15:00
Qualcomm again. This time the chip sets. Well media-trained Veep of chips. V slick but uses the ‘great question’ line a bit too much. Would be better for all if they told you when you were talking shite or asked a dumb question. This bloke in fairness is nice and human – wonder how many times he’s had to do this to people like me? V interesting points about what they are putting into phone chips and enabling VoIP (sorry, dull but that’s’ what I make a living writing about)
16:00
Go Hello. V interesting company doing affordable VoIP including the mobile termination, that’s the expensive but that the VoIP vendors never mention. These people are based in Copenhagen and Danish influence makes fro good interview. They are all tall, V bright and good sense of humour. Generalisation time again but I’ve never met a Dane I didn’t like.
17:00
Meet the ever wonderful Cathy B to try to get interview with Sony Ericsson. Can do but will be at airport. shame. SE has a great stand and they have some superb products especially on the lifestyle/business mobility angle. ‘coffee’ turns out better when colleague arrives with a great story about Cisco kit enabling Volvo fleet. Spot on for column. Hotwire PR arrives. Another story about client winning ent mob award. Luckily interviewed them before I left for here. Also tip to get FMC stuff from Thomson. Column writing itself a\s I sit here. Maybe that’s what I should do. Daily staff turns up having just closed final issue. I’ve done that job at IBC and it’s hard work – well as hard as it gets in this job. Long hours chained to desk then rush out every 10 mins to file, file and file again. Thankless. Good lads all of them. Tell me about Blackberry do tonight. Possible. Options are Liberty liquid lunch in Sitges – great place and will be good but it’s 40 mins away – Real in town as is Blackberry. Two others unworthy of mention.
18:00
Decide on shopping in Place de Catalunya- miss bus to Sitges - so then Real then Blackberry. Real venue stunning in gothic district. Run in to Axicom PR, good people like Liberty crew. Total pros and have interesting range of clients but most importantly good company. Run into other fave PRs. Mucho vino tinto. Onto Blackberry. Trouble getting in to do so expecting something good. Venue is outstanding in what seems like Catalan trade association but comes across like a museum or art gallery. Could spend whole night wandering through buildings as party not exactly swinging. Quite a few of the tour party here
Buena Vista Social club playing. Well one of the originals plus band that is about 30 younger than him. Excellent but reminds me of Havana and Cuba and that all is certainly not about smiling musicians playing for the gringo’s corporate dollar. Think of waiting staff to whom we gave girls’ old toys and who had tears in their eyes. We are so fucking lucky. Mohitos served up remind me of Cuba too. 5-year Havana club. Superb. Think again of holiday in gated community and the basic apartheid that goes on keeping the ‘darker’ Cubans away from the gringos. Totally out of order and not very socialist to me. If I’ve not turned into a champagne socialist then I’m more likely to be a Ron Collins red. It’ll kick off there when Castro goes; hope the new government doesn’t fuck it up by acting like an East European state capitalist dictatorship.
Night a bit funny. Finish up in burger king on Ramblas at 1:00 as had no food what so ever.
Home tomorrow.
