The dinner began with opening remarks from AmCham Kuwait’s Chairman Mr. Pete Swift, who thanked the AmCham Kuwait Members and friends for their consistent support, and spoke about the meaning of Thanksgiving, as he thanked the U.S. Military service members for their service, followed by a round of applause for the servicemembers.
Swift also welcomed the guest of honor, Mr. James Holtsnider, the U.S. Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, and thanked the Office of Military Cooperation and the U.S. Embassy for their participation and support for this event.
Following Swift’s opening remarks, U.S. Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires’ Holtsnider thanked AmCham Kuwait for hosting the event and emphasized the friendly relationship between the United States and Kuwait.
Mr. Holtsnider also took a moment to thank the U.S. military service men and women in attendance, as he shared the spirit of gratitude with guests.
Next, Mr. Frederick Clarke, the Platinum Sponsor Lockheed Martin (LM) representative, thanked everyone for attending the event, as he expressed gratitude to the service members for their efforts and sacrifices. Clarke ended his speech by thanking them for spending Thanksgiving with AmCham Kuwait.
Following Clarke’s remarks, Kuwait & Gulf Link (KGL) as a Platinum sponsor, represented by Sam Khatib, expressed thanks to the servicemembers, as Khatib spoke about the meaning of thanksgiving to him and his family, and thanked the servicemembers for spending Thanksgiving with AmCham Kuwait.
Followed by remarks of gratitude, the event sponsors were recognized. The first recognition was provided to the event’s Exclusive Travel & Tourism Partner, IFA International Travel, represented by Mr. Ayman Sawires. The first Gold Sponsor award was presented to Kuwait Resources House (KRH), represented by Mr. Jithendra Rao (Senior Business Development Executive), and the second Gold Sponsor award was presented to Saudi Arabian Chevron, represented by Mr. Jody Mangus (Assistant to President, and AmCham Kuwait’s Board Member). The Platinum recognitions were presented to AmCham Kuwait’s Champions and Chairman’s Club Members – KGL, represented by Mr. Pete Swift (Senior Project Manager), and Lockheed Martin, represented by Mr. Frederick Clarke (Senior Manager International Business Development).
Once the Awards Ceremony was finalized, AmCham Kuwait’s Chairman and the U.S. Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires followed the long-standing tradition of cutting the Thanksgiving turkey together, as dinner and entertainment followed.
To finalize the evening, the AmCham Kuwait team held a raffle. The first raffle gift included one complimentary voucher for two guests for a one-night stay in the Grand Deluxe Suite, including a breakfast buffet provided by Jumeirah Messilah Beach Resort Hotel & Spa. The second raffle prize consisted of two vouchers from 300 Fahrenheit Smokehouse restaurant.
The third raffle prize of six vouchers was for PF Chang’s, Texas Roadhouse, and The Cheesecake Factory. The fourth raffle prize of 5 fruit baskets was provided by Del Monte Fresh Arabia, the fifth raffle prize to follow were 2 two green fee golf vouchers from Sahara – Kuwait Resort. The sixth raffle prize included five vouchers from Al Rifai Arabia. The seventh prize won was a free coffee corner and two 35% off vouchers for interior design services courtesy of the Wood Makers. The highlighted raffle to conclude our Annual Signature Thanksgiving dinner was provided by IFA International Travel & Tourism, which was a complementary business class ticket to Europe.
