WIT Conference 2013 ended on a high note at Dorsett Singapore’s rooftop party hosted by Dorsett Hospitality International (DHI) with a record SGD100,000 raised from the charity auction.

The highlight of the auction were two beautiful paintings by Myanmar’s leading contemporary artist, Nyein Chan Su, fondly referred to as NCS, (pictured left with the two paintings for the auction). One of the paintings (on NCS’s right) was done with the collaborative effort of WIT Conference’s delegates.

Bidding for the paintings was fast and furious, with Richard Wiegmann, CEO of Trust International, successfully buying the collaborative painting for SGD2,000. Louise Daley, CEO, Accor Advantage Plus, “fought” hard for the NCS’ original painting, finally winning the bid for SGD10,000.

The other highlight was a black and white print from Nic Gaunt, an international photographer commissioned by Dorsett to undertake photography of the group’s portfolio of hotels.

Bruce Delfik, partner of Diamond Resorts International, generously made an on-the-spot contribution for three seven-night stay in Las Vegas inclusive of business class airfare for two persons, USD1,000 worth of casino chips and dinner with a celebrity. This raised SGD45,000 with three successful bids of USGD15,000 each, with Delfik taking up one of the bids.

Pictured: The happy hosts (L-R) Philip Schaetz, DHI; Bruce Delfik, Diamond Resorts; Winnie Chiu, DHl; Yeoh Siew Hoon, WIT; Huot Dara, Phare the Cambodian Circus; Sarah Hulme, Diamond Resorts

Yeoh Siew Hoon, WIT producer, said, “We are thrilled with this year’s fund raising. It’s doubled the amount we have raised for children in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Japan at previous WITs. It brings the total amount raised to SGD200,000 over the last five years. We would like to thank everyone who have made this possible, in particular our partners Dorsett and Diamond and Asian Palette for bringing in Burmese painter NCS to create a special piece for the Asia Factor.”

The event also celebrated the opening of Dorsett Singapore, marking the hotel group’s debut in the Singapore market.