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©
Business Money Ltd 2008
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The sixth
Great Southern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner
Hilton London
Paddington - 15 February 2007
Our dinners at the Hilton
London Paddington have proved a great success over the years and in
planning for around 280 people attending this year we were basing
our projections upon our experience of previous years.
In the event, 280 seats, which was as many as the dining room could
comfortably take, maybe legally too, sold out within days and we had
several wanting to book tables who we had to turn away.
Discussions with the hotel management produced a compromise in that
a second, attaching room, could be opened and the tables in there
served by a screen and speakers aimed at relaying the speeches. We
sold those tables at a small discount and all seemed well.
In the event the hotel just did not have enough staff on the floor
and the evening became dragged out far too long as the last tables
were waiting for their food whilst the first tables served had
finished the course long ago. Fortunately the food was good.
This is a networking event so people got up and talked to one
another which is great but the resultant noise, and serious failures
with the sound system, meant that our speaker, David Gunson, had to
cut his delivery short. People at the back just could not hear him.
So to those who missed their coffee because they had trains to
catch, I apologise and the hotel has done so too.
Given these difficulties, I was astounded, but delighted, to receive
many e-mails, telephone calls and letters saying how much people had
enjoyed themselves. What a great industry this is.
We are looking for somewhere larger for next year. We seem to be
attracting from a wider field now: Landsbanki told me that most of
their guests came from the private equity sector. We will keep you
posted.
We chose the Lords Taverners as the raffle charity for our London
event. Lords cricket ground is but a mile to the north of the event,
funds over the year have bought 800 mini-buses for disabled kids
plus 250 special wheelchairs so that handicapped kids can take part
in the many sporting events that their competitive instincts move
them to take part in. Given the roots of the Lords Taverners, it
also promotes cricket and the sporting ethos.
Ian Byers and his lovely team from Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance
raised around £3,000 and the warm thanks of all of us to those who
gave so generously.
My thanks go out to our so many friends whose cheerful forbearance,
and determination to enjoy themselves ensured the success of the
event.
Editor
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