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© Business Money Ltd 2006 |
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The Great Southern Business MoneyCommercial Finance Dinner9 February 2006 The appetite of this industry to party never diminishes. 2006 was to be the year of budget cuts and cost savings, yet the numbers for this event were so close to that for last year as to make no noticeable difference. If the space for pre-dinner drinks is only barely adequate, it makes for a cosy gathering but our magician still managed to find space to entertain the assembly. Our guests for the evening were Manzoor Ishani and his wife Marilyn. Manzoor is a world authority on franchising law, he is a director of Stagecoach, managing director of its German company and still does one day a week at a law firm. For many years he wrote the franchising page for Business Money. We were also joined by Helen Palmer, who did so much to take Business Money’s advertising forward, and the other guests were Adrian Sainsbury and Kate Sharp from the Factors’ and Discounters’ Association and Brian Capon from the British Bankers’ Association. The dining room looked ready for a party and if last year the Paddington Hilton found its waiting staff deficient in numbers, resulting in long delays between courses, this year the team was fast, efficient and courteous. The food was good too, we decided a tasty soup might be preferable to a blob of pate with a cherry tomato on top and the decision seemed to meet with approval. If the waiting at tables was top class this year, I am less than happy with the photography. Our usual man sent someone who seemed never to have heard of the spontaneous shot to capture the atmosphere of something and we have a portfolio of stiff, posed shots that just do not do justice to a lively and convivial gathering that was still going strong when I went to bed at 1.30am. My speech was of the housekeeping variety with a progress report as to developments with Business Money. The principal speaker was Dom Antony Sutch. Antony, a chartered accountant by qualification, is now a Bendictine monk. Education is his passion – he was once headmaster at Downside, and he spoke to us of his love of horse racing and fine wine. It is with a heavy heart that I must report that the occupants of one table seemed to have a problem holding their drink as they had clearly mislaid their good manners. My speech and that of Antony had to be delivered against a background of witless braying from one table and the occupants of the 25 other tables had to suffer this annoyance. Antony’s speech was very funny but unfortunately some people could not hear it above the noise. Ours is an innately courteous industry, those in it are educated, erudite and often bring guests to take part in an event that is representative of the standards prevailing in commercial finance. Judging by the comments I heard afterwards, those responsible have done themselves few favours. But there is something else. As a former headmaster Antony will be well used to juvenile behaviour but he is now looking after a parish and during the evening he received a telephone call to let him know that several of his parishioners had been involved in the coach crash in Germany in which three people were killed. He honoured his obligation to us – the fee goes straight to his church, not to him – then dashed off to catch the last train back to Norwich to be with his flock at an hour of great distress. Under the circumstances, he could have been forgiven if he had decided that it was not worth the effort. I am making much of a small part of what was a great evening but I owe it to those who support our dinners so well to ensure that their enjoyment is not spoilt, so if any of the miscreants can remember and they regret what happened, I shall be happy to forward their letter of apology to Antony, in confidence. Our next dinner is in Edinburgh on 17 May, and this is followed by Birmingham on 15 June and Manchester on 11 October. Editor |
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