Masih ingat dengan kontes yang diadakan oleh Guinness pada tahun lalu? Yang ikut berpartisipasi pastilah tahu. Jika belum tahu baca artikel “Raih Kesempatan Keluar Angkasa Bersama Guinness”. Pasti banyak yang penasaran mengenai siapa pemenang yang berhak mendapatkan hadiah:
1. Berwisata keluar angkasa dengan Virgin Galactic senilai US$200,000 (Rp 2 M), menantang gravitasi bumi yang akan membuat tubuh kita melayang-layang di kabin selama 6 menit
2. Menjelajah dunia bawah laut Norwegia sampai kedalaman 70 m dengan kapal selam super unik “GUINNESS® 250 Underwater Bar“
3. Menikmati konser The Black Eyed Peas tanpa harus berdesak-desakan dengan penggemar The Black Eyed Peas lainnya
Sudah lama memang kontes ini berlangsung. Saya selalu mecari tahu siapakah pemenangnya melalui situs resminya. Tapi ternyata dari pihak Guinness tidak mengumumkannya secara resmi melalui situsnya di http://g250years.com. Lama tidak memikirkan siapa pemenang dari Guinness Contest ini, lama-lama saya jadi penasaran. Saya berinisiatif untuk mencari tahu pengumuman pemenang Guinness Contest yang berhak mendapatkan hadiah seperti diatas.
Dari pencarian saya, akhirnya saya menemukan informasi pemenang Guinness Contest. Karena tidak kunjung mengumumkan pemenang Guinness Contest melalui situs resminya, ada yang sukarela mencari tahu dengan mengirimi email kepada Guinness untuk menanyakan perihal Guinness Contest. Dan dari pihak Guinness akhirnya membalas email tersebut. Berikut email balasan yang saya kutip dari sumber yang saya dapatkan (http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=59042).
GUINNESS REVEALS WINNERS OF THREE REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES – IN SPACE, UNDER THE SEA AND LIVE IN THE STUDIO WITH GLOBAL SUPERSTARS THE BLACK EYED PEAS
Winners revealed from Belgium, Nigeria and the United States
Dublin, Ireland – GUINNESS today announces the winners of its first worldwide competition, which offered consumers the chance to receive one of three remarkable GUINNESS EXPERIENCES: an unforgettable trip into space aboard Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Spaceship; a journey to the depths of the sea in the world’s first GUINNESS deep sea bar; and an exclusive gig in an intimate studio setting with the multi-platinum artists The Black Eyed Peas. The GUINNESS EXPERIENCES were created as part of the year-long global celebrations to mark 250 years since Arthur Guinness signed the 9,000-year lease on the St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin.
· SPACE: Kim Hines, 50 – Florida, United States
· SEA: Evelyne Gridelet , 30 – Seraing, Belgium
· STUDIO: Gbemisola Oladunni Awofade,, 55 – Lagos, NigeriaGUINNESS SPACE EXPERIENCE
Hines and a friend will be treated to an unforgettable trip to New Mexico – Virgin Galactic’s home at Spaceport America. The winner will be given full training before their momentous flight, which will race her through the Earth’s atmosphere at almost 2,500mph – three times the speed of sound. Sitting 68 miles above the Earth’s surface she will experience the amazing feeling of weightlessness, floating effortlessly around the cabin. The final jaw-dropping chapter to this astounding adventure will be the view of Earth from the blackness of space, stretching 1,000 miles in all directions, before returning safely to the spaceport to receive her official astronaut wings.GUINNESS SEA EXPERIENCE
Gridelet and two friends will be venturing to the depths of the sea in the first ever GUINNESS deep sea bar. The guests will be treated to an incredible four-day trip to the islands of Blidö, Yxlan and Svartsö just off the coast of Sweden’s Stockholm Archipelago in the Baltic Sea, where they will board the exclusively designed GUINNESS deep sea bar and plunge into the black stuff. The winner and friends will be able to enjoy a GUINNESS in style, surrounded by a breathtaking seascape to depths of up to 70m below sea level.GUINNESS STUDIO EXPERIENCE
Awofade will not only be travelling out of Nigeria for the very first time, but will be taking two lucky friends with her to an exclusive live performance by The Black Eyed Peas at an intimate studio location during their world tour. This is a private, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the band’s music, up close and personal in an unforgettable environment. After the performance, they will round off this great experience by spending some time hanging out with the band.Brian Duffy, Global Brand Director for Guinness said, “This has been a momentous year for Guinness, with people from across the globe coming together to celebrate Arthur’s Day and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the 9,000 year lease on the St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin. The GUINNESS EXPERIENCES are a way to say thank you to some of our supporters by offering them the chance to win one a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’d like to congratulate all our winners and wish them and their friends a fantastic GUINNESS EXPERIENCE.”
Millions of people around the world joined in the Arthur’s Day celebrations to toast Arthur Guinness at 17:59 Dublin time on 24th September 2009, with more than 45,000 attending music events held by Guinness in Dublin, Lagos and Kuala Lumpur which featured live performances from international music stars like Tom Jones, Estelle, Kasabian and The Black Eyed Peas.
Pengumuman pemenang Guinness Contest ini ternyata disiarkan melalui siaran pers Guinness tanggal 17 November 2009. Dari email balasan dari pihak Guinness, diberitahukan bahwa yang berhak mendapatkan hadiah yang disediakan adalah:
1. SPACE: Kim Hines, 50 – Florida, United States
2. SEA: Evelyne Gridelet, 30 – Seraing, Belgium
3. STUDIO: Gbemisola Oladunni Awofade, 55 – Lagos, Nigeria
Saya kecewa dengan Guinness, karena pengumuman pemenang Guinness Contest juga tidak diumumkan secara resmi di situs resminya. Hal ini pastinya membuat para participant pasti bertanya-tanya siapakah pemenangnya. Padahal kontes sebelumnya yang juga diadakan oleh Guinness, mengumumkan para pemenangnya melalui situs resmi mereka.
Dari daftar pemenang diatas, ternyata tidak ada nama saya atau bahkan warga Indonesia yang menang. Yah mungkin memang belum saatnya beruntung.
