New partners in law firms must be creative in thinking of strategies for bringing in new clients and retaining them. (This is in addition to doing the best work: this is taken for granted.) There are the usual round of events which includes lunches in good restaurants, boxes at football matches, or golf tournaments. Clients are in the lucky position of being able to choose among the array. Some events are familiar and liked for that reason while others induce lassitude--another lunch! It is difficult to be original. But when someone is, then it stands out.
Inviting a group of clients to the Eurovision Song Contest is an original event! A young partner at Olswang has done exactly this. The contest this year is being held in Athens, in the new Olympic Stadium. So it has the long tradition of an ancient city with a clutch of exciting new buildings and an occasion that much of Europe will be joining in. More information can be found at the BBC Radio 2 Eurovision Song Contest website, including videos of the countries' entries.
Although Eurovision is a frivolous affair, as confirmed by Terry Wogan's commentaries, in one small part of Europe it is a very serious matter. There are 37 songs in the contest and four of them are from the Balkans: Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, all ex-Yugoslav states. Serbia and Montenegro have had to drop out (but you can hear their song still on the Radio 2 site). For the second year running a Montenegro group, "No Name", were chosen much to the wrath of the Serbs. Matters weren't helped when the band draped themselves in the Montenegrin flag. Everything has come to a head because 24 hours after Eurovision Montenegrins vote in a referendum on whether they should claim independence from Serbia.
Kosovo isn't represented because it would have to sing under the flag of Serbia & Montenegro, so no Kosovo band is going to do that, added to which no Kosovo band would ever be picked. They are rooting for Albania. Bosnia, however, expects to pick up votes from Serbia & Montenegro's absence. It gets evermore complicated.
It will be interesting to observe the points distribution in this little corner of Europe--who gives and who receives "nul points"--and what the effects will be.
Inviting a group of clients to the Eurovision Song Contest is an original event! A young partner at Olswang has done exactly this. The contest this year is being held in Athens, in the new Olympic Stadium. So it has the long tradition of an ancient city with a clutch of exciting new buildings and an occasion that much of Europe will be joining in. More information can be found at the BBC Radio 2 Eurovision Song Contest website, including videos of the countries' entries.
Although Eurovision is a frivolous affair, as confirmed by Terry Wogan's commentaries, in one small part of Europe it is a very serious matter. There are 37 songs in the contest and four of them are from the Balkans: Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, all ex-Yugoslav states. Serbia and Montenegro have had to drop out (but you can hear their song still on the Radio 2 site). For the second year running a Montenegro group, "No Name", were chosen much to the wrath of the Serbs. Matters weren't helped when the band draped themselves in the Montenegrin flag. Everything has come to a head because 24 hours after Eurovision Montenegrins vote in a referendum on whether they should claim independence from Serbia.
Kosovo isn't represented because it would have to sing under the flag of Serbia & Montenegro, so no Kosovo band is going to do that, added to which no Kosovo band would ever be picked. They are rooting for Albania. Bosnia, however, expects to pick up votes from Serbia & Montenegro's absence. It gets evermore complicated.
It will be interesting to observe the points distribution in this little corner of Europe--who gives and who receives "nul points"--and what the effects will be.
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