While those partying the PR Week Awards away last week found
themselves sharing the Grosvenor Hotel with a galaxy of soap stars
attending the National Television Awards (see below), delegates at the
IPR conference in Birmingham two days later went one better, rubbing
shoulders with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller.
The old men of Brit Rock were in town to help celebrate Birmingham band
Ocean Colour Scene’s tenth birthday party at the Hyatt, the main IPR
conference hotel (for squares, the Scene provide the theme tune for TFI
Friday.)
Meanwhile, IPR president Philip Dewhurst has been letting his hair down
a little since announcing his departure from Railtrack, and was
particularly in the mood to party after the excitement of a civic
reception hosted by the mayor of Birmingham to welcome the institute to
the city.
On returning to the hotel, however, he found his way blocked by a number
of heavies. But after announcing loudly that he was president of the
IPR, the security goons, perhaps mistaking him for top dog at
International Popular Recordings, handed him a pass to the party.
’They must have thought I was the dad of one of the band,’ says Dewhurst
modestly.
He secured autographs from Gallagher, Weller and the band, which he
assures me are now safely in the possession of his daughter, Grace.
