MayFair History
Here are some photos from the most recent MayFair, we had a great time despite the bad weather, and families showed up at the GaiaZoo and enjoyed the GaiaZoo, DinoDome, entertainment and fantastic food and company with lots of great feedback. The MayFair has been a staple Maastricht event dating back to the early 1990's. It is one of the only events that is targeted toward 'internationals' living in the area as well as internationally-minded local folks! And please bring your family! - The event always puts a priority on having fun thngs to do for your children. This year we will have the event at the wonderful location of the Jan van Eyck Academie, a renown art institution, and will include a visit to the close-by Natural History Museum of Maastricht.
Thank you to all our sponsors and our guests, who made the event so successful!
October 1, 2012
If you and your family have participated in the LCMM MayFair, you have already experienced how wonderful and enjoyable it can be. If you haven't been able to attend, you will have another opportunity in the spring of 2013. We hope to see you there!.
Daniela Provout, MayFair Chair 2011: After a past successful MayFair in the award-winning GaiaZoo in Kerkrade, the MayFair 2012 organizing committee decided to host the event again at this unique location. This time our host the Lion King was also present. Roooaaarr!!
Daniela Ribezzo, MayFair 2012 Chair: in 2011 we were fortunate to have a brilliant, sunny day which was the perfect setting to explore GaiaZoo and mingle with other ‘internationals,’ their families and friends. For 2012 we were not quite so lucky with the weather, nevertheless we brought many new activities to the program that promoted even more interaction between all participants.
Like previous years, a raffle with attractive prizes took place. It supporting the nominated projects and rewarded those that braved the rain!! We look forward to seeing you again next year for the 18th annual International LCMM MayFair!!
The 2011 LCMM MayFair another success!!
June 1st, 2011
The annual MayFair of the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial took place on May 29th. This year, nearly 250 expatriates living and working in South Limburg and their families met and enjoyed each other, the spring sun, and an afternoon at the award-winning GaiaPark zoo in Kerkrade. Daniela Prouvot, who has been organising the event for the past months tells more about the club and the Fair.
When was the MayFair founded?
Ms. Prouvot: The MayFair has now been going strong for 17 years! This is coincidentally also how long the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial (LCMM) has been going too. The MayFair has developed a reputation as a relaxing, meaningful afternoon for international families to meet and be reminded that there are more people living in Limburg and the region who are not originally from here. The Lions Club Maastricht Mondial was founded 17 years ago by a small group of internationally oriented Dutch people and expatriates who wanted to offer a service club to the international community in Maastricht and, like all Lions clubs throughout the world, to raise money for charity projects. The MayFair is our most important annual event.
What charity projects does the club support?
Ms. Prouvot: In addition to supporting a number of activities specifically for the international community in the Maastricht-Aachen-Liege region, the Lions Club Maastric
ht Mondial is involved in a variety of local and international projects. For example, we helped the Cedric Paulussen Foundation in developing a system of pediatric critical care transportation which was very needed. Our second event, the LCMM Gala, helped to raise funds to support the nursing staff of the pediatric cancer ward of the AZM in Maastricht. We’ve been funding a project in Ethiopia to treat patients with ear diseases for the past five or six years now. We collaborate with a professor from the hospital of Maastricht, who goes there a few months every year to perform surgeries and train medical staff.
The donation committee discusses all the proposals before presenting them to the members. Then the proposals are put to the vote. Of course, our funds are limited and we need to decide which projects we accept. We try to support local and international charity projects for which we can make the most difference.
Who are the members of the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial and how are they selected?
Ms. Prouvot: The word “Mondial” in our name stands for the fact that we welcome people from all over the world. About half of the club’s 25 members are expatriates, a quarter are Dutch people who have lived abroad for an extended period of time and the remaining quarter are local Dutch people who simply enjoy interacting with the international community. Members pay a monthly membership fee, which covers the fee to the Lions Club International and the monthly dinner meeting. People who are interested in joining the club sometimes contact us directly but usually it is a current member who recommends someone they know. There is a careful selection procedure. We are looking for people who are interested in joining a service club because they want to give something back to the community. They need to be willing to put time and effort into the club, join committees. That sort of thing… The club also accepts expatriate members who will only stay in Maastricht for a defined amount of time.
What is the programme for the May Fair?
Ms. Prouvot: The May Fair has been organised in many fantastic locations in Limburg, including the last two years at Ft. St. Pieter in Maastricht. We are excited this year to have the event at the GaiaPark in Kerkrade. If you have a family and have ever been to this zoo, you already know how wonderful and enjoyable it is.
Essentially the MayFair is set up the same every year. It’s always on a Sunday afternoon, usually between 12 and 19 o’ clock. It’s always supposed to be a fun day for the whole family and certainly with this great location this year will not be an exception. We plan on welcoming everyone at 12:30 at the DinoDome which then allow plenty of time to explore the park before meeting back at the DinoDome at 16.30 for the afternoon program, the auction and of course, dinner. Thanks to the GaiaPark, we will have the DinoDome and all its child-friendly fun completely to ourselves after 17.00!
There is a raffle this year- our club members help out in collecting the items. Most of us are very active in the business world. We try to convince people and businesses we know to donate prizes for the raffle. A member might for instance ask his wine supplier to donate a box of six nice wine bottles. Last year for example a popular prize was a two-night stay with dinner at the St. Gerlach castle and hotel.
All profits from the auction will go into our club’s charity fund and support a specific one or two charities, either local or international. The scope of the donations each year is of course depend largely on the result of the year’s auction.
How is the MayFair itself funded?
Ms. Prouvot: The MayFair is usually sponsored by civic or business organizations. For example, the 2010 MayFair was made possible by generous support by the city councils of Maastricht, Heerlen, and also by Industriebank LIOF. The way we usually proceed is that we inquire at the designated venue, this year GaiaPark, how much it would cost to hold our event there. From that price, we make an estimate of the total cost of the Fair and ask sponsors if they are willing to support us again. This usually allows us to cover most of the costs of holding the whole event. The organization of the event is of course done by volunteers from the Club.
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When we were discussing this year’s location for the fair, our sponsor LIOF suggested that we contact GaiaPark. They were also very enthusiastic when we called them and helped to plan the day in a very enjoyable way. We always try to find a place that will work either rain of shine (being the Netherlands of course) which is easily accommodated by the DinoDome and its terrace.
Who is the target group for the MayFair?
Ms. Prouvot: Even though the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial has about 500 families on its mailing list and constantly tries to include new expatriate families it has had a pretty constant turn up of about 200-250 visitors each year. People tend to register rather late. This is a bit challenging, so if people are planning on attending, we ask that they do register and the sooner be better!
The club doesn’t do a lot of marketing to promote the fair apart from our email list. We notify the hospital, the university, and the international school, because most expatriates’ children go there. The LIOF industry bank, which has a lot of information about international businesses in our area, enters new international contacts directly into the club’s email list. The target visitors of the May fair are expatriates, and people linked to the international community. What they seem to enjoy most is simply meeting people with whom they have something in common….
Derived from an original article written by Sina Spohr of CrossRoads magazine.
