It was The Institute of Internal Communications Awards 2010 on Friday night (the artist formerly known as Communicators in Business). And, together with our talented chums from the O2 IC team, we were chuffed to pick up a gong for ‘Best Reward and Recognition’. Huzzah!
The night didn’t get off to the best of starts. Having manfully resigned myself to missing the England game, one of the O2 gang whipped out her iPhone and got the whole game live streaming. Magic. Except, as history will reflect, it wasn’t.
No matter. Shortly after the whistle was blown on that aberration, the world of spin’s most spinniest spinster, spinmeister-general Alistair Campbell took to the stage and delivered a blinding speech. I mean blinding in the most literal sense. By that point I’d consumed an ill-advised quantity of white wine and the stage lights were really bright.
Then the awards began. All 35 of them. To be fair, it was all conducted with ruthless efficiency. Nominees announced, winner declared, blast of contemporary popular music, shake Big A’s hand, pose for photo, jog on.
Listen to me, pretending to be all like, whatevs. My hoop was well and truly a-cocked when our turn came around and we got the nod. Less thrilled when I realised I’d been nominated to represent WMW in the twosome who would actually go and collect the award.
Possibly through our last minute booking arrangements, our table was located at the remotest possible point from the front of the room. At that moment, the path from table to stage seemed roughly equidistant to the path from Bag End to Mount Doom.
I staggered gamely towards the light with an amiable (drunk) grin plastered on my face and the whole handshaking/posing/leaving thing seemed to go okay. I didn’t fall over or insult anyone and I’m 90% sure my flies were in the appropriate position. Returning to our table, group hugs and multiple high fives ensued. Oh yes. We were classy in victory.
Congrats to all the night’s other winners and short-listers. If I met you on the dance floor, I can only apologise.
Favourite hazy flashback
Mr Campbell’s segue into announcing our triumph:
“And the winner is the entry the judges said had the wow factor – Fanclub!”
One of the competing category entries was called ‘The WoW! Factor’.
Congrats to you all at WMW – sounds like a wonderful evening and Grant, good job old boy for not falling over anyone on the way to the stage or falling out of a cab happily drunk into the gutter later on.
You all deserve it for all your hard work and incredibly large cerebrums.
Miss you guys.
Aww, thanks Skip. Though I don’t remember saying I didn’t fall out of a cab happily drunk into the gutter later on. No, sir. I am a beacon of truth in an otherwise disingenuous world.
We miss you too. But, God knows – those Australian print jobs aren’t going to produce themselves.