Register Now or Save the Dates
GGI European Regional Conferenceincluding a GCG M&A Dealmakers MeetingSt Julian's, Malta18-21 April 2024
GGI North American Regional Conferenceinclûding a GCG M&A Dealmakers MeetingCleveland, OH, USA30 May-02 June 2024GGI Latin American Regional Conference(This event will be in Spanish.)Panama City, Panama06-09 June 2024
GGI German Chapter(This event will be in German.)Eisenberg, Austria26-28 June 2024
GGI Leadership ForumEisenberg, Austria27-30 June 2024
GGI North American Best Practices & Developing Leaders ConferenceFort Worth, TX, USA05-07 September 2024
GGI EasyMeetTallinn, Estonia26-28 September 2024
GGI Nordic-Baltic MeetingTallinn, Estonia26-28 September 2024
GGI Asia-Pacific Regional ConferenceTokyo, Japan05-06 November 2024
GGI World Conferenceincluding a GCG M&A Dealmakers MeetingTokyo, Japan06-09 November 2024
Rooms nearly all booked! If you are still planning to register but haven't registered yet, do make sure to do so today.
We are planning another wonderful European Regional Conference for our members at the newly-refurbished Westin Dragonara Resort. Besides the usual plenary session and expert group meetings, we have added in some exciting social events and optional tours to show our members how spectacular this little island – that punches above its weight internationally – is.
Prior to the start of the conference, on Wednesday 17 April, there will be a walking tour at sunset in the silent city of Mdina. You'll love spending the evening in this fortified former capital city of Malta, with its beautiful homes and gorgeous view over the valley. We have a special surprise included in the evening, as well as dinner in a local restaurant with GGI colleagues.
On Thursday, participants will have the option to visit Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Established in the 1500s by the Knights of St John, Baroque landmarks include the St John's Co-Cathedral, built as a temple by the knights in the 16th century. The Grand Masters and several knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich it with only the best works of art, including Caravaggio's “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist”, one of the finest paintings you will ever see.
During this trip, you will also visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens, near the Castille Palace, which has unsurpassed views over the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities. The origins of the Gardens go back to 1661, when it was the private garden of the Italian knights, whose inns of residence (auberges) lie closeby. It was not until 1824 that it was opened to the public. During WWII, the garden suffered much destruction. However, today, you will get to see the busts, statues and plaques that chart various personalities and other significant events in Maltese history.
On Friday, accompanying persons (who get to opt out of our plenary session and meetings) will have the opportunity to take a cooking class at the Mediterranean Cooking Academy. They will learn to put together a Mezze Feast, which they will hopefully be able to reproduce once back home.
After lunch on Saturday, there will be a couple of options. One group will get to visit Malta's Three Cities, which offer an intriguing look into Malta's maritime fortunes. The Three Cities can rightly claim to be the cradle of Maltese history, as Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua have provided a home and fortress to almost every people who settled on the Islands.
Their harbour inlets have been in use since Phoenician times: the docks always providing a living for local people, but also leaving them vulnerable when Malta’s rulers were at war. As the first home to the Knights of St John, the Three Cities’ palaces, churches, forts and bastions are far older than Valletta’s.
The second group will get to visit Mdina, Rabat and Ta' Qali. This will be a completely different tour to the one offered on Wednesday. During the course of the afternoon, you will firstly visit the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, located in the main square in the centre of Mdina. It is a baroque style building, designed by Lorenzo Gafa, flanked by two palaces of the same architectural style, the cathedral is easily overpowering within the old town of Mdina. The surrounding baroque palaces are the former seminary, and the episcopal residence, with the former home of the Cathedral Museum. The Cathedral is the metaphorical mother of all Maltese churches, and is also the seat of Archbishop Maltese. The Maltese Archbishop, who is in charge of the whole diocese, uses the Cathedral as a base from which he teaches the Catholic religion, rules over the diocese, and gathers all his constituents. In 1944 the Bishop of Malta was given the title of Metropolitan Archbishop and head of the ecclesiastical province of Malta and Gozo, thus giving the cathedral the title of "Metropolitan".
From here, you will head over to St Paul’s Church in Rabat to see the catacombs. The architecture of St Paul’s Catacombs is the result of an indigenous development which was barely influenced by overseas traditions. An imposing hall acts as the centre of St Paul’s Catacombs. Passages lead off from it in several directions into a bewildering series of tomb galleries. The few surviving murals, despite their fragmentary state, are of considerable interest since they constitute the only surviving evidence on the Islands of painting from the late roman and early medieval periods. Among the most interesting features of St Paul’s Catacombs are the circular tables which are set in a low platform with sloping sides and appear to resemble a reclining, circular couch. Both table and couch are hewn out in one piece forming a single architectural unit within an apsed recess. They were probably used to host commemorative meals during the annual festival of the dead when the rites of burials were renewed.
Finally, there will be a stop at the Ta’ Qali crafts village, where you will see different types of handicrafts and beautiful artefacts created by local experts.
You may think that this is all we have planned, but you would be wrong. Post Gala Dinner, on Sunday, there is a full day excursion planned for Gozo island. Those of you who have the time will appreciate this special trip with 4x4 jeeps to remote locations on the island. Lunch is included, and planned at the Ta’ Frenc Restaurant, located in a 400-year-old farmhouse in the middle of the countryside and voted several times as one of Malta’s top restaurants.
