How to enjoy yourselves working!

I was talking to Martin on the phone today and he remarked on the lack of blog posts lately.
I thought back over many years, thirty, nearly forty, to the time we worked together when work was doubtless just as hard as it is today but when we had great fun doing it. We sold beer. Planning how to do it involved imagination. That involved annual conferences. Politicians had them and still do. Unfortunately, their conferences only ever result in botching up most things they talk about. They seem neither awake nor happy.
So how did we go about it? Where did we go?

Here's part of the reasoned irreverant answer offered in 1979 by sales team members Richard Laker and Ray Sprague.

Oh! to be in Duston
Now that April's here
We're going on a conference,
(We do it every year).

In verse you name a poet,
Browning was his name -
Of a city that he came upon

Steeped in history and fame.

Who is this bloke called Browning?
Did we meet him in the Navy

Philip the Arab

'Cos the only Browning we've heard of
You use to thicken gravy!!

So we read and thought of Browning,
A  contempor'y of Shelley
He spent some time in Italy
(Got a gutfeel in my belly).

To Florence or to Venice,
Or to see the tower of Pisa,
We know we need a passport, Guv
But do we need a visa?

Their idea of humour

But none of these we think it is
Whilst grafting hard back home
There's only one more city left

We're sure that it is Rome.

Now we think we've got it right                                                               
There's not much left to say
Except about your relative
Who reigned more than a day.

Five years he ruled the whole of Rome
'til two forty nine A.D.,
His name: Phil The Arab,  
Aint changed much, have you? see!


Their geographical, literary and historical knowledge were hard to fault.
Of course they had to add other 'comical' bits with their own captions.





       
All representatives must attend the conference




Which will be held in a modern centre




                                          
                                           

P.W.G's Hotel


                                                       
                                                            Ours

At least they were aware of the hierarchy

A sightseeing tour has been arranged for ******** & *********  

Of course they had to have a go at fellow salesmen who must be nameless

The rest of us will have a boat trip and a sing-song

Spare a thought for our wives back home

But they had to end with a note to our organiser of conferences

Never mind Eric you can't win 'em all.

But he did and the conferences and results became legendary in our own world.

Here is another conference. Guess where?  After 34 years quite a few of these faces have gone on, but they are still with me as I know they are with others. They would have been delighted to think that after all these years their happiness and stories would bring warmth to make people smile.

If by chance you have enjoyed this and would like to see more please write and tell me.