It seems that nothing, including motor sport, is immune to the problems caused by the global economic crisis.
Max Mosley, president of the sport's governing body the FIA, has been concerned about the cost of competing for some time, but the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) has been slow to react. Things came to a head however earlier in December when Honda confirmed they were pulling out of F1.
Fontvieille, Condamine and Port Hercule will become dry for a few hours in the afternoon of Friday 29 August. This is because Stade Louis II will be hosting the annual UEFA Super Cup football match between Manchester United and Zenit Saint Petersburg. The ban on alcohol sales lasts from 14.30 to 20.45, so you'll be able to have a glass of wine with your dinner after the kick off.
The world will be watching Monaco this week, when environment ministers from over 100 countries meet for the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 10th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum. The theme of the session is "mobilizing finance for the climate challenge."
Now that the luxury travel exhibition and the luxury spa exhibition have packed up their stands, it's the turn of the luxury building and interior design conference. The Batilux event will start on Friday 25 January and will run until Monday 28 January. Exhibitors will be presenting some of the most luxurious and beautiful building materials, as well as environmentally friendly products and ideas for sustainable construction.
Tomorrow sees the opening of the 3rd Monaco Spa Event. There are three days of conferences, workshops, exhibitions and most importantly, networking for those involved in the luxury spa and wellness industry. It's just what's needed after the excesses of the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Most of us start thinking about our summer holidays when Christmas and New Year finish and the January blues kick in. Here in Monaco, we plan for a little luxury with the Monte Carlo Travel Market (MCTM), now in its 4th year. The exhibition will take place in the Grimaldi Forum from 11 to 13 January and is a high class networking event. Luxury lifestyles and prestigious travel are on show for the specially invited elite individuals and buyers.
The Junior Chamber of Monaco is holding a breakfast debate on Thursday 6 December in the Salon Bellevue of the Cafe de Paris, on the subject of brand protection on the Internet. Speakers include Cédric MANARA and Dominique MORVAN. Mr Manara is Associate Professor of Law at the EDHEC business school in Nice, and Mr Morvan is General Manager of NameBay.
I've just returned from the morning session of the Next Generation Entrepreneur Forum in Monaco and it was great. We heard from 3 speakers who all had something thought provoking and useful to say to entrepreneurs. Here are the highlights from my notes.
The title of Heidi's talk was "10 things I've learned as a venture capitalist that I wish I'd known as an entrepreneur". And here are the 10 things, as noted down by me: