Office Friendly Shine in Blackpool
11/9/2009 - 13/9/2009
On a glorious September weekend, over 250 supporters of Office Friendly travelled to the illuminating town of Blackpool for a weekend of business & social pleasure.
The weekend teed-off with a round of golf sponsored by VOW in the beaming North West sun shine, the victor was Rob Osborne from Newel Rubbermaid and for the first time in Office Friendly history 3 ladies closely competed with Jackie Bailey Scott from Abbey Print eventually triumphing. The watching crowd chatted with old and new friend whilst sipped Cream Teas before letting off steam at the highly anticipated AGM and VOW Q&A session.
The town renowned for its entertainment saw gang´s of office products dealers & suppliers climb upon donkeys, peek their heads through boards, dress in outrageous outfits from characters from Little Britain and Captain Mannering for a ‘Best of British´ night. The comedian, Tony Jo who trekked all the way from......Blackpool, heckled Harry Potter & guests as they tucked into the traditional British dish, ‘Bangers and Mash´.
An early start on the Saturday morning saw business kick off with the guest speaker Jack Black who splashed his audience with inspiration and the desire to succeed within their business. Office Friendly front man Steve Harrop and VOWs Managing Director Ian Sinclair followed on with insights into industry news and future outlooks.
The supplier exhibition was jam packed with over 50 exhibitors highlighting their new and existing ranges of products. Bathing in the British sunshine, supporters were treated to the seaside special, Fish, Chip & mushy peas and´99´ ice-creams served from vans.
Venturing inside after the midday sun delegates were interactive in 3 business workshops delivered by 2 of the Office Friendly team and 1 board member. Delegates shared ideas and knowledge on topics about contract stationers pricing practices, the UK economy and members good ideas. To close the business session delegates were treated to a second dose of Jack Black.
The finale of the weekend witnessed attendees dressed up in their best frocks at the Last night of the Proms Gala Dinner night. The night saw guests dancing away to the likes of Dusty Springfield and Doris Day in a ‘Memories are made of hits´ set performed by the highly rated ‘Smackee´ Cabaret group.
The Blackpool conference has been dubbed by many members as ‘one of the best´ and even the ‘best ever´ Office Friendly conference showing a great mix of motivation, relaxation and positively over the weekend.
Re-Live the experience of the conference or see what everyone got up to by viewing all photos on Paul the photographer´s website, www.paulfairbrother.com under the category recent events. You can purchase any of the photos direct from the website and keep lasting memories of the weekend forever.
Many thanks to everyone who supported the conference and help raise over £4,400 for the Institute of Cancer Research. We look forward to seeing everybody at next year´s event.
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