Payment terms, lycra and lap dancing are discussed at the ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ Awards shortlist party
Yesterday ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ hosted its annual ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ Awards ceremony, where we announced this yearβs winners. Youβll find coverage of the evening and the list of winners on our website and in next weekβs magazine, but here we take a moment to recall the party we had last month to congratulate all the firms and individuals that made it onto this yearβs shortlist in all 19 categories.
Itβs fair to say the ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ Awards shortlist party was a relaxed affair, more so than the awards night itself, perhaps because - for this night at least - there are no losers in the room; everyone can view themselves as winners.
So, the atmosphere was upbeat as the magazineβs editor Sarah Richardson took to the stage to welcome the assembled throng. This is ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨βs 170th year, she told them, βWhich makes us older than the London Underground.β
ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ ran into a man who for the purpose of this column shall be known as βthe Mr Ikea of schoolsβ
A number of guests remarked that the view from the terrace of Grange Hotel in St Pauls, where we were the evening took place, was rather good but unfortunately the temperature dropped to zero so only the brave lingered outside. We did spot Roger Battersby, managing partner at PRP Architects, outside later in the evening - and he doesnβt even smoke. Theyβre hardy folk those architects.
It was a week when payment terms had been the hot topic of conversation, with Carillion choosing to extend its terms to 120 days as part of a complex new system. So, it was no surprise that guests from specialist contractor Lakesmere and consultant DBK both expressed a level of sadness that the industry hasnβt yet solved this age old problem. In fact, they were equally concerned that
this may be the pattern of things to come as we spent some time bemoaning the state of the economy and the construction sector in particular.
Until around nine in the evening conversation had been largely driven by work concerns but as the wine flowed the topics broadened. ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ ran into a man who for the purpose of this column shall be known only as βthe Mr Ikea of schoolsβ (his own description). In an attempt to kick-off conversation he asked if we like football. This particular ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ hack doesnβt like football.
βSo youβre gay?β he asked mischievously.βNo, but I do dress up in skin tight Lycra with a bunch of middle aged men in the woods at the weekend,β ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ told him. βIβm a cyclist.β
We were just wondering whether this conversation is flirtatious or simply offensive when we get accosted by two charming gents from Virtus Consult.
Like many in the industry, they were keen to get their face into ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ buys a pint. βYou should come up to Birmingham and weβll take you to Broad Street,β said director Andrew Ogilvie.
Mindful of the previous conversation ΠΤ°Ι΅ηΜ¨ asked: βIs that like Canal Street in Manchester?β as we wonder if thereβs something about the way weβre dressed is pinging everyoneβs gaydar.
But no, Ogilvie and his fellow director Jan Ponsford informed us itβs just where all the lap dancing clubs are. Such behaviour would have our readers from 1843 turning in their graves β¦
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