Medical Insurance right before i needed about £30,000 worth of treatment on my injured knee followed closely by some gifts from ExxonMobil which included a Mug, a White tiger teddy, a Torch, a highlighter, a diary, anotepad, a mouse mat, a pen, some chocolates and . . . some tickets to Wimbledon Top notch!
Flew first class with British Airways (don't worry, Charlton weren't paying before anyone asks!) to Toronto and back, free booze, food cooked to order on the plane, champagne breakfast in the lounge at Heathrow and a seat on the plane to rival Kirk's on the Enterprise! Also had a day in a box at Cheltenham courtesy of Paddy Power and we were sharing with Talksport - competition winners being hosted by Alan Brazil and Graham Beecroft. Mr Brazil spent the first half of the day being a genial host, cracking jokes and relating stories about his career, Porky Parry etc. He also had a horse running at Wolverhampton that day which he told the entire box was nailed on to win, so lump on it - all of his guests duly went to the Tote, whilst Mr B was laying off bets all over the ring on this nag. Basically, the jockey had a mare and it came third, cue Mr Brazil delivering a stream of invective down his mobile to the trainer then anyone that got in his way before grabbing a bottle of champagne and drowning his sorrows whilst ranging from maudlin to downright rude, leaving Beaky to mop up the mess with the bemused competition winners.
Got free tickets for Elton John at The Valley as well...
Not a corporate freebie, but I know someone (ahem) who was made redundant and was due 7-8k pay off, it was late, this person (ahem) phoned the relevant people and they said it would appear as an expense payment, which it dually did the next day, however, 3 days later another payment for the same amount appeared in this persons (ahem) account via the normal route........never ever claimed back, allegedly.
Mine five nights to Vegas, Virgin business class (seats were £7k) each. Stayed in the Belagio and had everything paid for Limo from the airport etc.
Also went to Amsterdam too and the owner of the company was handing out money for gents to enter the windows down the red light district. However I did not enter! haha
[quote][cite]Posted By: Charlton Charlie[/cite]I'm usually the one offering the freebies - do a Michelin stared lunch a month at least, got a box at Wembley and the O2, whisk people off to GP's all over the world (altho I usually don't go on those as am not keen on flying) and do all the major rugby internationals too... Whilst I am 'working' at these events it's not that hard - as long as I don't get as pissed as the journalists and so can make sure they all get home safely then anything goes... Running the backstage at V Festival and helping out at Glastonbury still my personal highlights - yes I was working, but what a job to have....[/quote]
A colleague of mine has just been headhunted from her current public sector job to work for a local firm. She hasn't started yet but already they have advised her of the Christmas party arrangements which currently involved two nights for her and partner in a top London hotel with food, drink and party on night one followed by tickets to a show and more food and drink on night two. She literally didn't not believe this sort of thing happened in "the real world" and actually feels a bit guilty about accepting.
I have regularly moaned about working at an ad agency on this board, but corporate freebies is admittedly one of the perks. As I have got older and want to spend more time with the kids I don't take as many of them any more, but over the last 10 years I have been given:
- Singapore Grand Prix full hospitality - Monaco Grand Prix from a boat in the harbour - A few England games at Twickers every year as we broker the rights holder deal for Amlin and the Amlin Challenge Cup - 2 or 3 days per year at Test Matches with Sky Sports - Taste Festival with C4 every year full hospitality - Trip to Alaska to see bears in the wild with the Discovery Channel (also Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Safari in Kenya). - Turned down England World Cup games from ITV this year as my wife is heavily pregnant (did similar 4 years ago when my little one was born). - Lunches, lunches and more lunches.
However, I will continue to moan when I can't strike like the tube workers....
It is getting harder now as internal ethics laws are ramped up. For instance, we can really only take a trip from someone where a deal has already been done (ie a thank you) to prevent any claims of bribery etc.
I used to have dealings with Thomas Cook and when we played at Manchester City on Good Friday no one within the company had claimed the 5 Directors Box tickets that was part of their sponsorship with the pre Saudi Man City .
I received a phone call and I was allowed to attend and distribute the 4 guest tickets to friends. We had a 3 course meal and an unlimited drinks package also. The game finsished 0-0 but it was also the one time that the Addicks briefly moved out of the relegation zone which made the day more enjoyable . If only Zheung Zhi had scored it would have been the perfect day .
Don't generally get much in the way of freebies, and looking at other posts they don't compare terribly well but the best I had were from two different suppliers who provided sporting hospitality.
1. Supplier hosted me in directors box for one day of England v West Indies at The Oval
2. Supplier was, at the time, a corporate sponsor of Fulham Football Club. They provided full on hospitality for home game v Man Utd. It was a freezing winter night a couple of days before Christmas. Was 1-1 at 90 minutes and Papa Bouba Diop slipped a last minute goal in to take the hosts up to 2-1. That was a sweet moment, and warmed away the winter chill - particularly as Fergie was looking seriously pissed off and some of my colleagues who also went were massive Man U supporters.
Couple of years back I had a couple of freebies from an old job... Golf day at the Belfry.. Dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia.. Trip to Rio (Ironically more or less a year later was made Redundant lol!)
