998 September 7th, 2002: Annual Conference 2002

Zurich, Switzerland from August 20th thru 25th, 2002

WIN’s 1st VP, Philip Ryffel, hosted and organised a very diverse and attractive conference for more than 50 international guests. Members were given a warm greeting on August 20th, at a welcome cocktail reception held at the Hotel Marriott. WIN members and guests felt honoured to be welcomed by FSPD President, Fritz Nyffeler. Conference host, Philip Ryffel’s greeting, gave us a glimpse of the many wonderful events planned and left WIN members and guests assured, that they could look forward to an interesting week ahead. On Wednesday, August 21st, the annual general meeting was held, where Officers and Directors were elected for the new term and many plans were made for the future direction of WIN. In the evening, guests were entertained in the Penthouse Suite, where we had the opportunity to spend time with old friends and develop new friendships and professional contacts. Thursday morning, we attended two extremely interesting and informative seminars. Dr Ricco Koslowski, of Control Risk, Berlin, spoke on “High level intelligence for international companies’’ and Mr Manfred Fink, from Germany, talked about the latest technology in espionage. Our afternoon, included a sightseeing tour of Zurich, our small but worldly city and a visit to the Police Museum, which gave WIN a much enjoyable day. On Friday WIN travelled by coach to Stanserhorn. To reach the top of the mountain, we boarded a cog wheel train, which took us part way and we ascended the rest of the way by cable-car. At the top, we dined in the revolving restaurant, where we all enjoyed a typical mountain menu of alpine macaroni served with stewed apples. The view from this location was spectacular. After lunch, we had plenty of time to climb to the actual peak by foot and take photos of the surrounding mountains and valleys below.

Our next stop was to see the “Dying Lion’’ sculpture, carved in the side of a mountain. Then it was on to Lucerne, where we had time to cross over the famous wooden bridge and take a pleasant stroll around the old part of the town. A wonderful day came to its close at the Hotel Marriott in the Penthouse Suite. Here we had time to discuss new business ideas and projects. The week passed very quickly, and before we realised it, the last day arrived. On Saturday, we took a boat trip on the Lake of Zurich and were greeted by three alpine horn musicians at the Restaurant Seerose. Our colleagues from abroad, certainly enjoyed this musical reception and one or two even made an attempt at trying to get a tone out of this fascinating instrument. After a very pleasant afternoon in a marquis at the lake side of Zurich, the group made their way back to the hotel to prepare themselves for the Gala Awards Banquet that evening. Accompanied by a pianist, the guests enjoyed a marvellous buffet in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Marriott. After the awards were given and various speeches made, the guests were invited to dance to the sounds of the band and enjoy the evening. In honour of WIN’s new President, Frank Imundi from New York, Brynley Hill of Australia entertained us with his rendition of “New York, New York’’ which received a standing ovation. FSPD member, Mr Philip Ryffel, who was elected 1st Vice President of WIN, was also presented the “Award of Excellence’’ for his dedication and outstanding service to the organisation. This very memorable evening, was made even more enjoyable by a performance of the internationally renowned “Secret Dancers’’ bringing the event to a close. The whole event was an absolute success. Generally speaking, about 50 - 80 persons participate in the W.I.N. Meetings. During the week, we were able to meet everybody personally, which enabled us to make many lasting contacts.

(Peter C. Stelzer, Privatdetektei Ryffel AG)