 |
 |
I started attending IOLIM in 1979 and spent ages walking the aisles seeking out Nordic customers or potential customers to invite to an annual cheese and wine party we held at The Business Book Shop at London Business School which was at the time run by Alan Armstrong & Associates. At the time I ran AIRS, American Information Retrieval Service - but then there was no online/fax etc and our retrieval was done by hand and in paper! We loaded everyone onto a red London bus and off we went to Regents Park. What fun - and oddly more wine was consumed than cheese! The mission of most Nordic delegates was to learn something at the conference, do their Christmas shopping and to take advantage of cheap alcohol prices. Fond memories of people standing around waiting for demonstrations of 'on-line' using acoustic couplers which didn't work as no one had realised you needed to dial 9 in the NOVOTEL for an outside line. On-line we all muttered. It will NEVER take off. In 1986 I had my first stand having just joined TASK FORCE PRO LIBRA Ltd the precursor to TFPL. All I can remember is the sorest feet (most sore feet?) in the world after three days and NO VOICE at all. The world stopped by at our lurid green stand aghast. 'Recruitment for information people?' Unheard of. Then over the years Online became a consuming part of life - well certainly the last quarter of each year - and 70% of our budgets as we geared up to exhibit our wares. One year as Sue Hill Recruitment I think I won best stand. Sigh - such an accolade. All done with black paint and red Christmas baubles on red ribbon. Moody if not sophisticated. I remember the fantastic parties that were hosted by various Robert Maxwell companies. I think I saw the inside of every gallery and museum for free, and explored canapés and wine in hand. That was the life. (Not however for Mr Maxwell - he was always rumoured to be attending but never did). Many friends for life from all over the world were made in the aisles of Olympia and as Phil Bradley said in his blog - it took three days of walking around and you still hadn't seen everyone or everything. Change...... Good for us all. Sue ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sue Hill FIRP Hon FCLIP Hon FCDG Sue Hill Recruitment - Blogging on http://suehill.typepad.com/ and tweeting on @SueHillRec Borough House 80 Borough High Street London SE1 1LL Tel 020 7378 7068 Mobile 07973 543 704 Registered Office: 2nd Floor Strand Bridge House 138 - 142 The Strand London WC2R 1HH Registered in England No. 3484222 VAT No. 709 9652 93