A SMALLWORLD, the leading international members-only club launched last week in Marrakesh, Morocco. It is redefining its identity from a brand name social network, to a private travel & lifestyle club, where like-minded people come together to share travel advice, extraordinary experiences and privileges.
To fete this special time in the company’s history, CEO Sabine Heller and Chairman Patrick Liotard-Vogt invited over 80 VIP guests from around the world to Marrakech over the weekend of May 10th-12th for a magical desert adventure, sponsored by DVF and Kittitian Hill, the five-star sustainable resort in St Kitts.
The weekend kicked off with an evening cocktail reception held at the Royal Suite at the majetisc Taj Palace Marrakech, the Sex and the City 2 shoot location, where all guests stayed throughout the weekend. Following the reception, guests enjoyed a traditional Moroccan dinner at the famed Le Salama restaurant, located in the heart of the medina, just off the famous Jemaa el-Fna town square.
They were treated to a four course Moroccan feast, entertained by traditional belly dancers, who balanced trays of candles on their heads, and quickly engaged guests to dance along and balance the trays themselves. After dinner, guests headed upstairs to the candlelit terrace overlooking the city, to smoke shishas and take pictures with snake charmers. They ended the evening by dancing on the rooftop until late.
Saturday kicked off with a private guided shopping tour through the colorful medina, where guests could buy everything from local spices, lanterns and Moroccan clothing from shops off the beaten track. The tour was followed by a poolside luncheon at Taj Palace Marrakech, where guests lounged on sun chairs, with some opting to have henna tattoos painted by local artists. During the lunch, guests were awed by a falcon show and took photos with camels, had their henna done by a group of local women, followed by a royal salute on horseback.
Later that evening, all guests where chauffeured to The Beldi Country Club in the Moroccan countryside, where they were greeted by a traditional musical troupe who led them through the famed rose garden to an open-air dinner. Entertainment during the night included flamethrowers and fire-twirlers. Olivia Wilde gave a short and passionate speech to guests, announcing one of her charity projects, New Light, as one of the first beneficiaries of the new ASMALLWORLD Foundation. After dinner, guests danced the night away beneath the stars, to the tunes of DJs Harley Viera Newton, Chelsea Leyland and Paula Goldstein.
Co-host Sabine Heller said: “Our re-launch weekend is everything ASW embodies: meeting new friends from all over the world, sharing extraordinary experiences, and living like a local. Hosting the weekend at one of our launch partners’ hotels – the Taj Palace Marrakech – made it even more amazing.”
Guests were encouraged to share their most memorable moments throughout the weekend on Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #MoroccanMoments, with creator of the best tag, personally chosen by Diane von Furstenberg, winning a stay at her private apartment in Paris. Guests also received surprise presents by DVF throughout the entire weekend. On Friday, clutches were passed around on trays after the dinner.
On Saturday, all sun chairs were covered in Moroccan themed DVF towels and guests could select a pair of DVF Sunglasses. After the dinner on Saturday night, guests wrapped themselves in DVF scarves that were handed out after sunset, which were spontaneously turned into turbans by many of the attendees. Everyone came home to a pair of DVF ear buds for the plane ride home on Sunday as a good bye present.
