A power struggle fails thanks to Sweett鈥檚 silent majority, there鈥檚 a sortie to Spain by bike, and an online mission to celebrate our anniversary
Way of the samurai
I was intrigued to discover this week that several contractors vying to win work on Hitachi鈥檚 Horizon nuclear power plant developments have called in cultural experts to educate them on how to do business with the Japanese. I鈥檓 reliably informed lessons include presenting business cards with both hands, seating the most important person furthest from the door and keeping at least two members of your delegation between your firm鈥檚 boss and the other party. The last one, I understand, is to guard them from samurai attacks - or it was at some point, now it鈥檚 just etiquette. Whether they are expecting the final winning bidder to be decided in a kendo match is not clear.
Passive resistance
It鈥檚 fair to say the Sweett Group board and the consultant鈥檚 former chairman Francis Ives have not been getting along too well lately. Ives鈥� very public bid to retake control of the firm he led for 19 years was defeated by 79% of shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) last week. However, both Ives and the board did agree the firm needed to do a better job of communicating with shareholders. It seems they鈥檝e got their work cut out. After half an hour of impassioned speeches from both sides about the future of the firm, there wasn鈥檛 a single question from the floor during the Q&A.
Bar room blitz
I have been alerted to a truly momentous anniversary celebration taking place in London next week. Planning in the Pub (@planninginthepub), a group of planners, developers and lawyers who like to discuss
town planning over a beverage or two, is hosting its first birthday bash at the Cittie of Yorke in Holborn on Tuesday evening. The group鈥檚 coordinator Liane Hartley of social enterprise Mend promises an evening of chips and beer, as well as the gift of a commemorative beer mat designed by cartoonist Rob Cowan. Late night karaoke has also been threatened 鈥�
Birthday bash
Make Architects know how to throw a party and the firm鈥檚 ninth anniversary get-together at London鈥檚 Victoria House in Bloomsbury last Thursday was no exception. Guests including Urban Splash chairman Tom Bloxham, Wates Group鈥檚 James Wates and WSP director Kamran Moazami were entertained by vintage swing band the Bellinis while enjoying canap茅s from upmarket caterer the London Kitchen.
The Terrain in Spain
Congratulations to the 54 cyclists who have made it to the British Council for Offices conference by bike this year. From Monday to Wednesday a peloton of construction and property cyclists tapped out 290 miles from Bilbao to Madrid, in time for the conference which began yesterday. Some participants on Twitter noted that the terrain in Northern Spain is not very flat. When this column went to press the cyclists had raised an impressive 拢22,462 for charity The Willow Foundation, which provides special days to seriously ill people. To help the cyclists reach their sponsorship target of 拢30,000, visit
www.justgiving.com/BCO-Cycle-Challenge-2013
Send any juicy industry gossip to hansom@ubm.com
All is fayre 鈥�
Eagle-eyed readers of our print format will notice that in the magazine I鈥檓 sporting something of a 鈥渧intage鈥� look this week. That鈥檚 because I鈥檓 celebrating! Those long-term readers who have been paying attention will know that 黑洞社区 is marking its 170th anniversary this year. As founder of The Builder (this journal鈥檚 original title) back in 1843, yours truly will be celebrating next week by embracing that most modern of inventions - the 鈥渨orld wide web鈥�. A splendid 鈥渄igital fayre鈥� will be hosted in my name on with lots of enjoyable writings and prize-proffering competitions galore - including an intriguing 鈥渟pot the building鈥� contest and a jolly old game of hide and seek on the website featuring my good self (go to for competition info). There will be more about this jam-packed jamboree of digital jollity turn on our website from Friday. Let the festivities commence!
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