Most people find it hard to say 'no' to chocolate, so when Toyota Merit unwrapped its plans for a chocolate-themed party, it was enthusiastically received by its members.

The brainchild of UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd's CRM Division, the party was held on a Sunday afternoon, 27 September 2009, at Delicious at Dua Residency, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It was also a gesture of appreciation for its loyal members for their continued support.

Friendship amidst the fun and games

55 Toyota Merit members, together with 3 family members each, were treated to a memorable afternoon that centred on chocolate as the main attraction. On the activities menu were games, contests and entertainment to keep the guests happy – from mental skills games (answering chocolate trivia questions or guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar), to more challenging pursuits like decorating cupcakes, stacking the highest chocolate chip cookies and drinking milkshakes. At the same time, the activities also fostered new friendships among the members.

A surprise on the agenda

Members and their guests were also treated to a host of performances – the soulful serenading by Shahrizan, lively dancers which had the crowd going, and the Amazing Moudini, an illusionist who kept the crowd spellbound with his illusions. The children were happily occupied with Bozo the Clown who kept them entertained throughout the event with his antics and his special balloon tricks and skills.

Sharizan also sang a birthday song when the Toyota Merit team brought out a birthday cake. The birthday boy, Mr. Subramaniam, was pleasantly surprised by this thoughtful gesture, which will surely be one of the more memorable birthday celebrations for him.

Fantastic feedback from the members

One of them, Ngau Sien Lian, had this to say, “Great chance for the family to do something together on a weekend. Good food, good music, lots of fun & excitement. Kudos! Well run event – very successful.” For Mohamed Ismail and his family, they simply really enjoyed the special weekend planned for them.

Another member, Tay Bin Chat, felt that the non-stop activities and a sumptuous buffet spread appealed to the whole family, which they enjoyed very much.

More from the rewarding world of Toyota Merit

Precious Moments with Toyota Merit is just one of the many events that UMW Toyota Motor intends to reward its many customers with for their continuing support. In fact, members can look forward to more of such events happening in the future.

On May 16, 2009, Toyota Merit members living around Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, were treated to a rewarding afternoon behind the wheels of Toyota cars learning how to improve their skills as drivers.

This wasn’t just another Toyota Merit event but one that made history as the first ever advanced driving course organised by a car manufacturer in Sabah. The course was conducted by the YS Driving Academy.

The course was conducted in the car park of one of Kota Kinabalu’s landmarks, the Sabah Trade Centre, just 2 km away from the city centre. The wide open space was ideal for the course, which featured topics that stressed the importance of basic driving skills like driving posture, steering wheel control, braking and avoidance, and speed and cornering.

Before all the 31 eager participants were allowed to get behind the wheel of the Toyota cars made available for them, they were first taught the theory behind these advanced driving concepts. Then after the short classroom session, the action moved out into the car park where it had been cordoned off with barriers and road safety cones.

One of the participants, Wong Siew Chiok, was surprised to learn that she had been holding the steering wheel the wrong way for as long as she could remember. Another participant, Cheng Chew Pheng said, “Now, I know how to be in control during an emergency braking situation, and I also learnt about the advantages of ABS that we often take for granted.”

There were plenty of ‘thrills and spills’ as the excited participants went through the exercises, and at one point, the sound of screeching tyres in the ‘brake and avoid’ routine added to the excitement.

The finale of the day was the much-anticipated slalom event, which was actually a friendly competition among the participants, and which also allowed them to put into practice what they had learnt earlier. As expected, a number of the bright orange cones were toppled over by the eager competitors in their race against the clock to complete the routine, amidst the whooping and cheering of the spectators.

To mark the conclusion of the course, all the participants were awarded with a certificate of attendance, and a goodie bag each.

Toyota Merit members enjoy a host of rewards, benefits and privileges throughout the year, but last year, 10 of them were more than pleasantly surprised when it was announced that they were the lucky winners of the 2008 Bonus Prize Campaign.

The selection process of the 10 winners took place at UMW Toyota Motor head office on 23 February 2009. The winners were selected in an electronic lucky draw based on the number of entries automatically generated every time they serviced their car, or when they bought a new one. The results were audited by Ernst & Young.

As the name suggests, it was a big bonus for these winning members, as they were simply being loyal customers, servicing their Toyota regularly, and for some, purchasing new ones, and so on 8 April 2009, the 10 members, each with a loved one accompanying them, flew off to Bali to enjoy their well-deserved holiday.

After checking in to the luxurious Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa, the holiday started in typical Balinese fashion – with a visit to the hotel’s spa for a Balinese massage. The rest of the trip was spent enjoying the hospitality and the many wondrous sights and colourful culture that Bali is renowned for – from the cool mountains to the warm waters of the island’s coast.

The holiday activities included a Balinese cultural show, a visit to Gunung Agung, witnessing first-hand exotic Hindu rituals at Tampak Sari and Tanah Lot temples, watching the intriguing Kecak dance, enjoying a sunset cruise complete with dinner on board, and of course, souvenir-shopping at downtown Kuta.

The highlight of the holiday for many of the members however, was the Seawalker at Sanur, an underwater experience where, even without any scuba certification, they could ‘dive’ down 4 metres in a purpose-built platform using only a special headgear to breathe. It was an experience of a lifetime for some of the members and one even commented that it was the highlight of the whole trip for him.

