even any outside, LOL!). The snow-canon wasn't on all the time anyway, so it was cool (pun intended). Perhaps it would be more suited to an outdoor party next summer?

You had clearly mentioned in your announcement of the party that jeans were a no-go, but total cocktail dressup and tux was not required either, "just a notch or two up" from sport casual, you'd written. You had also mentioned the party was in a heated tent and also that there would be a snow-canon. So I don't quite find it fair that people who dressed right up later complained about those issues.

I read that some non-alcohol drinkers could not "profit" from the free drink, which was champagne (alcohol). I know a club in Lucern that gives you a little ticket upon paying entry, on which it is written that it's valid for "1 glass of prosecco OR 1 soft drink". Might that be an idea for the next party with such an offer? To cater for the fact that only until 23h there was a free drink, you could distribute them at the entrance only to those arriving between 22 & 23h for example? :o)

Since Glocals are not super rich Hollywood sponsoring stars, and we were not attending an award ceremony but a CHARITY party, I actually find it more than "correcte", by principle, that the party is more "practical" and that the profits go to the cause for which the party is mainly about, rather than use the money on abundant decoration and hosh-posh. If the previous Xmas party was not a charity party, it's not fair to compare I think.

All in all, a good time seems to have been had by most, and a BIG thank you once again.

Most sincerely,
Roberta
PS: Had I not been "occupied" with performing with my band, I MIGHT have complained about one thing: "Where's my podium?" and "Where are my partners in dance-crime?" (referring for example to Hobbes ;op LOL!






Roberta, Dec 11, 2007 @ 19:35

maybe it was the company your were with?

*****

just my luck .. i am coming down with the flu .. and feel rotten .. i'm counting the minutes till i can go home .. please don't consider me a no-show, but more a victim of this time of year ..

have fun, enjoy, all the best and hope to attend some other time :((((

best wishes atoll :)

*****

I'm sure you remember that you send me this on Dec 6th

Anyway, I heard from everyone (incl. all my over 40's friends),that they all had a GREAT time...
SWISS, Dec 12, 2007 @ 14:32

To be honest I found this party really disapointing. For many reasons:

- We had to wait until almost midnight to get some decent music
- It was too cold until it got really crowded
- The snow and smoke machine really sucked
- The beer by the bottle was not cold enough making it awful to drink
- Too dark under the tent and couldn't see the people
- Too loud on the dancefloor making it impossible to talk a bit
- The tent concept for me doesn't match the atmosphere of a hotel ballroom

In conclusion this party was really "quelconque" and will certainly not attend if it is held in the same place next year
Mignon190, Dec 12, 2007 @ 16:34

Here's the feedback:
+The ambiance was great
+The crowd was nice and enthusiastic (as I could see)
+I saw many friendly faces
+Despite the restricted choice, the drinks were good, and more than affordable
+The bar crew was quick and efficient
+Nir_ looked great with a Santa Beard
+The venue was great -I don't understand complaining about it.
+The tent concept was a good idea. I danced a lot, and didn't feel cold at all. In fact, I was cooking in my own juice.
+The snow cannon: very altruist idea. It made people plagued by dandruff feel comfy as they were camouflaged in the foam speckled crowd.
+Being at the entrance with Iolly. Had much fun despite I froze some tender parts of myself off.
+The music was well chosen (ok, except for salsa: I don't have enough coordination to be able to dance on it - not the DJ's fault, though)
+The natural and muddy alternative to huge toilet lines
+Most people were dress up, and were gorgeous (even before my few drinks)
+See a friend of mine being assaulted by women (sigh...)
+The speakers position: some places were less loud than others, making discussions possible at a reasonable volume.

Ok, to be honest, there's a few minus points:

-Wearing leather soles while holding the caisse. Stupid idea. I took me 50 minutes to be able to move my toes again, and I was walking like a mime during this time.
-People asking for refunding at a charity event. Can't help it, I find it ugly.
-The absence of the SwissKiss (Erkan, je te parle plus ;-) )
-The lousy acoustic for a live concert. Too bad.

