A welcome in the Vault: the IGAL AGM 2026 opens in Bucharest

The IGAL Annual General Meeting 2026 officially opened on Wednesday evening in an unusual place: the old vault of a Bucharest bank, its safe deposit boxes still lining the walls. A welcome cocktail, the President's opening address, a birthday and a dinner made for a first evening members will remember.

A bar in a bank vault

The Marmorosch, the hotel hosting this year's AGM, occupies the former palace of the Marmorosch Blank bank, a landmark of early twentieth-century Bucharest that once played a central part in the country's economy. The building has been restored with great care, and its most surprising room is underground.

The bank's old vault is now The Vault, a bar set among hundreds of safe deposit boxes. Their doors stand open, as if the bank's clients had just come by to collect their valuables. For the evening, the bar was reserved for IGAL.

The whole network in one room

Until Wednesday evening, the week belonged to small groups: the early arrivals at Tuesday's dinner, the Board at work on Wednesday morning, members and their guests exploring the city in the afternoon. The welcome cocktail was the first time that every member attending the AGM, with their partners and accompanying guests, was in the same room.

It is always a lively moment. Some greet friends they have known for years. Others meet in person colleagues they know only from emails and referrals. First-time attendees are introduced around, and by the end of the first glass most of them have stopped feeling new.

The President opens the AGM

Pim J.E.M. Nuiten, President of IGAL, took the floor to welcome members to Bucharest and officially open the AGM 2026. It is a tradition of the first evening: a moment for the whole network to pause, look at who is in the room, and look ahead to the days to come.

A birthday among colleagues

The evening had one more reason to celebrate. Wim Cox, a member of the network, was celebrating his birthday, and the whole room joined in to wish him a happy birthday. Celebrating with colleagues from across the world, in a bank vault in Bucharest, is a birthday few people can claim. It also says a good deal about what IGAL is: a professional network whose members genuinely enjoy each other's company.

Dinner at Blank

The evening continued upstairs at Blank, the hotel's restaurant, named after the bank that once occupied the building. Its cooking draws on the restaurant culture of Belle Époque Bucharest, served in a warm and refined setting well suited to long conversations.

Lawyers sat next to accountants, delegates next to partners, and every table mixed countries. Dinners like this are where members learn how a colleague thinks, which files they enjoy and whether they are someone you would trust with a client. Many IGAL referrals start in exactly this way.

Tomorrow, the business day

Thursday is the business day. After a welcome from the President and the host country, members will hear how to do business in Romania from Cristina Olariu of Oglinda & Partners, discover the new igal-network.com, attend a surprise session with Ana-Maria Diceanu of Brain 4 Strategy, and look at Cyprus with Petros Rialas, before a team-building session and dinner at Caru' cu Bere. Episode 02 of AGM Life has the full programme.

We will keep sharing the week as it happens on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Want to join us next time?

If you lead an independent law or accounting firm and want to see what an international network looks like from the inside, this is it: colleagues around the world who know each other, trust each other and enjoy working together. Find out how to join IGAL on our Become a Member page, or write to us at contact@igal-network.com.