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People talk when they cannot hear. The audio quality was TERRIBLE.
It was a great night but please Andrew, you were always fighting a losing battle in wanting people to be quiet, especially in the second half of the night. The roll up for the awards started at 6.30. In through the door we go and before even finding your seat you're offered the first of your night's numerous free drinks. Picture those lines of people on the side of the road in the Tour De France holding water for the cyclists to grab as they go past and you get a picture of the arrival. Find your table and yes, more free alcohol. Let's get the awards going and lo and behold more free alcohol is being served at very regular intervals, often before bottles and glasses had been finished. That's ok. Why not? It puts the FUN into FUNction. It's the ACRA's. Time to let your hair down. But now, add to this, 1000 radio people sitting through category after category they're not nominated for, intro after intro, gag after gag, entre, mains and music and you'll understand why people were talking through the latter part of the awards night. There was never going to be any other outcome. It's the same every year. It's a long alcohol fuelled process so after 3 hours, of course people aren't going to be quiet. They're going to be loud. And especially if their categories are over with. I'm not complaining cause i have a great time every year and it's a wonderful chance to mingle, gossip, get accolades or hand them out to others, but perhaps we go back to having the awards presentation first, and then the dinner. At least that way, the focus is on the nominee's and the winners and THEN it's time to party.
Sharples. Remind me to smack you in the mouth next time I see you! There shall be NO RETURN to awards first, dinner later! Shame on you! xx
I'm with Marty - the old format took much of the fun away. It's always going to be difficult and rowdy having the awards over dinner & several glasses of lemonade.
I think Parky was at the conference to convince us to buy tix for his show.
Agree that "substance" was lacking. I missed the conference this year, but went to the previous 3, the best session by far as far as programming / on air was concerned, was Vallerie Geller. The session was full of information that you could actually walk in the door of the radio station on Monday morning and make improvements.