Last week’s pre-opening party for Battersea Power Station was a genuine spectacle. The King and Queen of Malaysia wowed the crowd. The Battersea Power Station Community Choir blew the roof off (guys, we only just fixed that!). The dancing was a jaw-dropper. Superman flew in from the back of the main hall, over the heads of the guests, to land on the stage. As he did so, Diary spotted a very excited Gordon Ramsay up in the VIP area on the first-floor walkway, leaning over the guardrail in an attempt to high-five the incoming superhero. Only, he’d misjudged it badly – the Man of Steel’s trajectory meant he was already far below the celebrity chef by the time he reached him. Ramsay’s outstretched hand just hung there as Superman passed feet below. It was pitiful. Diary wanted to go full Ramsay on him. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU ****ING MUPPET? YOU CAN’T REACH HIM FROM THERE YOU ****ING ****. YOU LOOK LIKE A LIMP BIT OF LETTUCE WAITING TO BE CHUCKED OUT. FOR ****’S SAKE.” He left soon after.
It’s coming home?
No, not the football. We know a World Cup is coming up, but don’t be ridiculous. Diary is speculating instead about pharma giant Eli Lilly. We were intrigued to note last week’s news that the company is eyeing a return to London – the capital was the company’s first base outside the US back in 1934. For about six years the company was based at 2-4 Dean Street, W1, until it outgrew the space and relocated to Basingstoke. Intriguingly, Eli Lilly’s former office is now undergoing consultation for redevelopment by Hines into a six-storey office building with retail on the ground floor, to be known as Soho Bazaar. The development is located opposite the entrance to the new Elizabeth Line station, which connects the building with other emerging life sciences hubs in the city, including Canary Wharf and Whitechapel. Sounds like the perfect spot – could there be a triumphant return?
CRETech knocks our socks off
Nothing says tech more than your footwear, so imagine Diary’s delight at this year’s CRETech NYC conference in, well, New York City, when there wasn’t just some epic trainer game on view but also some serious socks appeal. The freebie is back at conferences, it seems, and in New York this year notebooks, pens, stress balls and all the other tat… we mean highly desirable marketing materials… were on full display. But the winner for Diary was the multiple stands giving away socks. Know your audience. A good trainer (sorry, sneaker) is nothing without a good sock. They were clearly a hit though, as, when Diary went to snaffle a pair or two for the EG team, the stands were bare. Darn it.
Don’t ask us
A note to readers: at the time of writing, the prime minister was Liz Truss and the chancellor was Jeremy Hunt. That may well have altered since, as the whirling winds of change continue to sweep through Westminster. But it isn’t just those of us on the outside of Typhoon Truss who are having difficulty keeping up. Those closer to the eye of the storm are apparently none the wiser as to what is going on. To whit: a spokesperson for the Treasury made a reference to “chief secretary Chris Philp” earlier in the week, apparently unaware that he has been moved to the Cabinet Office. An inquiry as to whether levelling up secretary Simon Clarke would still be giving his keynote speech on Wednesday was met with a weary, “I honestly don’t know – can I get back to you?” (We now hear there is no speech and that there was never going to be a speech, despite being told last week that there would be a speech.) Meanwhile, the screeching U-turn performed by this week’s chancellor Jeremy Hunt – as adept at high-speed hand-brake turns, it seems, as his sexier 1970s namesake James – may well have calmed the markets, but it has apparently thrown policy watchers into a flat spin. “Which parts of the growth plan will be kept?” we asked one wonk. “Your guess is as good as mine,” came the reply. “And, with this lot, does it really matter anymore?”
Meta job
Real life getting you down? Tired of keeping track of tax rates, escalating mortgage payments and the tricky decision of whether to send your kids to university or turn the heating on instead? Why not take solace in the virtual world? Or at least seek gainful employment there. Apparently, demand for jobs in the metaverse is on the rise, with the fine folks at StockApps.com recording a 105% jump in the past three months. According to trading platforms specialist Edith Reads: “The metaverse is still in its infancy, but we are already seeing a demand for jobs related to the technology. With the launch of more virtual reality headsets and the rise of social media platforms, we expect this demand to continue to grow.” According to StockApps, “having a metaverse job is fascinating”, with technology experts “well-remunerated as they develop various realms”, as well as “property agents within the space who sell virtual lands”. Sounds great – where do we send our virtual CV?
Share your tales from the quirky side of the property industry by e-mailing diary@eg.co.uk