Soon the 5 fun-filled days came to an end and it was time to pack up and go home. Besides the bags of souvenirs from the shopping trips, these lucky customers took home with them priceless memories of a holiday spent with their loved ones. Most of them commended UMW Toyota Motor for recognising them as loyal customers, and that they were looking forward to enjoying more rewards as Toyota Merit members.

Some memorable quotes from our members:

"Thanks for the valuable memories that make me want to be more loyal to Toyota" - Mrs Chiu

"The meals were exciting and fascinating, especially the dinner served during the romantic sunset cruise... it was like a honeymoon" - Jarod

On Friday, 31 October and Saturday, 1 November 2008, two exclusive events for members of the exclusive Toyota Merit Programme took place at Rick’s Café Casablanca in the suburbs of Bangsar.

These events were organised as part of Toyota Merit’s efforts to show its appreciation to its members for their valued support, open only to selected members based on their indicated lifestyle preferences.

Homme Boys' Night Out

Rick's Cafe Casablanca in Bangsar was aglow with excitement as dusk began to fall the Friday evening of 31 October 2008. As the week began winding down, the night's revelry kicked off to a rousing start. A masculine affair, Boys' Night Out saw over 100 members and their guests converging on Rick's Cafe Casablanca for an evening of fun, and to chill out with other members.

Belinda Chee, one of the hosts of the 8TV Quickie programme, was the charming MC for the night. Many of the members took the opportunity to unwind with the many pleasant diversions arranged for them for the night, including a delectable buffet spread for their gastronomic pleasures.

There was RC car racing outside in the courtyard, complete with a full racing track, while inside, console games on large LCD screens were provided for those who were keen on such pastimes.

Genervie Kam, an exceptional violinist, came on later to entertain the crowd with her brilliant renditions of Sway, Exodus, Hungarian Dance and more. Almost everywhere the members turned, there was something for them to do, see and partake in; including complimentary hairstyling, a grooming workshop, face/shoulder/back massage, learning how watches work, fragrance layering techniques, and even lessons on cocktail mixing by Hennessy V.S.O.P..

Femme Girls' Day Out

Held also at Rick's Cafe Casablanca, Girls' Day Out turned out to be a charming affair for the ladies. The event saw a good turnout of some 100 members and their guests. As promised in the invitation, the day's amusements and distractions proved to be a hit among all the attendees.

The feminine items on the programme included grooming, make-up tips, manicures, hairstyling and back and shoulder massage. Fashion was, of course, very much a part of the programme and took the form of a fashion show by Principles, complemented by fashion tips from Melati Kesuma Kamaruddin, the Beauty and Fashion writer of the popular Malaysian Women's Weekly magazine.

Besides a scrumptious buffet, which included a delightful chocolate fondue fountain, the ladies were also treated to an interesting session of Moet & Chandon champagne testing.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly provided by The Love Guru, a hilarious skit based on the Mike Myers movie of the same name. In the skit, the ladies were 'taught' amusing ways on how to be a better lover; it was all in jest, of course, but the ladies enjoyed the entertaining performance.

The entertainment for the day was also complemented by the amazing David Lai, who is well-known as a Mentalist. His fascinating renditions of mental trickery had his captive audience gasping in disbelief. For those who were more open, they had their future and fortune foretold by Tarot Card reader, Alexxander Ong.

Beauty and the Beast is a much-loved story that has captivated children all over the world for ages. It became even more popular when Disney captured the magic of this timeless tale in glorious animation on the big screen. Of course, no Disney cartoon would be complete without catchy songs that people would sing for years to come.

So when it was announced that this musical would be brought to Malaysia for the first time ever, UMW Toyota Motor decided to treat some of its most loyal and highest-spending customers to the delightful ‘tale as old as time’. The date chosen was the Sunday evening of 29 June 2008, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre where the musical was staged.

As befitting the exclusivity of the occasion, invited guests were treated to light refreshments at a private room within the convention centre. But that wasn’t all. A pre-arranged cast visit added some glamour and excitement for the guests present. All in all, it was a memorable evening, and for 2 hours, everyone was enthralled by the magic of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.    

An evening-at-a-musical is just one of the many treats that UMW Toyota Motor organises to show its appreciation to loyal customers, particularly those who had indicated their preference for such entertainment in the Owner's Profile section (My Details).

The Toyota Merit's promise of ‘rewards you deserve’ came alive at the recent Seafood Feasta, held on 12 April 2008. The chosen venue was the impressive Old Courthouse, a perfect setting for Al Fresco seafood feasts.   

Seafood and Song

En. Ismet Suki, the Director of Customer Services Group for UMW Toyota Motor, was on hand to welcome the 75 members and their guests to Toyota Merit’s first-ever event held in Kuching. The menu for the night’s feast was a veritable spread of fresh seafood, and entertaining our members was the famous Australian impersonator Earl Cole, who does a close representation of ‘Michael Buble’.

Games and Gifts

Other highlights included games like ‘Guess The Food’ and ‘Guess The Weight’, where blindfolded participants had to identify food and guess the weight of certain foods. The April babies among the guests – Mr Wong Mun Ye and Mr Hong Kok Kiong – were also invited on stage to cut a birthday cake.

More pleasant surprises came when an iPod, a Panasonic cordless phone and a Sony digital camera were given out in a Lucky Draw.