For this year's spring meeting, the new first board member Olaf Elias invited the association colleagues to his company location in Marwitz near Berlin. After having held successful and entertaining meetings here 10 years ago, we are eager to see and hear what we will see and hear this time.
Pure association topics, which were mainly dealt with in the conference room, competed with a visit to the "Gartenstadt Frohnau" and a factory tour in the Hedwig-Bollhagen workshops. The professional exchange and good food were not missed out either.
After his election in autumn 2017 as the new first board of directors, it was a matter of honour that the spring meeting took place at Olaf Elias' company headquarters in Marwitz. What we experienced there and in Berlin was indeed worth the trip.
For the 52nd members' meeting our new 1st executive committee Olaf Elias and Nicole Wilken had come up with something very special. Even the accommodation in the "Police Guest House" was, although used to special standards from the Endschütz manor, a category that you don't encounter in normal life.
The Guest House
Part of a large barracks complex from the 3rd Reich, which is now a listed building and is used by the police and fire brigade, exudes a charm that is only known from films at best. Here in the conference room our meeting began on Friday.
The Saturday Programme
A perfect mixture of culture, education, expert discussion and sociability, framed by a wonderful spring picture-book weather, left nothing to be desired. What was most beautiful was perhaps hard to say, for me it was the historical tour through the garden city of Frohnau. It is nice when rich people have good ideas.
The tour of the Hedwig Bollhagen workshops, designed by a fit employee from the production department, gave us an understanding of the production of the famous HB ceramics. There, too, one could almost only marvel.
The subsequent stay on the premises of Historische Bauelemente was a matter of course. Great atmosphere, great food and drink, a casual auction of historical "objects" and the picture-book weather already mentioned earlier. It could hardly have been better.
The day ends in Berlin-Mitte
Clärchen's ballroom was the target. It is worth reading up on the history of this unique establishment. A separate room in the style of a winter garden was reserved for us here, where we had dinner. This room was newly built from historical building materials that O. Elias was able to supply. The name Ballhaus gives it away, there is also dancing here. And indeed, occasionally the colleagues danced as well. But the next day it was clear that it was getting quite late for the usual hard core.
Sunday
Sunday began with a round in the seminar room. Unfinished things from Friday were discussed, a passage "news from the companies" followed and at about 12.00 o'clock the official part was finished.
Worth seeing links to the meeting
www.hedwig-bollhagen.de
www.historische-bauelemente.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Clärchens_Ballhaus
www.ballhaus.de