The Garrulous Jay – Dinner, Bike & Bookfest

More by accident than design, September turned out to be ‘marketing month’ for George Shippam Financial Planning. At various points the Jay could therefore be found convening a dinner, perched upon his bicycle or loitering before a rather smart tent (although that’s James in the photo not me)…

What follows is a brief round-up and reflection on these events.

Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Dinner – 10th September
Chutney Mary, St. James’s, London

We hosted a dinner at Chutney Mary for 15 business owners and entrepreneurs. It was both fun and fascinating to bring together people from professions as varied as catering, insurance, design and marketing.

My good friend and erstwhile colleague, John Wraith, drew upon his 30+ year career in banking to make us all feel rather gloomy about the macroeconomic outlook. If he had delivered his thoughts with less clarity we would perhaps have been happier but less well-informed.

Fortunately we were then cheered up – possibly even inspired – by Laura Riches, CEO of Laylo. Laura told the story of how she has built the business from a rather impetuous purchase of 2000 litres of Rioja four years ago, into a company that is now redefining people’s perceptions of boxed and canned wines.

Norfolk Churches Trust Bike Ride & Walk – 13th September
Edge of Broadland, Norfolk

Fortunately, two days proved sufficient for Greater Anglia to return me from London to Norfolk in time to host a ride around some of the county’s finest churches in the company of 14 friends and acquaintances.

We are sponsors of the Bike Ride, which raises in excess of £100,000 every year to support some wonderful buildings challenged by rising costs and falling congregations.

The day went well and we managed to avoid the downpours being encountered by cyclists less fortunate than us.

The Mannington Book Bash – 25th-28th September
Mannington Hall, Mannington, North Norfolk

The month culminated with our sponsorship of this brilliant book festival, organised by the irrepressible Henry Layte, owner of The Book Hive bookshops in Norwich and Aylsham.

It was a pleasure to be in a quiet corner of North Norfolk listening to people as diverse as the Poet Laureate; England’s most capped rugby player; a podcasting pioneer and a leading environmental barrister, among many other fascinating speakers.

We were proud to be associated with the event and delighted by the enthusiastic endorsement Henry gave our business before every talk!

Summary

This week’s Garrulous Jay is therefore an opportunity for me to thank my team and others for all the work they put in to making our presence at these events such a success.

Thanks also to everyone who joined or spoke to us. We hope that you enjoyed meeting us as much as we did you.