Ebullient evening

The Swiss Business Association’s 21st Gala Night, A Night at the Club, offered creative cocktails, delectable nibbles and celebrity performers, turning the event into a snazzy affair.

A deep tonality emerged out of Roger “Zaneth” Zanetti’s 14-feet alphorn, filling the hall of dbl O dance club at Queen Street, and the bass-lined beats spun by DJ TommyBoy came to a halt. The 66-year-old Zanetti—known as the Swiss who invented the extendable, carbon fibre alphorn—was specially flown in by the Swiss Business Association (SBA). His musical interlude served as a culturally-apt welcome for the 250 guests who were invited to the SBA’s Annual Gala Night on 22 May.

Kicking off at 7pm, the gala saw guests given the red carpet treatment upon arrival. Conceptualised by Claude Verly, managing director of Art Management, the event was graced by hoteliers, restaurateurs, bankers, and food distributors.

With acclaimed mixologists from Flow Cocktail, a bar and beverage consultancy and event company, flown in from Bangkok by Boncafé, the bar was left with little elbow room as guests gathered to make their tipple requests. Dannie Sorum, executive director and mixologist of Flow Cocktail, shook up a caffeine-powered tipple made of tequila, Galliano Ristretto liqueur and espresso. “You can never get enough of coffee with alcohol,” he quipped.

Guests were pampered with gourmet delights: event caterer Fine Palate served up squid ink risotto and soba noodles with prawns, while Tête de Moine and Móvenpick provided aromatic Swiss cheese and velvety ice cream respectively. The mood got exotic as world renowned flamenco dancer Antonio Vargas (who resides in Australia and Singapore) made a special appearance, displaying his energetic moves alongside Zanetti’s music that kept the crowd enthralled.

A lucky draw to end the night saw a total of $28,000 worth of prizes being given away, including a two-night stay at Resorts World Sentosa’s Hard Rock Hotel worth $900, a one-night weekend stay in an executive suite at Conrad Centennial Singapore worth $2,872, a $2,800 Pontos Gents watch by Maurice Lacroix and a $4,500 pair of Millenary cufflinks in pink gold by Audemars Piguet. For Zanetti, though, the biggest prize was being able to display his music for the first time in Singapore. “I’d love to come back and play here again,” he enthused.

Swiss Business Association