First off please allow me to say, I have not been ignoring you all I promise!
People who know me will understand that time has simply not allowed me to be more frequent with my posts. My apologies for this, hopefully these next two posts will make up for the lost time.
There is only one place to start however, and that is Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea Football Club...
The scene was set, not for a football match though, if they had attempted to play a match it would have been like playing on the beach, as the pitch was in the process of being re-laid. Instead, the stage was ready for the launch of RLI Connect 2014, the registration table was set, the attendees' badges were laid out ready to be collected, the meeting rooms were prepped and the networking lounges were prepared.
RLI Connect is the perfect platform for conducting business and building value through strategic partnerships. The purpose of the event is to give YOU face-time with the key players and decision-makers in the retail and leisure sectors. After multiple requests from attendees at our inaugural event, our second event was expanded to take place over two days, allowing delegates even more time to network, connect and close deals.
We arrived in plenty of time on the morning of the first day, eager to get started, and we were not the only ones as people turned up before the official 8am start, this was excellent to see and the day took off from there. The event was planned out well in advance, with the online database having been set up for months prior to the event assisting people with their meeting schedules, making sure everyone knew what was happening from start to finish. Every aspect of the event had been designed to allow the attendees to get on with business and make the most of their time at the event. To ensure everyone got a chance to meet people who they did not have pre-arranged meetings with, we had regular coffee and networking breaks and lunch in the RLI Connect networking lounge, one of the two dedicated networking lounges at the event.
To close the first day of the event, there was a cocktail party that, like last year, over-ran as people caught up with friends, colleagues and associates, and discussed the event and general business in a more informal setting with free beer, wine and soft drinks. Throughout the day we filmed delegates on camera as they talked about their perspectives of the event, highlighting what it is RLI Connect does for so many retailers and developers. As the cocktail party over-ran, the staff at Chelsea began cleaning up for the day around us, a productive day had been had by all. After the days activities we went out for dinner with clients and friends from the event and had a fantastic meal in Novikov, which doubled into a nightclub for those that still had energy to burn after a thoroughly exciting day. I finally crashed at about 2am, still wired, and ready for day two of RLI Connect and the evening that would bring with it the 9th Global RLI Awards.
After the quick start to the first day, none of us were surprised when people turned up on day two as soon as the clock hit 8, ready for coffee, breakfast, networking and meetings. The second day, despite finishing earlier at 2pm, had all the verve and vigour of the first day, as certain people could only attend on the Thursday there were lots of meeting requests and meeting rooms were in constant use. As the event drew to a close, we had one final hour between 1pm and 2pm where there was an informal lunch and networking session to conclude RLI Connect 2014.
As RLI Connect 2014 closed its meeting room doors at 2pm, many people went off to relax for a few hours before getting ready for the evening's activities, but for me and my colleagues, our day was just beginning...
As RLI Connect 2014 closed its meeting room doors at 2pm, many people went off to relax for a few hours before getting ready for the evening's activities, but for me and my colleagues, our day was just beginning...
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