For our annual field trip, Kontera Israel decided to explore Bethlehem of Galilee, a little known community with a very unique history.

Bethlehem of Galilee dates back thousands of years, having been one of the first Jewish towns mentioned in the bible, and a Christian one during the Crusades. Modern Bethlehem of Galilee was created in 1906 by German Templars who revitalized it as a farming settlement. They remained until the outbreak of World War 2, when the British placed local Germans into internment camps, eventually either repopulating them to Australia or sending them back to Germany. In 1948, Bethlehem of Galilee was converted into a Moshav, an Israeli cooperative agricultural community, which it remains to this day.

After a filling falafel lunch at the office, we first set off for Alonei Abba, a sister Moshav that also had beginnings as a Templar commune. Braving the brutal 100 degree heat, we visited an Evangelical Church built by the Templars in 1921, took in the view of the beautiful Jezreel Valley, and even watched as a baby owl stranded on the side of the road was rescued.

Next we arrived at Bethlehem of Galilee for the moment everyone was waiting for. While experiencing a new place on foot is fun, getting to explore it in a 4×4 all terrain vehicles is ten times better.  We broke off into groups of three, and taking turns behind the wheel, the caravan departed. Taking the Polaris Rangers on and off the rural roads, we got an amazing panoramic view of the farming community, passing men on horseback, corn fields, grazing cows, and exotic fauna. The group rested at Ein Yivka, also known as the “the horse spring”, and we snacked on watermelon while cooling off our feet in the water.

Driving those ATVs in the blistering heat was an exhausting, not to mention muddy business but judging by all the enthusiastic grins on display, it was well worth it!

There was still the matter of dinner, and while we were given an elaborate buffet everyone was careful to leave a little extra room for our final event, an international beer tasting workshop. Israel is a fairly unsophisticated beer market, with there being essentially three domestic brands and not much else on the radar. Gathering in a circle, our expert, Omer, explained the differences between light and dark beers, alcohol levels, regional preferences, even nutritional information. We sampled a wide variety of beverages both from countries like England and Belgium and he also highlighted some lesser known local breweries.  The workshop was a big hit and before we left, Omer promised to e-mail a complete list of everything tried. Don’t let us down!

It was an extremely memorable day and a huge amount of fun for everyone at Kontera Israel.  To see even more from the trip, we’ve embedded a video collecting the best photos below. Enjoy!

With Detroit’s auto industry on the rebound, General Motors named Carat as their exclusive global media buyer, a contract that will bring around 200 jobs to downtown Detroit.  To show our appreciation for GM’s continued partnership with Kontera, as well as to officially welcome Carat into the Motor City, we recently hosted a special breakfast at the agency’s new offices at One Detroit Center.

The delicious meal included a full omelet bar, oatmeal pancakes, oven roasted sausages, and a variety of muffins and refreshments. It was a great chance to connect with friends both old and new, and all the feedback we heard was amazingly positive.

Congratulations Carat – we look forward to working together in the future

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it

Kontera UK couldn’t have been more excited to have hosted a ski holiday March 22nd-25th in Chamonix, in the gorgeous French Alps. Joining us were some of our valued partners from the ad agencies Profero, Starcom Global, and MEC; who represent a few of our top Automotive, Business, and Telecom accounts in Europe.

We all stayed in a luxury penthouse apartment in the town centre and had a lovely roof top terrace with hot tub (great for a post ski soak to ease our tired muscles). Meanwhile on the slopes, MEC Digital Trading Director Tim Pearce and Kontera’s own Laura Carveley were definitely the most competitive of the beginners. Tim in particular had never skied before, and left completely addicted, saying the experience changed his life!

Below is some great footage of Tim, Laura, and Ana Pak of Starcom Global tearing it up on the beginner’s slopes.

Our thanks to Ten80 Events for putting together this memorable trip!

Just like the Super Bowl winning New York Giants on the field, 2012 is shaping up to be a championship year for Kontera in the online media and technology space.

Kontera was proud to have been selected as one of the Israeli online media companies to participate in the 2012 Media-Tech Innovation Road Show in New York City. We were chosen based on our technological innovation and leadership in the online media space. As part of the Road Show, Kontera presented our roster of new, innovative products to senior Media and Entertainment executives. The Road Show was capped off with a cocktail reception featuring a keynote address by Don Sperling, Vice Present of the World Champion NY Giants.

The event was organized by the U.S. Israel Business Council (USI) and the Government of Israel Economic Mission to North America. It was set up to foster business relationships between American investors and senior industry executives and 15 of the highest profile Israeli startups.

Kontera’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, Laurie Barlev, briefed executives on Kontera’s Synapse Platform, our full suite of products, as well as our exciting new developments in Mobile and Social products. The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and provided us with an opportunity to exchange ideas with other leaders in online media.

Our thanks to the USI and the Government of Israel Economic Mission to North America for putting this great event together!

This was one party the Motor City was especially revved up for.

Kontera is proud to have sponsored the 7^th annual 313Digital Auto Show VIP Party, an exclusive event for over 150 Detroit digital advertising professionals held at South Bar in Birmingham. Aside from great music, fine food, and welcome company, the party was a fundraiser for such worthy 313 Digital’s Community Outreach programs as Project Click, Motor City Blight Busters, and Goodfellows of Detroit.

It was a memorable night out and Kontera couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it!

We were also on hand for the industry only preview of the Detroit Auto Show January 11-12. The North American International Auto Show as it’s officially known, is the largest American trade show of its kind, drawing about 750,000 people per year. It’s attended by nearly every major car brand and this year included either new product introductions or new concept introductions from such Kontera advertisers as Ford, Chevy, Volvo, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, and Buick.

2011 was the best year for Automotive sales since 2008, and with the economical recovery finally reaching the driver’s seat, there was definitely an elevated level of excitement in the air. Manufactures were offering more variety, such as how the 2013 Ford Fusion has several different hybrid options, and luxury cars were more prominently featured.  Porsche, which had taken several years off from the show returned, and other luxury vehicles like the two door, Acura NSX were surprise hits.

Our stay at NAIAS was capped with the 2012 Charity Preview gala, a rich tradition which offers the first public look at the show and since 1976 has raised $84 million dollars for local children’s charities. It’s a black tie event that’s affectionately called “the auto prom”, and Kontera Strategic Accounts Managers Michael Gellar and Kristin Socha looked sharp in represented us. The entertainment was provided by the Selected of God Choir, who backed Eminem in his famous “Lose Yourself” Chrysler Super Bowl commercial, and the choir sounded just as powerful in person.

Definitely a great kick off for what’s shaping up to be another big year for Automotive!