Sabrina Dent: Freelance web designer, developer and internet marketer living in Cork, Ireland with one dog and a husband in no particular order.
Best Commercial Website 2009: Curious Wines
I lied. I completely cared if we won, which is good, because we did – CuriousWines.ie took home a gong for Best Commercial Website at the 2009 Digital Media Awards, beating out major national brands like Toyota Ireland, Three and Argus Car Hire. It was a stunning moment, and indeed, I was stunned and delighted.
I went with Michael Kane, who practically knocked me out with a right hook that turned into a giddy hug when his company name was called out. The Curious guys are over the moon, and fair play to them – their heart and souls are in this business and they deserve every success. They earn it, every day.
It was an interesting evening in other regards, too. I’m not overkeen on agencies as a general rule, and spending the night packed into a room with new media kids and multinational corporates is not really my idea of a good time. These people travel in packs (like wolves) and it’s more like going to 20 office parties all in the same room, none of which you’ve actually been invited to.
That said, Jermain Williams and the guys from Dialogue were great craic (and won, for Podge and Rog), Nick McGivney from Adland Ireland was an unexpected find and an utter delight, and AislingMcMahon from Strata3 was increadibly friendly and nice (and looked particularly fresh and lovely for a woman who’d been in heels since 6 AM.)
And of course, you can’t pull together three people and a pint in Dublin without Conor Lynch showing up. I keep telling him he should rename his company Shmoozer.ie because he does this with more grace and more class than anyone I know. Whenever I meet him these days, I just offer to hand him my knickers and skip to the fag, because he’s that good. I’m entirely unclear what he wants vis a vis Connector but whatever it is, I’m confident he gets it.
The absolute highlight of my evening, however, was going back to my hotel room just in time to hear the couple next door scoring. She was giving it the full throttle, porn star soundtrack treatment, and was either having a really good night or getting paid by the hour. Hers was the orgasm heard ’round the world, or at least throughout the hotel, and it was quite something.
Then it was his turn. I was completely prepared for the standard Uh uh uh or possibly UhhHUUUgh or even, you know, Go Munster! What I was not prepared for, however, was:
Arf arf arf! Arf arf arf! AAAAAAAARF!
And this, kids, is why you should be respectful of your neighbours and not have loud, raucous sex in hotels. Unless, of course, you want the internet to know that you bark like a seal.
14 Feb 2009
| In: Awards + Design + Ireland |
Probably out clubbing beforehand. Arf arf.
14.02.2009, 10:30 pmAnd the delight was entirely mine. Delighted for your success, and pleased as a little puppy for Mike and The Curious (now there’s a Merseybeat combo name if I’ve ever heard one). Keep on with the straight talking.
The last paragraphs are quite easily the best couple of hundred words I have read on the internet this year.
14.02.2009, 10:30 pmwoohoo huge congrats
14.02.2009, 10:54 pmCongratulations!
And of course your role next week will be to roam corridors of certain hotel…with a decibel recorder device!
15.02.2009, 12:22 amNice one, Sabrina. Congrats to yourself and the Curious Wines lot :)
16.02.2009, 2:42 pmI’d love to feel sorry for you putting up with your neighbours, but It’s your own fault for not staying down at the bar with us :)
16.02.2009, 3:25 pmWell done Sabrina, and the curious wine peeps. However, can you please deliver a slap to the Dialogue guys, whose daft site decided to resize my browser window :P Cardinal sin!
17.02.2009, 3:19 pmFantastic, congratulations Sabrina & CuriousWines
17.02.2009, 9:30 pm