Boys day out from some money market brokers in 2005. Train from Waterloo to Brockenhurst (beers from 9am), transfer to River Hamble to board ex-WW2 MTB and pose around in the Solent with 3,000 horsepower before lunching at The George Hotel in Yarmouth. Then back on the boat towards the Needles where a coastguard helicopter came and lowered a bloke down onto the moving boat and retrieved him (for practice) all the time the helicopter pilot was blindfolded. Fabulous. then back to Buckler's Hard for more drinks, and a boozy train home again. Fabulous day, must have cost them a fortune.
Had plenty of good ones, Prague for champions league match, golf at Wentworth, Muirfield, North Berwick and loads more...Foxhills, Tandridge, Mannings Heath etc. trips to South of France and Lille. boxes for footy games at Wembley, Emirates, White Heart Lane, West Ham, Chelsea. Lords and The Oval many times, Twickenham for a number of England games.
Also turned down skiing and a one day trip to Oz to see England in the rugby World Cup final.
Best ever though....easy, seat at the Chairman's table for a game at The Valley and ticket in Director area to watch the game afterwards.
Had plenty of freebies, but the best one was :_ Fly Dublin friday afternoon, lovely meal followed by clubbing, copious Guinness Ireland Holland wc qualifier corporate hospitality at Lansdowne Rd (or nearby, cant remember) - Ireland win 1 0, qualify for wc Find boozer lively to watch England destroy Germany 5 1, clubbing Sunday midday - fly home - hoarse. Magic
Comments
Got free tickets for Elton John at The Valley as well...
Mine five nights to Vegas, Virgin business class (seats were £7k) each. Stayed in the Belagio and had everything paid for Limo from the airport etc.
Also went to Amsterdam too and the owner of the company was handing out money for gents to enter the windows down the red light district. However I did not enter! haha
Is that a euphamism?
Well isn't someone lucky on the festival front!
Hopefully Goodwood in July (?) as well.
- Singapore Grand Prix full hospitality
- Monaco Grand Prix from a boat in the harbour
- A few England games at Twickers every year as we broker the rights holder deal for Amlin and the Amlin Challenge Cup
- 2 or 3 days per year at Test Matches with Sky Sports
- Taste Festival with C4 every year full hospitality
- Trip to Alaska to see bears in the wild with the Discovery Channel (also Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Safari in Kenya).
- Turned down England World Cup games from ITV this year as my wife is heavily pregnant (did similar 4 years ago when my little one was born).
- Lunches, lunches and more lunches.
However, I will continue to moan when I can't strike like the tube workers....
It is getting harder now as internal ethics laws are ramped up. For instance, we can really only take a trip from someone where a deal has already been done (ie a thank you) to prevent any claims of bribery etc.
numerous travel agent lunches and test match days at the Oval
but best of all a day on the 767 simulator at the BA training centre
2 tickets for the Open at St Georges, but as I wasn't into golf I gave them to a colleague who was
this was all many years ago I might add
Breakfast was included. It was a buffet so I had three sausages and five hash browns.
In fairness I do the games for free so I was happy to accept a bit of special treatment for that one.
I received a phone call and I was allowed to attend and distribute the 4 guest tickets to friends. We had a 3 course meal and an unlimited drinks package also. The game finsished 0-0 but it was also the one time that the Addicks briefly moved out of the relegation zone which made the day more enjoyable . If only Zheung Zhi had scored it would have been the perfect day .
1. Supplier hosted me in directors box for one day of England v West Indies at The Oval
2. Supplier was, at the time, a corporate sponsor of Fulham Football Club. They provided full on hospitality for home game v Man Utd. It was a freezing winter night a couple of days before Christmas. Was 1-1 at 90 minutes and Papa Bouba Diop slipped a last minute goal in to take the hosts up to 2-1. That was a sweet moment, and warmed away the winter chill - particularly as Fergie was looking seriously pissed off and some of my colleagues who also went were massive Man U supporters.
22 Nov 1992 CAFC- Newcastle at Upton Park
19 Dec 1992 CAFC - Oxford at The Valley
If I'm honest the pen was more use than the system.
then back to Buckler's Hard for more drinks, and a boozy train home again. Fabulous day, must have cost them a fortune.
Also turned down skiing and a one day trip to Oz to see England in the rugby World Cup final.
Best ever though....easy, seat at the Chairman's table for a game at The Valley and ticket in Director area to watch the game afterwards.
Fly Dublin friday afternoon, lovely meal followed by clubbing, copious Guinness
Ireland Holland wc qualifier corporate hospitality at Lansdowne Rd (or nearby, cant remember) - Ireland win 1 0, qualify for wc
Find boozer lively to watch England destroy Germany 5 1, clubbing
Sunday midday - fly home - hoarse. Magic
I've been given a ham sandwich whilst at work which I didn't pay for... Joys of the public sector...
You guys don't know how lucky you are. I work in local government where you have to send a request form in triplicate for a paper clip!
Had a 1% pay rise in the last 4 years and we have been offered 1% for this year, corporate f@@kin freebies!!!!!!!!!