INSPIRE celebrates its first birthday

The gala reception celebrating the first birthday of the premium lifestyle magazine INSPIRE held on November 26th 2009 in the Crystal Ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Belgrade, was a fitting reflection of the strength and the beauty of the inspiration which goes into the creation of this magazine.

INSPIRE is the hotel magazine of Hyatt Regency Belgrade, done in cooperation with Corporate Media publishing house. It seems that a secret is hidden behind the word ‘inspirational’. The founding of the magazine was inspired by the desire to show Belgraders and foreign visitors the inspiring side of the capital. Each new issue is the result of inspiration, inspiration is in its very name, and the evening in the Crystal Ballroom, with a programme showcasing a refined selection of both material opulence and luxury for the soul, was appropriately inspiring.

Let us for a moment take you back to the beginning, as the gala guests were taken too, by going back to late November 2008. INSPIRE magazine is the result of successful cooperation between Hyatt Regency Belgrade and the publishing company Corporate Media, and was aimed at a carefully selected target group, primarily guests of the Hyatt hotel, embassies and diplomatic offices, the top and middle management of Serbian and foreign companies, and all those who strive for luxury. INSPIRE is overseen by renowned Serbian designer Verica Rakočević, with creative support from the Corporate Media and Hyatt hotel team. The proceedings began with an introduction by the host, actor Branislav Lečić, whose humorous ice-breaking performance was enjoyed by all present, and recognised for what it represented – the charm of the city and the ever-present spirit of the stage. Next the guests were addressed by Hyatt Regency Belgrade General Manager Jacques Morand and Corporate Media Managing Director Carim Grahn, who told of their satisfaction with what had been achieved, and their hopes and expectations for the future. It was then that Verica Rakočević, INSPIRE magazine editor-in-chief, walked on to the Crystal Ballroom stage, welcoming all of the guests, and each member of the creative team, with the message that luxury was a word with many meanings. First and foremost, she said, it refers to the idealised notion of material heaven and everything that entails, and secondly to something which is more accessible, yet often neglected, such as a good theatre production, a film premiere, a city gallery exhibition or a good book. Or to put it another way – luxury for the soul.

It seems that INSPIRE has not run out of inspiration because besides the four planned issues, a fifth issue was published in 2009. All forms of luxury are contained within its pages, which have their own unique style and opulent visual identity. In two languages, Serbian and English, INSPIRE presents the jet-setting face of Serbia and its capital, striving to showcase the best. With exclusive pictures, romantic tales, candid interviews and superb photo stories, INSPIRE sets new standards in glamour and style-shaping journalism. Through a prism of uncompromising modern style, INSPIRE reveals the social life of a successful Belgrade. In each issue, some of the hotels in the global Hyatt chain are featured in the context of the city, country and culture in which they are located. Features on cars, watches, jewellery and hand-made items add weight to this high-class portfolio. With the intermingling of people and trends on the one hand and unique content and a rich format on the other, INSPIRE engages with an elite reading public – people who do not simply read about luxury, but want to experience it too. Great brands, great goals, great names.

After Verica Rakočević’s honest, inspirational and spontaneous speech – and only experienced media and art experts can truly appreciate the courage and the value of spontaneity – came a something of an experiment: a beautiful presentation by somebody who touches on the spirit of luxury. Martina Koja, the Austrian ambassador's wife, took the stage and presented the character and work of Florian Wagner, the Austrian artist and designer of unique pearl, gold and gemstone jewellery, which was exclusively showcased to the public in the fourth issue of INSPIRE magazine. The guests also enjoyed a fashion show by XYZ Fashion Centre, while in the ballroom itself, display cases exhibited jewellery by S&L Jewelry&Watches, Frey Wille and Florian Wagner. Besides the aforementioned, the magazine’s partners who have recognised and supported the idea and style promoted by INSPIRE, are Telenor, Mercedes-Benz Serbia and Montenegro, Delta Generali, Turkish Airlines, Raiffeisen Bank and Delta Motors.

In addition to numerous members of the diplomatic corps, UN Secretary-General Representative and Director of the UN Office in Belgrade Julian Harston, UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier, Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Konuzin, Spanish Ambassador Ignacio de Palacio Espaňa, representatives and attachés of the German, Swedish and Turkish embassies and the high representatives of UNHCR and OSCE, amongst many others, also attended the event. There were plenty of celebrities there too, such as Željko Joksimović, Jovana Janković, Tijana Dapčević, Biljana Vilimon, Vesna Jugović, Danica Drašković, Ana Šekularac, Borislav Miljanović, Cile Marinković and Bojana Nikitović.