HALONG BAY, Vietnam, 11 October 2019: Over 20 bicycle riders will cover 120 km near Halong Bay in northern Vietnam 18 to 20 October to raise funds for Operation Smile Vietnam and Blue Dragon’s Children’s Foundation as part of YAANA Corporate Challenge 2019.
Event organisers, YAANA Ventures, are hoping to match the USD25,000 raised in 2017, which, through Operation Smile, funded 33 life-changing cosmetic operations mostly for young people with disabilities such as cleft lip.
Corporate sponsors participating in the ride this year include YAANA Ventures, Naruna Retreats, BSM Group, Chow Energy, Antipodeans, GROUND Asia, Zone Golf, Green Trails, Khiri Travel, HMP Master, bike tour organiser Indotrek, the Legacy Yen Tu-MGallery Hotel, and ScottAsia Communications.
Apart from supporting charities, the concept of the YAANA Corporate Challenge is to let riders experience a great work out and build friendship and business networking over the two-and-a-half-day event.
This year, funds raised will also go towards the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, which helps street kids, young people with disabilities and fights against human trafficking in Vietnam.
During networking events in the evening, corporate participants will hear from executive coach Bruce Hancock, founder of Naruna Retreats. He will stimulate dialogue and ask questions designed to make leaders question their assumptions and look for new and proactive ways to address business challenges.
Leaders of non-tourism businesses such as BSM Group (workplace ceilings and partitions) and Chow Energy (renewable and alternative power) will exchange ideas and insights with leading hospitality sector operators and student educational travel specialists, Antipodeans, during evening networking.
“YAANA Corporate Challenges are as much about the meeting of minds as a great physical work out and the appreciation of awesome scenery,” says Mark Remijan, partner and CFO of YAANA Ventures, and one of the 2019 riders.
“Participants will be making new business contacts and stretching minds as well as leg muscles,” he says.
