The Insight Data team got their glad rags and drinking caps on all in the name of charity, earlier this month, for the twelfth annual Grand Charity Ball and Business Awards organised by the North Somerset Enterprise Agency.

The evening saw over 150 business people from across North Somerset gather for a night of dinner, dancing and a charity auction that raised £6,500 for local charities and good causes.

Polishing off bottles of wine and plates of profiteroles like there was no tomorrow, by the time it came to the presentation of the 2010 Siân Lloyd-Jones Business Award – which recognises outstanding business – I think it’s fair to say everyone was feeling slightly sloshed and slightly stuffed.

But for half of us this moment brought back a strong sense of déjà-vu at the fond memory of this time last year when Insight scooped the first prize and were announced Business of the Year. It’s bizarre to think that it’s been a whole year since that brilliant moment, but even more so when you consider the growth we’ve experienced as a company since then.

The charity auction then followed, with a fair few bids from members of the team (not all of them recalled in the morning) before seeing the night off in Weston’s finest nightclubs and kebab shops.

To date, the ball has raised some £72,000 which has been used to support Cancer Research, CLIC, the RNLI, Samaritans, Weston Hospicecare, the Children’s Ward at Weston Hospital and many other beneficiaries.

We’re so pleased to have been a part of this great scheme for two years running and look forward to supporting it in the future.

The build-up was intense, the show itself more so and the hangovers even more so again, but after 4 days and nights of Glassex mania I’m pleased to say Insight had its most successful year ever!

The mojito’s went down a treat (with our team as much as our stand visitors) and the whole event had a really good vibe about it. We launched a number of new developments including an iPad version of Salestracker and some exciting new apps to go along with it.

However, with so many references to the ghosts of Glassex past, even I began to feel nostalgic – and this was my first show!  Talk of double-decker stands, arcade machines and hospitality suites left me thinking I’ve missed out on Glassex in its heyday, but you know what? I got to enjoy conversations with some really great people, gain a better insight into the industry than I could have ever hoped and experience the wonder that is Flares – what more could a gal ask for?!

Some may call it youthful ignorance but from a ‘Glassex virgin’ point of view I thought it was a brilliant show and had a really good time. Everyone worked really hard and I think a sincere well done (and possibly a mojito party with the leftover bottles – hint hint Andrew) is in order for all involved.

Feedback from new and existing customers was fantastic, and we took 143 qualified leads and had 7 companies sign-up at the show.  It was fun to see our competitors lurch around shoulders hunched in the background hoping to pick up a few scraps.  They should have booked a stand – there was plenty of business for everyone at Glassex.

I’m going to announce the new Salestracker developments and database product launches in a new blog post shortly, so keep an eye out.

But as always, there’s no rest for the wicked… time to start work for G10! Then there’s the Christmas party to organise….

www.insightdata.co.uk

www.twitter.com/insightdata

Only a few days until the 2010 Glassex@Interbuild exhibition begins, and I don’t doubt for a second that Insight Data are the only company asking – where on earth has the time gone?!

It was well over two months ago now that we sat down for our initial ‘Glassex ideas’ meeting and discussed everything from blackjack to beaches before eventually settling on the brilliant (if we do say so ourselves) Mojito theme.

Back then, however, it seemed like we had an endless amount of time to sort out all the ins and outs, yet suddenly here we are – less than a week to go – and it’s full steam ahead at Insight headquarters that’s for sure! We’re going loopy over limes and mad about mints, all for the sake of delivering a memorable presence at Glassex, and if there’s one thing we can guarantee – it’s going to be fantastic.

This fresh, exciting idea sums up exactly what Insight’s about and what we strive to do – create a fresh, exciting approach to database marketing. And we think that having a lively stand and fun cocktails is a great way of getting our message across to the industry.

So if you’re attending Glassex this year then please don’t hesitate to come by and have a chat with the Insight team at Stand 4-A40. If the lure of a free Mojito isn’t enough to tempt you, we’ll also be demonstrating the latest version of our Salestracker prospect software and giving away information on all of our databases and marketing services.

Don’t forget to register for Glassex, and if you fill out our enquiry form we’ll be sure to have a mojito ready for you when you come to our stand!