It’s the biggest get-together of senior agency personnel ever, and Cheltenham based Cowley Manor, is all set to host the first gathering of the region’s leading digital, design and marketing MD’s and creative directors on 3rd December.

The event, dubbed ‘ the long lunch’ has been personally organised by Mike Bennett, Al Kennedy and Caroline Hagen, and will see 75 MDs, creative directors and trade press descend on the luxury country retreat for a whole day of industry networking and socialising.

Mike Bennett said:

“We each created an invite list of agencies and people we really respected and admired across the whole region, uncannily we came up with virtually the same names”

He continued:

“Within just two days 75 of a list of 80 invitees had confirmed, so we knew we were probably set for a great day.”

Al Kennedy, founder of Open Communications stated:

“We all work so hard on our own businesses we rarely get the opportunity to down tools and get together with fellow MDs and Creative Directors working in the industry. The last 12 months has had its ups and downs for many creative consultancies so it’s a great chance to share stories, catch up with old friends and colleagues and of course make some new connections.”

Local law firm TLT, consultancy Express Systems, agency management system Synergist and Business Link will sponsor the event.

Caroline Hagen, MD of branding agency Reach stated:

“There’s no strategy for the day, they’ll be no speeches or talks, just a much needed opportunity to share time with the industries finest in a fantastic location over great food and the odd glass of wine.

She continued:

“We are delighted to be joined with so many fabulous creative agencies. The list really does read like a “who’s-who’s” of the great and the good of the regional agency scene. If this one is a success we’ll make it a regular annual event".

Editors of the leading industry publications Design Week and New Media Age are also invited attendees.

Similar events are being organised for PR/Comms and TV/Broadcast sectors for early 2010.

The list of MDs and CDs attending come from agencies including:

Enable Interactive, Taxi, True Digital, Beef, Rockpool Digital, McCan Erickson, MediaClash, Ignition DG, Mason Zimbler, Rubberductions, Duttons, Home, Omni, Complete Control, Oomph, Blue Marlin, Create Marketing, Stratton Craig, Strange and Dawson, Proctor and Stevenson, FLB, 3Sixty, Sequence, InboxDMG, HyperlaunchDMG, Mytton Williams, Stuff Advertising, The Real Adventure, Robson Dowry, Bray Leino, Reach, Open Communications, E3, ASHA, TDA, Gendall, Mubaloo, Osborne Pike, Play Nicely and Studio Six.

Please note that this is NOT a Bristol Media organised event. Please forward all enquiries onto caroline@reachbrands.co.uk