The mission to make the Domaine du Château de Vullierens an essential place for garden and art lovers as well as for the organization of events

I am 46 years old, married for 17 years and I have 2 teenagers. I live in Vevey, I grew up in Grandvaux in the middle of the vineyards in the family home for several generations. My mother is from Vevey, my father is Egyptian and I was born in London. English is my second language and I am fluent in Italian, Spanish and German. California is my adopted region, I lived there for 2 years, I have friends who have become family and I spend time there alone or with my family whenever I can. I love to go up to the mountains to walk or ski or do nothing on my terrace facing the Grand Muveran.

What I like about my job

Organization and contact with people clearly. I like to make sure that things are going well, make recommendations to our clients, anticipate their requests, solve tricky situations (the less the better :)) and above all find ways to promote this wonderful domain I work for, on a marketing level it’s a dream.

The people I meet are incredible, whether private clients, their families, close friends or corporate clients, with whom we sometimes forge links outside our walls. I also appreciate the diversity of my colleagues in terms of culture and background (I now know that irises are perennial and grow in May!). The most incredible part of this organization is that I work for a Châtelain, heir to a family estate for 700 years (you can’t make that up!) and that decisions are made in a 17th century Château where he lives.

My favorite season

Spring, the season when everything wakes up, when activity intensifies, both at Portes des Iris with events and weddings and in the gardens that are about to open. A renewal, every day new possibilities of photos in nature for social networks!

The most stressful for me

I don’t mind the stress and I enjoy the fast-paced action and multi-tasking! That’s where I feel best. I don’t enjoy it as much when things are slow except when I’m not working of course.

The events that impressed me the most

Maybe the first event I did alone at Portes des Iris, 13 years ago. Skater Stéphane Lambiel invited his sponsors and friends to thank them. Also the school trip of the Federal Council in the middle of Ingrid Betancourt’s liberation and Philippe Rochat’s farewell party when he left the Hôtel de Ville in Crissier.

The biggest challenge

To transmit the unique side and the beauty of the Domaine du Château de Vullierens to a maximum of people at the local and international level and to convince them to come and visit it or to organize an event, a wedding.

In a more eventful register, a water failure of the communal network in the middle of an evening of 400 people where I was not present but that I helped to solve remotely with my colleague on site. In the end, the guests didn’t notice anything. On the other hand, the weather challenge is often one of the biggest challenges to manage!

The largest event

I’ve been lucky to organize events of all sizes but it’s often not the big ones that are the most complicated. Nevertheless it is true that events with animals (Swiss theme with cows and St-Bernard dogs) or big objects like cars to lift up to the second floor of the building, acrobats hanging at 11 meters in our ceiling or tents with kitchen for 1400 people are among the big events. I think we still have a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what future events have in store for us.

If I didn’t work at Portes des Iris

Why not for a brand, a foundation or a place with history or with the potential to develop one. If I had another job: accountant!

The most original wedding

I am not the person who does the most weddings, but what I often remember are the moving words exchanged between the bride and groom, the very touching speeches of the parents and the messages of the officiants, I have also noted some pieces that are very useful in my daily life 🙂

My greatest pleasure

Seeing hundreds of visitors arrive in the gardens on a big day and hearing them say that this is their first visit but that they will come back for sure and pass on the message.

Hearing Portes des Iris clients thank us, after an event, for our involvement during the preparations and on the big day and tell us that our service is top notch. Seeing the bride and groom on Monday with stars in their eyes, tired and saying “it was a dream, we wouldn’t have done it differently, our guests were overwhelmed, we will never forget you”!