Recently together with Skal members from New York, Long Island and Philadelphia I toured the massive entertainment complex American Dream in East Rutherford.

I don’t use the term massive lightly. The complex has over 3 million square feet of space. It’s divided into several areas including a ski slope where the temperature is 28 degrees, an ice skating rink, a water park at 81 degrees (temporarily closed) with wave pool and lazy river, Legoland and a Nickelodeon themed park. You can literally go swimming in the winter and ski in the summer within yards of each other. And while there is no fee to enter the complex (aside from a parking fee) there are separate fees for each of the various sections. Aside from the fun and games there are numerous retail outlets, both high end and budget stores.

Did someone mention food??? There seemed to be 50 or more eateries within American Dream for the casual as well as the exotic diner. Fast food and elegant sit-down dining. More types of food than I’ve ever seen in one place. https://americandream.com/directory/dining/all-food-drink/

They also have meeting rooms for corporate events which is one of the main reasons we took the tour. Our host, Stan Kravitz, will send us more information on meetings and full day events including families. We could have a multi club meeting there later in the year.

As Skalleagues we are all interested in tourism and should all be showcasing what our particular region can offer tourists. Here is New Jersey we have numerous family entertainment parks and sports venues which are popular tourist attractions.

Representatives from these venues should be Skal members. Skal provides an additional, global, marketing arm for them. I urge all of our members to reach out to these sales and marketing managers and invite them to a Skal meeting. And go and visit American Dream!

One last item is our “new” Skal app. Go to your app store and download it today. It provides fast links to the most up-to-date Skal events including NASC in Mexico City (May 4-7) and the Skal World Congress in Quebec City (December 5-10). I’ll be doing a podcast next week to highlight the app and all it can do.

Why are we in Skal?  Friendship, networking, business opportunities? Whatever the reason we have the choice of staying local or branching out.  We can enjoy a meal with our NJ Skalleagues in a lovely restaurant or with the Munich club at a biergarten, or with the Venice club on the side of the Grand Canal.  This is what Skal is about.  We are a global family of travel and tourism leaders who take care of business and take care of each other. 

I first caught the Skal “bug” at NAASC in Calgary in 2005 where I met members not only from the U.S., Canada and Mexico but also from Israel, France, Germany and Spain.  It totally changed my view of Skal.  It made me realize that Skal was going to play a major part in my life. 

On social media I see posts every day from members who are in Rome or Sydney or Capetown and I’ll ask them if they have reached out to the local club.  Most times they say no because they hadn’t thought of it.  Whether I traveled for business or pleasure I always look to see if there is a local club during my journey.  I’ve always been welcomed with open arms by members around the world.  Next time you travel find the name and contact for the president of that local club and you’ll see what I mean!

With that said we have a Skal World Congress in Kvarner, Croatia next month from October 13 – 18.  This will be the first world congress since 2019.  Skal NJ will be represented by yours truly along with Deborah Traussi, and past presidents Robert Lowell and Tim O’Neill.  I plan to contact all of our “Twin” clubs to celebrate our bond of friendship.  There will be members at the congress from Arkansas, Kerry, Mexico City, Garden Route S.A., Panama. Rome, and of course, Kvarner. 

Most of you won’t have a chance to go to a World Congress but you can go to a meeting with a regional club.  We’re in a unique position in that there are 6 clubs within reasonable driving distance from central New Jersey.  Most of you remember the great joint meetings we’ve had in Princeton with members from New York, Philadelphia, Albany, Long Island, Northeast Pa, and Central Pa.   We plan to announce all of the regional meetings so you can plan accordingly. 

So my message is get out there and mingle!  Broaden your horizons!  Skal is global and there’s a Skal member somewhere in the world waiting to greet you with open arms!!!