As Operations Manager here in Aberdeen, it is not often that the chance to travel crops up (certainly not travel that requires my passport) – that tends to be left to my more client facing, business development or just plain jammy colleagues.

However, having recently introduced a new Operating System into our offices in both Aberdeen and Dubai, it was time for Houston to join us now that things had settled down a little. One small problem though – they don’t have an ‘Operations’ person on site to help with the set-up, training and introduction.

It was a tough decision to make but I stepped up to the plate for the sake of the ‘team’ and it was down to me to make the trip across the pond. The things I have to do for this company.

It was by sheer coincidence (honestly…no honestly) that my travel plans coincided perfectly with Thanksgiving and no sooner had I landed at George Bush Intercontinental and been escorted to my hotel that I was being picked up by Ed Davis, our Houston big-gun, top-dog, PR Yogi (that’s an in-joke) and taken to his place to spend the evening with his family and friends – all very lovely people it has to be said.

“Wear elasticated pants” was my only instruction prior to being picked up and, once I realised that it needed translating somewhat, I relaxed and ensured my belt had an extra couple of holes if required. They were required.

Turkey and all the trimmings welcomed me and my first Thanksgiving was a hugely enjoyable one with chat, watching football (well, the kind where they never really use their feet…and it’s not very ball shaped) and to finish things off, pie. Three pies to be exact - apple, pumpkin AND pecan. I’m still recovering.

So, within hours of arriving I had experienced the famous ‘Southern Hospitality’, and it has to be said it continued to the moment my trip was over and got back to the airport.

With our colleagues in Houston, namely Angelica, Heather, Jeremy (and Yogi of course) we have a fantastic team of talented professionals who not only made me feel very welcome but I could tell were going out of their way to ensure they were meeting all of their clients needs. They were obviously being as well looked after as I was.

I was hugely impressed by not only how well they all worked as a team but more generally how well they coped with such a busy workload and took it all in their stride. I’ve always known our Houston office to be a very successful one (indeed award-winning) – now I could see why.

It was not all play though (my timesheets will attest to that!) and I got down to the business of getting them up and running in the new system. It took a while but we got there in the end and they know that I am just a Skype call away as they settle in over the coming weeks and months.

When I managed to get away from the laptop either in the office or back at the hotel, food, unsurprisingly, played a major role. To be fair I was warned, but even I was surprised by the portion sizes. It was a real mixed bag – everything from Eggnog Cupcakes and Crab Nachos through to Beaver Nuggets (don't ask) and a hugely enjoyable BBQ ‘tour’ (yes, we did a TOUR of various BBQ joints at the weekend).

I even found myself one evening with Ed and his lovely wife Leah enjoying some delicious cuisine - but rather strangely, there I was, a Scotsman in Texas at a Japanese restaurant eating sushi called ‘The Crazy Irishman’!? Go figure, as they say.

So, with the job done and a vastly expanded waistline it was time to jet back to the UK (before I had to pay for an extra seat). Personally I’d like to give a huge thanks to the whole team over in Houston and to Ed in particular for his culinary 'guidance'.

If you get the chance to visit, take it.

If you get the opportunity to work with these guys, do it.

If you’re thinking of ordering a starter AND a main, think twice.

Andy

(Ed, Me, Jeremy, Heather & Angelica)

Wow...how excited am I! On my way to Madrid... First time visiting Spain and more importantly my first BBN Academy. Expectations are high and I'm absolutely certain I won't be disappointed. Richard and Polly have done us proud with the planning and organising and the venue looks stunning. Having had bits drip fed to me on BAM and BOSS, I'm now really looking forward to getting a more in-depth understanding of these fundamental processes from the very clever folk that created them... 

I consider myself very fortunate to not only have been invited to attend the Academy this year, but to have the opportunity to meet and network with fellow BBNers, putting faces to names can never be underestimated and it really helps strengthen the relationships and collaborations within the network.

So, as I sit back and relax on my Emirates flight EK 141, staring in awe at the cumulus fluffiness, I look forward to two days that promise to be the most memorable of my time at Fifth Ring and vow to be wisdom's apprentice...

So here I am, my 10^th anniversary at Fifth Ring has just passed. So what’s happened over the past decade? Well, quite a lot as it happens…

On a personal front it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride (that probably wont be the last cliché I use so will make my apologies to Reuben Webb right now). I became a father (planned), had a car accident that resulted in an operation and 3 months off work (not planned), travelled to lots of nice places, made some great new friends and got back in touch with some old ones, contracted arthritis (by contracted I don’t mean that I raised a Purchase Order, I just have to now avoid that bumpy rollercoaster I mentioned earlier), fell in love with the game of poker (well I need to supplement my income somehow – hope the company Directors are reading this) and have struggled to sell my house during the worst market slump in  decades (40 months and counting). All of this with my understanding, patient and far better half Michelle at my side.

As for work, well, in my best X-Factor contestant voice, it’s been a journey (told you the clichés would continue). The company has grown dramatically from when I started all those years ago from an Aberdeen-only agency with around 15 employees to what is now a leading international B2B agency with additional offices in Houston and Dubai and a five-fold increase in staff numbers (give or take). Not all solely down to me, granted.

Our visibility, our offering and our expertise have all increased greatly and we’re now proud, leading members of the prestigious BBN network to help take us to that next level.

It’s not all been plain sailing though. Like all companies, we’ve had our ups and downs, our good times and our bad. I’ve seen people come, people go and even people return. Like everyone else, we were not recession-proof and it took its toll, but we’re coming out the other side stronger for it on several fronts. We’ve made some big strides of late, not least of which was to increase ties with our friends at IAS, an extremely successful, award-winning B2B agency from south of the border. Just doing our bit for Anglo-Scottish relations – it’s not been the same since Mel Gibson sacked York.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve still got a lot of work to do and are already in the process of making some very positive changes to benefit both the company and our clients. You can’t stand still in this business without falling behind pretty quickly so it’s onwards and upwards for us (couldn’t resist squeezing in a couple more clichés there but hey, it’s true).

As for me, well I’ve gone from Production Co-ordinator to Production Manager and now Operations Manager over this period of time. Much of my work is now done behind-the-scenes but impacts on everyone and at all levels to varying degrees – though most people don’t realise it half of the time, which tells me I must be doing something right. Either that or they’re just keeping me on for my good looks and great sense of humour. I like to think it’s all of the above. Anyway, who else is going to organise and run the office sweepers, poker evenings and quiz nights?

As for what’s going to happen over the next 10 years - well, who knows? Life is just not that predictable. No doubt it will be full of twists and turns and highs and lows, with a few surprises along the way (though less of the ‘unplanned’ events please). Bring it on.

Now, does anyone want to buy a house…?