Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen: 

M&C Saatchi’s Steve Martin (annoyingly predictable but it’s true – the man has a silver tongue)

​

Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours): 

P&G Thank You Mums Olympic campaign. Big corporate with a creative approach and a clear, relevant and impactful message. Oh, and it actually positively affected the company’s bottom line performance – an objective most activations conveniently forget.

​

Best agency (that isn’t yours): 

The one making the most margin on fees. The hardest part of running an agency – actually turning a profit. 

​

Best young industry talent: 

Whoever is running the European Tour’s social content.

​

Best sporting event attended: 

Liverpool vs AC Milan – 2005 UEFA Champions League Final. The moment I no longer had to wonder what a naked Scouser running across a roof at 3 in the morning looks like. Honourable mention for England v India at Lords in 2002 and watching Michael Vaughan, fresh from a sublime century, bowl Tendulkar through the gate 3 short of the Little Master’s own three figure score. Only marginally ruined by being in a hospitality box full of intellectual property lawyers.

​

Best sporting event on TV: 

The Masters – it just looks so damn beautiful.

​

Best brand ambassador: 

Hard to beat Beckham although Pele’s brief sojourn into promoting sexual performance products opened up a whole new market sector for sponsorship sales teams.

​

Best industry event or conference: 

Love me an Awards do although none of them understand the concept of brevity.

​

Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business: 

Jerry Maguire (the bit where he gets fired for momentarily thinking the sport business is about anything other than generating cash).

​

Best book recommendation: 

The Captain Myth (I forget the author’s name).

​

Best bar or pub: 

The Old Plough in Cobham – where an unnatural number of industry execs have relocated to contemplate middle age.

​

Best restaurant:  

Bocca di Lupo in Soho – the rabbit is sensational.

​