I spent all of last week having Breakfast with Mother, every day from 8am-10am.
And what a delightful, enlightening and entertaining start to the day it was.
Designed to coincide, indeed compliment, Internet Week Europe, (#iweu), Mother created something a little bit special, and a whole lot different every day.
On Monday, the @motherlondon week was launched in a blaze of black and white by way of a specially designed tabloid commissioned from the Newspaper Club. (Mike shoot and show.) An irreverent look at the internet as a whole and providing a useful guide to many of the events throughout Internet Week Europe.
As good few score of Shoreditch start-ups, Miami Ad School, designers, geeks, students, clients, Mother staffers, #iweu overseas visitors and London based Digerati came along to get the show on the road.
On Tuesday it was 'Face Behind the Feed' and saw breakfasters hungry for an opportunity to mingle and meet with guest Twitter celebs: @dianainheaven, @chilean_miner, @whatkatiewore
Profile Portrait Wednesday brought in scores of visitors queuing to have their new online profile portrait taken by world class smudger Alan Clarke, (it also saw hundreds of folk from the Biscuit Building evacuated when the fire alarm kicked in halfway through my second Flat White.)
Thursday, and we were well and truly mobbed as we held The Social Media Quiz of the Year. Featuring teams from digital and traditional ageny backgrounds, spunky, young upstarts from the Young Creative Council, (aw! did I just say spunky? giggle), even a distinguished and very digitally savvy team from the House of Commons Digital Economy Bill All Party Parliamentary Group. (deappg),
Guest Quiz master James Brown, founder of Loaded mag and now the driving force behind the truly wonderful Sabotage Times interrogated 15 teams on their Social Knowledge chops.
In a close run contest, We Are Social (@wearesocial, @qwghlm, @pomfrida, @_vio_) and the team 'Fried', (made up of Simon Andrews MD of @addictivemobile, aka @simonbigpicture, shrewdly partnering, or should that be leading from the front, a bunch of super-smart students) were neck and neck at the end with the same super scores.
So it went to extra-time with Fried emerging victorious, just pipping a plucky and impressively well informed We Are Social in a tense tie-breaker to carry off the Winners trophy.
Speaking of trophies,
Friday's final day came all too soon, and with another massive turnout few people left empty-handed that day.
Why?
Because Mother was giving away dozens of their old ones in 'Pick up an Award from Mother' Friday.
And a fitting end to the week it was.
(I had my eye on the 1993 Bronze Gong From the Ad Club of Bratislava. Sadly I wasn't quick enough. Or smart enough to nab it. Recipients being eligible by doing some cool, creative, funny or both on Twitter in real time.)
And with that, last drop of AllPress Coffee (specially blended for Mother) was gone. The final bacon roll wolfed. The last croissant crumbled.
We think everyone left the building happy.
We hope most of the weeks attendees left a little bit smarter than when they came in, perhaps having met someone interesting, maybe learned something new in the social space, shared some digital insights, enjoyed the creative company of some www peers and pals.
Mother's modest ambition was to simply facilitate that.
To provide a place and a space to make something happen for a bunch off extraordinary people with a shared love and passion for all things digital.
A community of interest and vocation looking to change the world.
Hope they do it again next year. Loved it.
Disclaimer: I don't work for Mother, but like most people of course wish I did. Rather I'm a long-time friend of Mother's and have been ever since Day One. (I've even got the T-Shirt to prove it.) I do occasional digital projects for them and with them.
Having hosted over 150 Coffee Morning's (#EdCM), for Edinburgh's social media community over the last 3 years Mother thought my experience would be useful in helping 'Breakfast with Mother' happen.
I've also made professional capital, and passed myself off totally fictitiously as @founding partner Mark Waites uncle for well over 20 years. Something he has endured with great grace, good humour, and without having to resort to restraining order.
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