Christian Völkers, CEO/ Founder of Engel & Völkers AG, hosted the traditional Engel & Völkers Polo Cup on Majorca on 29 July. Over 700 guests attended the event at his private estate on Majorca’s southwest coast – including employees from the global Engel & Völkers network, friends of the family, and a host of international guests. Famous faces in attendance from Germany included Duchess Anna in Bayern with husband Baron Andreas von Maltzan, Daniel Crasemann with wife Luisa, Prince Carl-Eugen zu Oettingen-Wallerstein with wife Anna, Hieronymus Count Wolff Metternich with wife Marynic. Christian Völkers’ invitation was also accepted by international personalities such as Simoneta Gómez-Acebo, the cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, Diandra Douglas, Leonardo Ferragamo, painter Natasha Zupan and Jordan Hewson, daughter of U2 singer Bono, together with actor Diego Osorio. “It fills me with pride that the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup has now taken place for the ninth time. It’s a special event that I enjoy sharing with friends who are just as passionate about polo as I am,” said Christian Völkers.
The tournament was played out over three days, against a unique backdrop overlooking vineyards and the Mediterranean. Four high-profile teams of three players competed against one another. Some 50 polo ponies were available for the polo matches. The sponsors Jaiak, New Folies, St. Regis and Engel & Völkers each put teams forward for the tournament. Top international players on the field included Bautista Bayugar (handicap +6), Adrián Laplacette (handicap +6), Christopher Winter (handicap +3) and Sacha Pictet (handicap +1). The host Christian Völkers also climbed into the saddle for the Engel & Völkers team. At the end of the sporting action, Ninon Völkers presented the coveted Engel & Völkers Polo Cup to the winning team New Folies. “It is especially pleasing to see so many passionate up-and-coming polo stars playing in this year’s tournament,” said Christian Völkers.
After the polo tournament, guests – dressed all in white – were seated for an exclusive dinner party and asado, a traditional Argentine barbecue. Besides this asado, guests were also treated to culinary delights by the Majorcan catering firm “Tiberi Catering”. Guests then partied into the early hours, enjoying wine grown on the estate and live music by the band “Soul Kitchen”.
This year the exclusive Majorcan jewellery brand “La Morenita” sold fans especially designed for the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup. Another wonderful fundraising initiative was the sale of hand-produced leather jewellery from Florence, personally designed by Maria Sole Ferragamo, the daughter of the Italian designer Leonardo Ferragamo. “100% of proceeds from all the products sold will go towards our primary school project in Togo. Donations will be used for the ongoing development of our school projects,” said Christian Völkers. The Engel & Völkers Charity was founded in October 2008 as a non-profit organisation. In May 2009, the charity laid the foundation stone for a school project in Togo, West Africa. The school is now attended by around 140 pupils in a total of seven school years, all learning to read, write and do arithmetic in the official language French.
