A week or so ago I jumped on a plane and travelled to London as a guest of the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of The Year Awards. Having built the website for the competition, we were honoured to be invited to this star studded ceremony.
Upon arrival it was immediately apparent that Specsavers had gone to a lot of effort with this gig. The Royal Opera House looked absolutely stunning, and the place was bristling with celebs and paparazzi. I wondered upstairs, grabbed a glass of bubbly and got chatting to an interesting chap who turned out to be the deputy editor of a very well known celebrity magazine.
Shortly afterwards I turned around to be dazzled by the gleaming gnashers of 2012 X-Factor finalist Rylan Clark. I also noticed Dame Edna milling about alongside Gok Wan, Melanie C, Lulu and a whole host of other well known faces.
The ceremony kicked off with Gok bounding onto the stage supported with a tirade of dub step and house music. Each award was presented by a different celebrity and it made for a very entertaining evening. For me, Dame Edna was the highlight. She was hilarious and even wrote a poem to Specsavers. Brilliant.
Another highlight was a live performance from Mel C with one of her songs supported by Matt Cardel. Having been a hardcore junglist for many years, The Spice Girls & X-Factor isn't really my bag, however I have to say that the performance they gave was really quite good.
Later on we hit the bar, then we headed back to the hotel for pizza and other snacks.
The following day I was treated to a visit to the Google offices in London. I can confirm the rumours - it is a truly inspiration place. Free food, drink and coffee throughout, plus an entire floor dedicated to recreation including a gym, chill out room, garden and a large cafeteria. It's definitely given me some inspiration for decking out our new studio. Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos to share, however here is an article that gives you a feel for this awesome spectacle.
