Women 1st Shine Awards 2013 – London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
Event tickets – check, congestion charge paid – check, double check hotel reservation – check, give the Gun a once over (it doesn’t get out of Pembrokeshire very often!), final idiot check for essentials – posh frock, shoes, wallet, me – check….set off at 11am and had a clear run all the way, even through Town!
Staying at The Thistle City Barbican Hotel, chosen for its awesome parking (not surprisingly the Shogun doesn’t fit in most hotel carparks, especially underground eeeeek!)
After such a good run I had ample time for a cheeky Corona and a shower….5.30pm leave early with the plan of chilling back in the bar before the event at 7pm.
Oh, how wrong was I…. Hotel sorted us out with a car (addison lee), after 2hours…yes that’s right folks 2hours to navigate 4 miles! The driver took us to the wrong Marriott Hotel!
Options…jump in another cab (hmmmm not too keen if i’m honest) or walk up Oxford street…we opted for the walk, dodging the tourists in their shorts and flip flops. Had it of been in Pembs we’d have had some awesome looks, but we fitted right into the London scene.
We made it, with seconds to spare, having missed the drinks reception we headed in to find our seats and a well earned glass of wine. Oh… check out the decor, perfect styling with some awesome pink & black.
Table 24 Massive, we sat back and…..I laughed my socks off (no I wasn’t wearing socks!) as ex-rugby union star and now television presenter, Matt Dawson MBE bravely took on the challenge of entertaining hundreds of women.
Dinner was super tasty, I could list the menu but will opt for description instead:
Starter…yummy bread with bits in (seeds), boiled egg (with a runny yolk, oh yeah!) in breadcrumbs on a bed of asparagus with drizzled hollandaise sauce.
Main…lamb mmmmm, splodge of spinach, a baby carrot, mashed (but not uber mashed) potatoes, rich gravy
Dessert….rising to the challenge of a predominantly female crowd, chef turned out a scrummy caramel mousse bar with raspberry yumminess….definitely ticked the sugar craving box!
Next, Matt announced the 23 ladies who were inducted as new members of the Women 1st Top 100 Club…..big shout out to Julie Moore, Managing Director, Green Gourmet Ltd….sat with the Table 24 Massive crew.
On to the Women 1st Shine Awards….in a room full of super successful women, I was stoked just to have been shortlisted as a finalist. When Matt began describing the winner of the Outstanding entrepreneur Award, I was….gobsmacked….NO WAY, he was describing me!!
Thanks to Women 1st and all the sponsors (inc Sodexo). Uber thanks to my team including; Company Mum, Superdad, Chief Gaz, ‘Safety’ Will, Big Guns Dave and Lukey Superfly….you guys are AWESOME!!
We had a fabulous evening and bringing a trophy home to Wales was the icing on the cake!
About Women 1st
“At Women 1st, we want to transform the face of boards in hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism, and support women who aspire to senior leadership roles to fulfil their career ambitions.
In 2009, we discovered that, while women make up almost 60 percent of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism workforce, just six percent of board-level directors are female. In passenger transport, women make up just 22 percent of the entire workforce.
This needs to change, and that’s where Women 1st comes in.”
Check out their website for more info www.women1st.co.uk
