Open letter to ISwede members in NYC

An open letter to InternationalSwede Members

5th anniversary and a true Swedish Midsummer!
We're fast approaching our 5th anniversary and in noting that: Thank you all!

Thank you for the growth and most of all for the loyal attendance at our numourous and varied events.

We are ending our relationship with Toshi and his organization, and are moving in our own, Swedish-Scandinavian, direction.

NOTE THAT DUE TO US POSTING THIS BLOGG ROBERT "TOSHI" CHAN DECIDED TO UNLEASH HIS LAWYERS ON US!!! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND PROVE THAT HE DOESN'T OWN MIDSUMMER!

We have now our own lawyers who have assured us that Toshi's attempt to eliminate us as competition is unlawful! We are therefore REANNOUNCING our support for the one true Swedish event in NYC.

http://www.swedishmidsummerparty.com

This event will allow Internationalswede to join forces with several other Swedish promoters and party planners in the NYC area to make this the best Midsummer event that truly meets Scandinavian tastes!

Many of our events have been evenings hosted in cooperation with Toshi at the Puck Building. They have been interesting and exciting for us to be involved in. The sheer scale and number of attendees have been both a blessing and a curse. Prior to Midsummer 2005, we listened to constructive critique and arranged a private "Penthouse" room for Internationalswede members so that those Scandinavians in attendance could easily find one another. The penthouse event itself was a success and those in attendance seemed pleased.

We are not, however, pleased with the direction Midsummer at Puck and Toshi has taken - in predominantly Toshi's strong views of how Swedish women should dress... and how a Swedish Midsummer is best presented to our mainstream American friends. We have on numerous occasions expressed our concerns regarding the marketing of the Swedish Midsummer Party at the Puck. We all know that Midsummer is the biggest and the most fun of holidays in Sweden and is celebrated in similar ways in our neighboring Denmark, Finland and Norway. It's a day of celebration of everything that is great with Sweden and Scandinavia in the summer: Daylight, Sun, Wildflowers, Herring, Aquavit and of course great dancing into the night to summer pop songs!

While Toshi is expertly marketing in a "sex sells" manor, it does not match our needs and modern Swedish values. Many born Scandinavians would probably travel back to the home country for this day. At International Swede, we feel it is our responsibility to create an authentic Swedish feeling for one evening in New York City: It's that high standard that drives us.

We have for these reasons ended our relationship with Toshi and his organization, and are moving in our own, Swedish-Scandinavian, direction. The change is made to enable us to maintain and improve our uniqueness and offer the quality events you have gotten used to. The break effectively came after Midsummer 2005 and this announcement is only to avoid confusion come June 2006.

Toshi's organization plans to continue to offer his brand of entertainment and we wish them well. The choice of venue and party this Midsummer will be yours!

At Internationalswede we will continue to offer events that truly serve the Swedish and the larger Scandinavian community. We know that our members (be they Scandinavian or not) demand more than just parties and all the events must adhere to Scandinavian tastes and sensibilities.

www.swedishmidsummerparty.com

Vi ses dar!