The Skål Executive Committee, in conjunction with the Chairman of the Kenya Local Organising Committee (LOC), has made the decision to postpone the Skål 2015 Kenya Congress and select a new venue and date for 2015.
The decision was as a result of feedback from the membership, the outcome of the survey/election sent out to all Skål Club Presidents & Councillors and discussions with the Chair of the LOC.
As a consequence of this feedback. it was evident that to hold a congress in Mombasa at this time would not achieve the desired result of at least 800 Skålleagues meeting, debating and enjoying the sight and sounds that only the Kenya Coast can provide. The prevailing opinion was that the Congress would not reach a quorum of clubs.
Given the continued insistence of governments to place travel advisories to specific areas of Kenya where the Congress was to be held, the Executive Committee and Chair of the LOC have agreed to postpone the congress and that Kenya will relook at holding a congress in 2018. The Executive Committee has agreed that Kenya will be an automatic finalist at the 2016 Congress for selection of the 2018 venue along with two other destinations selected by the Internationals Council from those presented in accordance with the Statutes and By-Laws.
The new venue for the 2015 World Congress will be the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. The exact area of the Costa del Sol and the Congress dates will be announced by the end of May and a full congress package will be available for members by 20 June 2015.
In the meantime all those who have registered and/or paid a Congress Package deposit for the 2015 Mombasa event will be contacted by the Secretariat to arrange cancellation of the registration and if a deposit has been paid for a congress package, a full refund of monies paid.
Tony Clegg-Butt, President 2002 and Chairman of the Kenya LOC said, “We are exceptionally disappointed that this years World Congress on the Beach has been postponed to 2018. Greater forces, totally beyond our control led to this decision being taken in concert with the Executive Committee of Skål International. My Committee and I have worked tirelessly over the past four years to bring the World Congress to Kenya. We so much wanted to showcase Magical Kenya to you all. Put simply, you’ll all have to wait another three years, because my friends you WILL be coming to Kenya in 2018, that I am very sure of.”
