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© Business Money Ltd 2006 |
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The Great Northern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner30 September 2004Scott Jenkins – Business Money’s new team member – agreed to drive me to Manchester this year on the condition that I navigated. Having taken him the scenic route at both ends I anticipate that he will opt for the train next year, but we still arrived with a couple of hours to spare and the tactical detour meant that all the setting up had been done by the time our offer of assistance was made. The Alexandra Suite of The Midland looked superb. Business Money balloons were bobbing in the air-conditioned breeze and all looked set for another fantastic event. The extra miles meant that there was only a short time to wait until the donning of the tux and before too long the Business Money team would be welcoming guests to The 2004 Great Northern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner. Kroll were the first on the scene, bypassing the champagne, to arrange the final placings on their two tables. The champagne did not stand for long though and the reception area steadily filled with the majority of the 285 who had booked for this year’s northern event. As our team only stretches to six, we were spread fairly thinly amongst the guests but I still managed to introduce myself to Nick Goulding, Forum of Private Business chief executive and I just had time to introduce him to Brad Liebmann, managing director of Xbridge before darting off to welcome another of the guests for the evening, John Spence. John Spence will be known to many of you as director, policy co-ordination and risk, Lloyds TSB, but he is also known for his talent as an after dinner speaker. We were privileged to have him as our guest at the first ever dinner that was held in London to mark our 100th edition and even more privileged to have him return for a second showing in Manchester. John opened his speech by stating that the editor is a good friend…thankfully not one of his. This should give an indication of the relationship that is enjoyed between them and the general direction of the rest of the speech! His delivery is a subtle blend of humour, mixed with some serious messages. A perfect choice for a business gathering of that nature and, as always, a pleasure to listen to. The other speakers for the evening were David Robertson, FDA chairman, and our editor, Bob Lefroy. David Robertson spoke of the work that the FDA was doing on behalf of its members and the industry as a whole. The list was considerable and it does no harm to remember the role the association plays in the industry. Bob continued the theme with a few tried and tested bits of humour thrown in. The fact that they have all been tried and tested over a thousand times did not seem to deter him and his entertaining style went down well with the crowd. Maybe people were just being polite but old jokes get welcomed like old friends in many places and, clearly, Manchester is one of them. But I am jumping ahead. The evening started with a sincere and moving appeal from Dr Julie Adams regarding the research relating to leukaemia, its treatment and ultimate defeat at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Hilary Craft has laboured mightily to raise funds for this cause and when we were planning our first Manchester dinner she asked if she could hold a raffle. We agreed and the results were excellent. The good folk attending did even better last year, raising close to £3,700. This year, like all good executives, Hilary set us a target. The team at the infirmary needed a refrigerated centrifuge costing £10,000. The sum of £5,000 had already been raised, could we raise a similar figure on the night. We did. As ever, guests dug deep and 285 people raised £4,295 and some of them won one of the terrific raffle prizes donated by Regency, Bibby and a local gentleman’s outfitter We added a cheque for £295 but the star of the show was Michael Connell, a local solicitor, who wrote a cheque for the £500 balance. I hope I have not embarrassed him but his generosity in a worthy cause should not go unnoticed. The fourth, and next, Great Northern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner will be at The Midland hotel on 27 September 2005, we already have some bookings! For our friends in the south, wistfully reading of the fun we had, The Great Southern Business Money Commercial Finance Dinner – the banish those mid-winter blues event – will take place at the Hilton London Paddington, the hotel that helped make last year’s event such a success, on 10 February 2005. We have a limit on numbers there and tickets are beginning to move fast. Call Sophie Grove on 0800 783 2030. Tickets are priced at £126 + VAT. Table of 10, £1260 + VAT. Ben Lefroy
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