Graduation Day

“A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success.”Robert Orben

On Saturday 17th July 2010, it was my turn to be one of those thousand students who was dressed in the identical cap and gown. It hadn’t really sunk in that this day had finally arrived. I had a mixture of feelings when I woke up on Saturday morning. I was excited to see all of my university friends again, but there was a part of me feeling nervous! What if I tripped up on stage? What happens if my hat falls off?

We arrived at my university and the first port of call was to collect my mum and dad’s tickets along with my hat and gown from the hall. As I got into the hall, there were about 5 little old men with tape measures around their necks wearing waistcoats and bow ties (something I wasn’t expecting). I went over to one of the men, Derek, and he fitted my gown onto my dress and gave me my hat. When I had on the full outfit, I was dreading to see what I Iooked like. I stepped outside to meet my parents – their faces said it all. My dad had a huge grin on his face, as for my mum…well she was nearly crying.

I then had my photographs taken. By this time, we were then getting reminders that we had to be seated soon in the auditorium. All the students took their seats at the back of the auditorium, whilst guests were sat at the front. The ceremony started with a small procession from the dean and the chancellor etc. After a few long speeches, it was then time for the students to go up on stage. Row by row, people were making their way towards the stage. Before I knew it was my row that was moving. Although I had waited an hour before it was my turn, when it was my turn, my moment of glory lasted around 45 seconds. As presumed, my name was pronounced in a way that even my mum didn’t recognise that it was me on stage. I felt a huge sigh of relief the second I stepped down from the stage. The ceremony ended with another small procession into another room where refreshments and food were being served. All the students…sorry graduates, went straight for the champagne and from then on, it continued to be a fantastic and memorable day!

World Cup is Over

Good News Ladies - We can now gain control back of the TV remote to catch up with the programmes we have missed whilst the World Cup 2010 has been on our television.

Although I have to say that BBS followed the fixtures and results closely but this was mainly due to having a sweepstake running in the office for the winner and runner up of the World Cup. A bit of healthy competitive football banter was a daily occurrence in the office for the last month – no red cards were given out during this period I can assure you.

I am pleased to announce the winner of our sweepstake was Bhavina and the runner up was Nathalie. Well done girls!

And as for England’s performance… I am sure that if BBS completed satisfaction surveys with 100 England fans, the analysis report would not be that favourable towards the squad.

They think it’s all over – It is now!

Eventia Summer Summit

On Sunday Ruth and I travelled up to Glasgow to attend the Eventia Summer Summit on behalf of Lancashire & Blackpool Conferences & Meetings. After a long journey we eventually made it to a very gusty Glasgow. We were thrown right into the activities with a Drinks Reception that evening which was an excellent opportunity to network with other destinations, buyers and suppliers.

Monday we had an eventful day attending seminars and taking part in breakout sessions at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC). The SECC was an impressive venue and the speakers were educational and enlightening. Dr Dominic Swords, Leading Business Economist and a representative from Google, gave an interesting talk about the way forward with YouTube.

Monday evening we attended a dinner at the Old Fruitmarket, one of the Glasgow Concert Hall’s venues. As the name suggests, the venue previously housed the fruit market in the City and it still retains the period charm of that time with cobbled streets and a vaulted roof. The atmosphere was exceptional. The Eventia team were dressed for revelry and put on great entertainment throughout the night.

Thank you Eventia for a fantastic informative and fun couple of days. I can’t wait till next year!

Good Luck Helen!

This week has been a very momentous time in the BBS office. Helen has headed off on maternity leave to await the imminent arrival of her brand new bundle of joy! We all wish her the best of luck and are very much looking forward to visits from her and the new Harris little lady soon (yes that’s right we are placing all the odds on a new little girl and stocking up on the pink baby-grows!)

To say farewell in style we paid a visit to our favourite restaurant Sanmini’s in Ramsbottom. The food was amazing as usual and it is no coincidence that we chose an Indian for Helen’s last supper…. I think 9 months is slightly excessive to expect 6 women to wait for a new baby! Unfortunately, our plan was foiled and it appears the baby is holding firmly onto the entrance date of the 29th of July… Let the countdown continue!