Breakfast Frenzy

This week has been a bit of a time shift for me simply because I am one of the worst people I know for early starts. Monday was the usual wake up at half seven, wake up again at eight then rush about getting fed and making myself presentable before leaving at quarter to nine. Tuesday came with a six o’clock start, rolling out of bed half an hour later and struggling through the usual routine nearly ninety minutes too early for my brain to recognise where, who or what it was. It was the day of the Inside Business Magazine Open Forum breakfast at The Winter Gardens . That was a dry affair, from the breakfast bap with a couple of greasy slices of bacon to the debate which turned out to be a chance for the board to talk at the audience. The breakfast which preceded the sit down forum was little more than a large foyer with a table of bacon baps and danish pastries served by two members of staff and accompanied by a coffee or tea. This meant standing and talking whilst trying to juggle a paper plate and a china cup and hand out business cards all at once. Not a wise idea and I’d recommend perhaps seating as a minimum.

The forum wasn’t. It was billed as an open debate but realistically would have required a full day of debate rather than the hour or so that we had. The panel were all very educated in their fields but didn’t actually answer many of the questions the audience were asked to submit beforehand. The range of subjects that were covered was very limited, mainly due to time constraints. A much lengthier debate would have received greater plaudits.

After that, I returned to my day job as a mild mannered retail store manager, filled another day with paperwork, customers and fair trade coffee before going home to a hot meal and a night of bad tv and emails.

The following morning was another six o’clock start for my own Chamber breakfast. In conjunction with Michaela at The Alasia Restaurant, Weston Chamber, or rather just myself, had organised a breakfast to encourage more interaction between town centre businesses and to draw more members for the chamber itself. The publicity for the restaurant was an added advantage and the chance to link up with a new chamber member in Michaela made it all very satisfying. As opposed to the previous day, the feast on offer was incomparable. We were greated by the owners themselves and offered a hot drink on arrival. The restaurant offers a vast range of teas and a very good coffee and as we were encouraged to our seats,grouped in fours, we found platters to share filled with exotic and fresh fruits. This was follwed up with plates of mixed toasts and a selection of preserves. During the breakfast, I introduced the co sponsors, hosts and speakers for the event. Andrew Brown and Lawrence Russel of Albert Goodman Financial were welcomed as speakers and gave us some very useful insights and advice whilst Debbie Staveley of b Clear Communications held us all rapped as she drew us into the inner macinations of the PR world.

Our sponsors, without whom the breakfast would not have been possible were Chawner Grey Solicitors and Buildbase builder’s Merchants. Both sponsors were very generous and made very welcome partners in the first breakfast of this kind the chamber has organised. We hope to work woth both sponsors in the near future and to repeat the undeniable success of this venture.