Don't just take our word for how much fun you can have at our events, while networking with your GGI colleagues. Register today!
GGI events require plenty of energy and stamina, because we try to pack in as much as possible despite the short window of time. For this event, members will want to make sure that they arrive early enough as the conference doesn't just begin as normal with the International Taxation Practice Group (ITPG).
On the Wednesday evening, there will be “An Evening of Bling, Baubles, Cocktails and Hors-d’oeuvres” at Rivchun Jewelers. The Soukenik family, Tony and Jean together with brother Joe and Julie, welcome you to their hometown family jewelry store! Since 1917, two generations of the Rivchun family and three generations of the Soukenik family have been a part of Cleveland’s rich and diverse downtown history and tradition. Their father, Joe joined Rivchun Jewelers in 1956 and over the next five decades laid the foundation for future generations through his passion for high quality, fine value and unprecedented customer service. Joe, Julie and Mira represent an additional fifty plus years of expertise serving a client base of over 20,000 families both in and outside of Northeast Ohio. This activity is not part of the official programme, but we are pleased to include invite all GGI members on behalf of Anthony J. Soukenik, from GGI member firm Sandberg Phoenix & Von Gontard P.C. Please register or RSVP to Anita Szoeke at GGI Head Office if you are able to attend.
Also prior to the start of the conference, on Thursday, there will be a Networking Lunch (+Foodie Walking Tour) for GGI Women. It's an opportunity for the professional women in GGI to network together before meeting up with all our other members.
As if the International Taxation Practice Group (ITPG) meeting isn't enough of an attraction on the Thursday afternoon, we have a session planned for those involved in Healthcare. Since the beginning of 2023, Jonathan M. Joseph, Chair of Christian & Barton's Healthcare Law section, has been running the NA Healthcare Networking Meetings online for healthcare lawyers, investment bankers and accountants within GGI. He has the full support of GGI Leadership, as this is exactly aligned with the goals of fostering collaboration and cooperation between GGI members. Over the course of the year, the meetings have helped to facilitate connections between professionals in healthcare law or related fields, fostering an environment where collaboration thrives, and best practices are freely shared. Make sure to join this in-person meeting, where you'll have the opportunity to identify potential partnerships, stay informed about pertinent legal developments, and exchange valuable insights with your peers.
Then before the Welcome Reception, one of our sponsoring host firms, Cavitch Familo & Durkin has organised a Pre-Cocktail Happy Hour(s) at their offices, a mere hop and a skip away from the hotel. We are really thrilled to have three host firms for this event, and we mustn't forget to mention the other two: GCG member Cascade Partners and GGI member Ciuni & Panichi, Inc. CPA. All of these firms will be well represented at the conference, but do make sure to reach out to them personally – to connect and even visit – they are super excited to have you in their hometown.
If you haven't already registered, please do so today, as we are nearly out of rooms on our contract. Register here.
It's been a minute since we were last in Das Eisenberg, hasn't it. We always look forward to going “home” with Claudio G. Cocca, Founder & Chairman of GGI.
“Old” GGI members will remember this hotel fondly. It's not 5-star but it's familial and warm and cozy. The feeling you get at this hotel is like none other on the GGI calendar, with Claudio and the team pulling all the stops to make it extra special. Let's just say that there will be cheese-tasting, tractor-racing, archery competitions, wine tasting and the best chocolate factory tour you'll ever take.
This year, we have two events running side by side to one another, starting with the GGI German-Speaking Chapter and then the GGI Leadership Forum. This way, participants will have the opportunity to attend just the one event or in fact the two for a reduced rate.
For some inspiration, we have booked a couple of sessions with Lorenz Huber and the Leadership Orchestra - one in German for the first event, with the String Quartet of the orchestra, that will cover “Das Dissonante Team”, and one in English with the Brass Ensemble quinTTTonic of the orchestra, that will look at “The Balanced Way of Leadership”. We think you'll find the sessions engaging, with plenty of takeaways for your team back at the office.
Registration for members will be open very shortly, via the internal area of our website.
If you still have your cowboy hat from our Best Practices Conference in Wichita, Kansas, in 2019, you're very welcome to bring it along with you, Stetsons very welcome, as long as you have the cowboy boots to match.
Get ready to return to Texas for this year's Best Practices & Developing Leaders Conference. Home turf to our sponsoring host member firm, McDonald Sanders, P.C., Fort Worth was an important trading post at the end of the Chisholm Trail at the end of the 19th century. These days, it's a truly modern city with excellent art museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Make sure you join us for a programme that will show you the best of what this city has to offer.
Save the dates – registration will open shortly.
Tallinn has been on our minds for a very long time. Finally, we're pleased to announce that everything is booked. More details will follow in the next issue of INSIDER … but for now save the dates! We are planning a very special programme for our events that will run concurrently.
The EasyMeet (equivalent of our Developing Leaders programme in North America) provides an opportunity for the younger members of GGI firms to network and also share expertise with one another. If you would like to send some of the young leaders from your firm and you believe that they can make an active contribution to the programme by means of making a presentation or hosting a panel to discuss an interesting topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to Linda Soriton at GGI Head Office.
