Print21 IPEX BBQ hot ticket of the show

As the UK basked in sunshine, 200 weary Ipex-goers found some succour and refreshment at the Great Print21 ANZ BBQ on Friday night. Organiser, Andy McCourt, has all the gossip about what went on.

Arriving on coaches festooned in CPI/HP Scitex livery, guests quickly got into the groove, aided by tomfoolery and magic tricks from our official jester Kevin Burke, who finished his act with some death-defying fire-eating alongside his lovely assistant, Sue Threflo from Fuji Xerox (pictured below). Then the band, Rainbow Road, struck up to take people into the night, having been well fed by the BBQ staff at Newbold Comyn Arms.
 
IPEX exhibition management Trevor Crawford, Peter Hall and Nick Craig-Waller attended and Trevor kindly drew the lucky door prize, donated by Canon Australia: a Canon SX210IS digital camera. And the winner was … Phillip Lane of Lane Print Adelaide!
 

After a great night the coaches, we think, managed to get folks back to their hotels although we did have to re-shuffle a bit. A hardy group of late-night revellers remained who were treated to an impromtu third act, side-splitting jokes from Graphitype's David Morris!
 
All went without a hitch … well maybe apart from the nine guests stranded at the NEC when the second coach left without them. A quick phone call and a couple of taxis fixed that problem. Then there was the bewildered coach driver who thought a good ole' Aussie punch-up between two nameless industry identities was fair dinkum ... just larking about. But I'm revealing too much.

What plays on tour, stays on tour as they say! Let the pictures tell the story. It was the biggest Aussie BBQ at IPEX so far – a great relaxed night amidst the business of IPEX!

Pictured: (l-r) the publisher (Patrick Howard), the prankster (Kevin Burke) and Printing Industries CEO (Philip Andersen).