Brazil 10
The final gala of Embark Immersion Rio 2026 was a seated dinner in one of Fairmont’s giant rooms that can easily seat the counted-444 who were there, at circular tables for eight.
The new mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavallieri, 31 (and no need to count upwards), apparently was busy finalising details for the two million-audience coming to hear Shakira on-the-sand two days later. To represent him, Cavallieri instead sent the very important and polished head of Invest.Rio, Sidney Levy, above on right (seen with Accor’s cluster GM, Netto Moreira, left, and Embark conceptor Jack Ezon). Levy gave an impressive off-the-cuff welcome speech and promptly disappeared, presumably for another deputising event.
Jack Ezon wrapped up the entire event, recognising the indispensable work of his New York head office and the Brazil team, headed by Tomas Perez. And Netto Moreira then impressively thanked his 400-strong team and called up nearly a hundred for a group photo – see below. (Much later, after the plated main courses were served, carried two at a time from a distant kitchen, Moreira, bearing a Fairmont standard, led in a samba school which was to dance, sing, drum, strum and belt until 2.30. Morning, that is.)
As a postscript, Jack Ezon afterwards claimed he was back to normal after 36 hours’ recovery sleep. Judging by comments posted on the Immersion Whatsapp chat, many believe they’ll be super-normal ad infinitum.
