What did you miss?
Our annual summer barbeque took place on the 17th July at the National Liberal Club. Sitting on the terrace we were able to enjoy the pleasant summer weather until the very end when there was a brief shower – although we hardly noticed it under the large umbrellas.
As ever at XTEND events, the conversations were continuous – starting at the tables and then as the evening progressed, people tended to circulate and join in with different groups. As well as talking though, there was eating. The barbeque has been a regular feature, but this year it seemed to excel itself. There was a wide range of meat, chicken and prawns – which I can personally vouch for – followed by a range of desserts. The staff provided a regular topping up of wine glasses, which seemed to aid both digestion and discussion.
There was a good turn-out of members, with a mix of new joiners and some long term. Andy Low, who originally founded XTEND – known then as The Executive Network – was there with us and enjoyed catching up with several people he remembered from the early days. Terry Irwin is stepping down from his role of finding speakers on the committee, which he has done for many years. As a thank you for his efforts, the committee had agreed to give Terry life membership and I was pleased to announce this.
We also handed out lapel badges to the members. These are available to all XTEND members and make an attractive talking point which may encourage members to discuss XTEND and attract new joiners.
We have a break in August but come back in September when our guest speaker on Wednesday 11th will be Craig Hutchison. Craig is a serial entrepreneur whose latest venture is setting up an alcohol-free gin business which is already active in 10 countries. Craig will be telling us how he did this – and providing some tips on gin making when we meet. I look forward to seeing many of you then.
Calum Byers
Chair, XTEND