Last month saw a very exciting moment in M&C Saatchi Performance history as we celebrated our 10th anniversary as a company. To commemorate this momentous occasion we wanted to do something really special and organised parties in New York, Singapore and of course London so that our eight offices across the globe could all celebrate.
In London, the whole company was treated to an away stay at a country manor in Hertfordshire. Each person was given a personalised goodie bag containing all the necessities for an away stay including sun-cream (admittedly this was surplus to requirements as let’s be honest it was only June and what more could we expect from the English weather!?), cans of Pimms, Lucozade, snacks and performance marketing branded sunglasses and water bottles. The event was a chance for everyone in the Mobile team to really let their hair down and naturally frivolity ensued!
Pre-party
Having finally managed to get all 58 team members on board a coach, a feat in itself, we set off on our journey to Hanbury Manor which was mostly uneventful, unless you count every single male employee on the coach desperately needing the loo! By the time we arrived, we were a coach full of restless and hungry people so the sight of a BBQ couldn’t come sooner enough.
The afternoon was a chance for all the boys to get extremely competitive as they engaged in a game of football whilst most of the girls took their pick of the selection of outdoor activities including badminton, giant volleyball, giant jenga and croquet. When it started to rain, we sought refuge and decided that drinking Pimms and driving the golf-buggies (questionably at best but mentioning no names!) around the hotel’s grounds was the best way to get in a party mood!
The shin-dig
After a couple of hours enjoying being out of the chaos of London, we kicked off our Bond themed party with drinks on the terrace followed by a three-course meal and speeches from Libby Robinson, EMEA Managing Director, Chris Steedman, APAC Managing Director and Eric Mugnier, Americas Managing Director. Our Global CEO James Hilton also said a huge thank you to everyone and reflected on the successes of the past decade. As a surprise, James was presented with a framed gold disc signed by the entire global M&C Saatchi Performance team and with messages from the original Inside Mobile team. As the dinner drew to a close, the Casino tables, photo-booth, dance floor and cocktail bar opened and the night truly started. A good night can usually be measured in how you feel the next day and as the coach back to London was almost silent, I think we can presume that it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!
Hangover blues
The celebrations didn’t end there however (although some people definitely looked as though they’d had enough celebrating!) as two days after the party was the official anniversary date so there was more excitement to come in the form of bacon sandwiches to cure any two-day hangovers and picnic food to scoff whilst watching the England vs Wales match which we played in the office. To top it all we invited Moray MacLennan, the Worldwide CEO of M&C Saatchi to join us in toasting some Champers to commemorate the last ten years!
All in all, the hangovers were worth it as the parties across three continents reflected the success we have enjoyed over the past ten years and now the recovery time has passed we’re all thoroughly looking forward to what the next decade will bring!
