A few months back Marcus and I brought home a Maserati GTS which marked a key milestone in our life. We are car enthusiasts — although I must admit Marcus is a lot more than me.
My enthusiasm for cars is more around the freedom it brings, the warmth of the interiors, the sound of the engine and the choice of my playlist (an extra place to pack in those evening shoes and clothes is an added bonus).
As delightful as it driving around London at 20mph, the need for open roads and a little bit of speed was becoming a lot more apparent. We wanted to go on a road trip. So did some of our friends.
We had been planning a road trip with some of our friends for years. It was hard to co-ordinate time off work with the whole group, especially as the group got bigger.
Marcus and I have been on several road trips on our own, a few short road trips with friends, but not as many as we would like. A car rally across Europe sounds like a great idea, as you don’t have to worry about airports and flight schedules. It’s also a brilliant way of seeing the countryside and finding little gems that you would otherwise miss.
And so Marcus suggested that we go on a car rally.
Excited at first, I viewed some of the options presented to me. To me the idea of ‘driving all day and partying all night‘ did not quite appeal to me. Vintage rally’s looked great but we have a few good years before we join one of those. Some rally’s promised ‘partying with models’, others more for petrolhead with dirt tracks and bad ass routes, but nothing really jumped out. Nothing that would include lifestyle, adventure, relaxation, travel and a great group of interesting people.
So I thought…(here’s the light bulb moment!)
Why don’t we design a rally that caters to people like us?
It will involve travel, adventure, scenic settings and luxurious living.
Between us, we have well over a decade of experience in planning and delivering large scale events, conferences and residential events in numerous countries around the world (UK, Australia, Japan, NZ and Bali to name a few). In Marcus’ last business we put on a large event in London for SME owners which was a sell out and we won a Guinness Book of World Records title for it. It’s only been a few months since Marcus got his successful business exit from that training and conference business.
Marcus loves cars – in fact he is a third generation car enthusiast. Both his father and grandfather had once owned (and sold) successful car dealerships. They’ve always had prestige sports cars in the family. As for me, I love building a community of like-minded people who are high achievers, driven and yet enjoy having fun together. I take who I spend my time with and my holiday’s seriously.
I am grateful for all the attraction that has come my way and for my hard work to have paid off. I am a believer in setting big goals and being relentless in their pursuit. There is a joy and excitement in creating things that serve many.
We chose the word Verve as it portrays enthusiasm and zest.
Both of which I feel represent my outlook towards travel, adventure and holiday. The setting is luxurious and there’s a charitable arm as well.
Verve is not just about the finer things in life, it’s about creating memories that last, a once in a lifetime experience.
Darshana Ubl
Cofounder, Verve Rally
We are inviting like minded people to apply for the Verve Rally. If you live a life filled with passion, adventure, beauty and contribution, we would like to hear from you. If we haven’t met before, we’ll catch up for a meeting first so we can get to know more of what you like before confirming you on the Rally.
