Just before midnight on Sunday, 18th July, a very special weekend for the Memmert family came to a close. Under the motto “Meet the Challenge“, customers from all over the world had come together in Schwabach to work, celebrate and share information and experiences. The absolute highlight was visiting the Challenge Roth Triathlon, the largest and most impressive triathlon event in the world.
- Recovering in the beer garden after the work is done
- Enjoying cold beer at tropical conditions
- High expectations at the swim start
- The boss shortly before her first leg
- Bennie Lindberg (2. from right) led the Memmert group through the day
- Christiane Riefler-Karpa waves to her fans on the „Beer Mile“ in Eckersmühlen
- The Dane Rasmus Henning on his way to victory
- Chrissie Wellington cheered on by Memmert
- The crowd is going wild on the stand
- Roth legend Kurt, 75, reaches the finishing line after 13 hours
Jordan, the Czech Republic, England, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Portugal – guests representing their companies even travelled from Brazil, Argentina and China. Many have maintained business relations with Memmert for a long time, in one case an unbelievable 50 years, some have joined the Memmert family only recently. And so the two-day workshop turned out to be a stimulating international sharing of experiences. The varying requirements of markets were compared, along with measures to improve customer loyalty and sales strategies. To finish off on Saturday, the Memmert R&D team and the marketing team took home with them a list of homework topics garnered from the successful meeting.
In the evenings, the MIP Meeting was transformed into a midsummer night’s dream, as the splendid landscape around Schwabach showed its beauty, and with almost tropical temperatures. A wonderful sunset, a cool beer and local delicacies in the beer garden formed the perfect ending to a hard day’s work.
The sporting guests were awake at 4.30 am on Sunday morning so that they could experience the triathlon in Roth, together with 150,000 spectators, and cheer on the Memmert team.
They were there at six sharp to see the first of nearly 5,000 athletes start the 3.8 kilometre-long swimming course in the Rhein-Main-Donau canal, and they also witnessed the start of Memmert managing director Christiane Riefler-Karpa.
Coffee and a tasty breakfast had banished any signs of tiredness, and people excitedly made their way to the cycling course.
Bennie Lindberg, a former world-class triathlete, was the expert looking after the group, and proved to be not only an excellent guide, but also a funny entertainer. He knew every short cut and every good viewing point on the course, and above all he could always tell when the athletes would appear, and where.
After a short walk to Hilpoltstein, the Memmert visitor group switched to bikes and rode from one highlight to the next, surrounded by athletes and onlookers. When it became apparent on the marathon course that records would be broken, the group rushed through the woods to the triathlon stadium to see the Dane Rasmus Henning and Englishwoman Chrissie Wellington, who broke the world record with a fabulous time of 8:19:13, and who came seventh in the overall classification, cross the finishing line. A roller-coaster of emotions.
Roth celebrated its guests and Memmert joined in the celebrations in a grandiose and festive atmosphere. Every athlete was received with approving applause, and the Memmert triathlon team members also made it to the finishing line, exhausted but happy. After more than 20 hours, this fascinating day, full of excitement and emotions, came to an end with fireworks and a glass of sparkling wine.
What had left the most lasting impression at this point in time? All agreed: to experience how people push themselves to their limits, how, even after 15 hours on the course, they reach the finishing line in ecstasy, watched by their team members and families, these are images that you will never forget.