Overall, a wonderful night. It's been ages since I woke up around 5PM the day after a party...

Thanks to all the gang for everything.

Syd.
Syd_Brown, Dec 12, 2007 @ 16:55

...really do seem like a bundle of laughs! :-D ...Try organising an activity of your own and see how easy it is so as to make everyone happy!... You've just come out with a barrage of negativity (faux pas) with no positive contribution at all.

Nir & Oded organise great parties(!) - and that takes some doing - I'll guess I'll go with the main consensus that everything went well on the whole ...shame you feel differently, but do try and go to another one...

Remember, 'it's not necessarily where you go, but whom you're with', which makes the evening... :-) J.
JulianT, Dec 12, 2007 @ 19:37

...It wasn't you... you weren't there, remember? ;-) J.
JulianT, Dec 12, 2007 @ 20:34

...natural and full of character!
Elisabeth L, Dec 12, 2007 @ 21:05

I have to agree - the pic is excellent ))
extremal, Dec 12, 2007 @ 21:30

the star ))

in fact, the most popular pic is on the cover - so it's u r)
extremal, Dec 12, 2007 @ 21:31

I'm agree with my brother! ;-) (nt)
silverwolf, Dec 12, 2007 @ 21:33

- We had to wait until almost midnight to get some decent music

you should have got drunk earlier ))

- It was too cold until it got really crowded

see my prev.advice ))

- The snow and smoke machine really sucked

smoke machine was OK. For real snow go to chamonix ))

- The beer by the bottle was not cold enough making it awful to drink

don't hold it for long time - drink it fast! And then it's cold enough.
See my first suggestion - that would have saved the eve for ya bro!

- Too dark under the tent and couldn't see the people

go and look at photos then - there are some nice girlz ))

- Too loud on the dancefloor making it impossible to talk a bit

come on - stay far from the sound and talk ))

- The tent concept for me doesn't match the atmosphere of a hotel ballroom

the wolrd is not perfect ))

extremal, Dec 12, 2007 @ 21:40

Way to go Extremal! :-D (nt)
JulianT, Dec 12, 2007 @ 23:01

Asking for a refund at a charity event is a disgrace! (nt)
SWISS, Dec 13, 2007 @ 13:42

... remember the unofficial motto of Glocals: "Les inconnus sont la pour etre connus!" (Strangers are there for you to know them).
:)

The whole spirit of Glocals is to meet people, therefore "not knowing anybody" when you arrived shouldn't keep you away from introducing yourself. Even to younger people, why not?
(After all it was a 23+ party, not a 40+ one).
I'm nearly 40 (not still). I arrived around 3.00 a.m. most of my closer friends had gone already... I met some old friends and made some new ones! And I really enjoyed the party! :D
Stef__Granny, Dec 14, 2007 @ 12:49

forget it cutie! ;-)
Stef__Granny, Dec 14, 2007 @ 16:21

there could have been more festive cheer, but hey, I never went out to have the perfect night, so much as have FUN, and that I did. Thanks ALL!!!!!

* which means it was not only Heineken.... And had the added bonus of being able to re-sealso was not drinking snow, and could drink real s l o w ... thus avoiding the queues at the loo ;) not so fussy about the temp of the beer meself (cozI am English?)
SimSim, Dec 14, 2007 @ 17:37

Leave a bit of place to others
careful, Dec 16, 2007 @ 15:21

Tinkie,

I am sorry. I wanted to say this to extremal. Ooups, mistake of posting placement button.
His crazy speech about pictures and the party... One day the hangover is over anyway ;)
careful, Dec 16, 2007 @ 15:27

... there should be bubbles in the coke when mixed with vodka, gin or whisky?! Impressed.
careful, Dec 16, 2007 @ 15:43