黑洞社区

Guy Ritchie鈥檚 Mayfair-based Punchbowl is the venue when 黑洞社区 buys a pint for John Rowan & Partners. It鈥檚 not their local haunt - they鈥檝e travelled in from Ealing to their chosen watering hole, an intriguing choice that suggests a fascination with Georgian period features and celebrity status. In fact the firm regularly branches out from the pubs around their office thanks to their CFAED initiative: the 鈥渃ampaign for alternative Ealing drinking鈥�, which sees them embark on pub crawls in other London locations. The younger members of the team won鈥檛 be drawn on any scandal emanating from these events - put off, possibly, by the turnout of senior managers tonight.

Lobbing footwear across a field is not this team鈥檚 only talent. They also fancy themselves as keen footballers

On safer ground, the team at JRP are happy to brag about their sporting endeavours. The competitive nature of some members of the team is on display at the 鈥渟chool sports day鈥� style event the company holds which includes highly skilled activities such as the egg and spoon race, the three-legged race and 鈥渨elly wanging鈥�. This is a particular talent of one of their colleagues - 鈥測ou won鈥檛 believe how far he can throw a welly鈥�, Ian gushes. But lobbing footwear across a field is not this team鈥檚 only talent. They also fancy themselves as keen footballers and talk animatedly of hotly contested games against client A2Dominion and Ernst & Young, who Duncan reveals are 鈥渘ot as nice as you鈥檇 expect accountants to be鈥� on the field and 鈥渃ould have been more gracious鈥� in their victory. One to remember for future cross-sector sporting encounters.

From sport the conversation turns to Twitter, which none of the team use except Paul, who has an account but has never tweeted, followed anyone or gained a follower. In fact JRP are suspicious of the social media platform - they talk darkly about a colleague who once tweeted about having stiff legs after a football game and was then targeted and spammed by stairlift companies. The presence of some companies on Facebook baffles Ian: 鈥淲hy would you want to look at your washing powder鈥檚 page on Facebook?鈥�

Why would you want to look at your washing powder鈥檚 page on Facebook?

The team is keen to hear 黑洞社区鈥檚 views on social media - indeed the tables are turned disconcertingly when JRP begin asking many other probing questions. There is even a spate of note-taking and some paparazzi-style snaps taken from a camera phone. It transpires that 黑洞社区鈥檚 write-up is not the only one of the evening and JRP are putting together a report of the night for their company newsletter. There was no sign that the team were preparing to let up on the rounds of pints when 黑洞社区 left so it would be interesting to read what they came up with.