Who am I?

My photo
An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see the natural world as a place for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!

Followers

Friday 5 December 2014

I've been on an adventure

I have just returned from a two day sojourn to darkest Manchester - courtesy of my employers, Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems. What a blast! We, a group of eleven members of the workforce, travelled from Ramsgate to Manchester Piccadilly by train. We stayed in the Ibis Salford Quay (very basic - and not somewhere I would recomend to anyone other than a student) but it was only for a night and the hotel isn't going to detract from a great trip.

This is a building wrap, right outside St. Pancras Station.
It is FSIS technology - machinery and inks; that make these things possible.
We were there to participate in the inaugural "Manufacturing Champions Awards" - an event set up to celebrate the success of UK manufacturing and recognise individuals whose efforts make such things happen. It was held at the Midland Hotel - why didn't we stay there? - which is a very grandiose building in the heart of the city.
Why didn't we stay here?
One "Quality Street" venue - if I'd have turned up in my usual attire I would have been referred
to the tradesmen's entrance. It is very posh.
I've never been to anything like this before and admit that I was a little apprehensive when asked if I would attend? I'm so happy that I said yes - it was bloody excellent. Graham Poll, that dodgy ref, was the guest speaker and also presented the awards. He was great value with stories of various incidents within his refereeing career - he's also a QPR fan, so there were two of us in the building.
Scott and Eric - what a pair of "Champions"
Only after working for them can you appreciate what they are
actually doing?
Great organisers, great motivators, great man-managers -
apart from that they are a pair of twats!

The time passed quickly and, much to my amazement, my two supervisors (the guys that I'd nominated) won the "Manufacturing Team" prize, so time to go on the lash! It was my birthday, to boot, and the whole day was one of enjoyment and new experiences. I sincerely hope that everyone else gained as much from the experience as I did. We were up against some real big hitters - so any award has to be deserved and is, therefore, hard earned.
In all our glory - "The FSIS guys and gal"
As you will notice, I'm beside Graham Poll with my hair in a "ponytail"
because if I'd looked anything like normal I'd have been
politely asked to stand behind one of the taller members of the group, just so
I didn't spoil the photo. What a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday!
Work in a couple of hours - I'm rather looking forward to it!

2 comments: