Raising the creative bar for Podge

10 days ago we headed up to Manchester for our first Stodge Podge in 2 years and this years creative came courtesy of an all NW, all female, all star agency - The Loft. Conjured up during a period in which NO ONE could travel, the Podge Airways theme was perfect as we hoped the timing would allow everyone the perfect excuse to escape and enjoy some fun in the Manchester sun! FFW 2 years and clearly it was NOT sunny in Manchester, BUT it was safe to say that travel was still top of the #hashtags as planes were being cancelled, and people were left stranded here, there and everywhere.

This year though, after 11 years at Harvey Nichols, we had a new venue. The incredible Manchester Hall, chosen with a huge leap of faith via a virtual tour in lockdown.Turns out our luck was in. The team were a masterclass in professionalism. Friendly, professional, fun and the pint of Boddingtons Phil got on entry didn't hurt either!

But what really set this event apart from the others and made me think about 'what makes a great event' was the experiential part of it all that our newest partner Jupiter Visual Communications created. The people have always been at the heart of Podge and each year, at each event, the room is always alive with laughter, chatter and excitement, but this year, the venue looked as electric at the conversations!

The team - who have a huge production base in the NW - worked brilliantly with us and The Loft, to find fantastic ways to bring the new venue and the Podge Airways theme to life.

From the 20ft wall vinyl to the baggage reclaim to the bar wrap to the window stickers all around. Everything felt on brand and fun. As you exited the lift the fun floor way finding directed you to check in, great views and the bar of course.

Usually found bringing to life some of the worlds biggest festivals, conferences, retail spaces, sporting grounds and more, we couldnt be more excited to have them helping us bring PODGE to life! At each and every step they came to the table with ideas, solutions and the all important 'YES'. The Loft had some truly fab ideas and Jupiter always found a way of delivering them.

The new partnership means each and every agency who takes on the Podge creative challenge through Design, Sport, Digital and Stodge can now have fun bringing it to life on the day as well as online and in print.

Huge thanks to the team at The Loft for all the amazing attention to detail and welcome to the Podge Family Charlie, Ben and the whole team at Jupiter for helping us up the anti!

Also as with all Podges and the whole Podge model, it goes without saying that its a team effort! Made possible because of the fantastic support we have from our class act partners. THANKS TO THE STODGE PODGE FAMILY who make it all possible. Bringing the talent, fun and energy each and every time! Getty Images, ADAM, Cact.us, Accenture Song, ForrestBrown, The Agency Works, Future Factory, The Drum, Just Fix, Mallard & Claret & Storystream.

You can view all the photos from Stodge Podge 2022 here