This May, we made a lot of noise about S2F turning 20 – because that is two decades of creativity, collaboration, and caffeine-fuelled campaigns – with special Wednesdays and a very fun Away Day.
As you know, to celebrate, we took the month to do what we do best (other than deliver breathtaking campaigns, of course): have a laugh, make some memories, and raise a toast or two to the team that makes it all happen.
You may have seen on LinkedIn that every Wednesday throughout May, we took time to celebrate the 20 years of the business and everyone in the team, in small but meaningful ways: impromptu drinks at the pub, office pizzas, cake and fizz at 11am (don’t tell the boss), etc.
But the real highlight for everyone was a full-blown Away Day in London that we won’t forget anytime soon.
After meeting at Birmingham New Street, we had a calm and mostly on-time train ride. We were only delayed by 20 minutes, and to be fair to the train lines, no one could have predicted the family of swans just chilling in the middle of the rail lines. However, it gave us time to wake up, finish our coffees and chat about what the day might bring. Kerst, on the other hand, kept quiet, busy trying to impress everyone with a magic trick he refused to fully reveal. We appreciate the efforts, Kerst, but you must know… We know how you did it.
Once in London, we kicked things off at the Museum of Brands, possibly the only place in London where you can travel from ancient vase engravings, Victorian soap boxes, and marriage announcements to the One Direction craze and today’s everyday brands in under an hour.
It was a treasure trove of packaging, posters, and product placement that reminded us just how far branding has come… and how weird some of it used to be. The museum was brilliantly laid out, going through the different centuries and decades, with little interactive stations along the way.
Sam and Kiren were extremely excited about the noughties decade to see the music section and were close to heartbroken when there was very little on it compared to the whole 1D section. However, for the more seasoned of the team, the museum became a trip down memory lane, where they discussed which items they had as kids and reminisced about a time when things were… different. We may or may not have seen Leigh tear up a couple of times.
I think we all agree, though, that it was interesting, fun, and deeply educational. Seeing the progress of branding, product placement, and even advertising gives you an insight into why things are the way they are nowadays. There is an evolution, and at the museum we could see it laid out before us. So yes, perhaps we do like to have fun and run away on our very own Away Day, but we do have marketing coursing through our veins, and if we can have fun and better ourselves, why not?
Oh! We forgot to say, our resident videographer, Antonio, began his valiant quest to film the entire day on his 360° camera as soon as he walked up to the group in New Street, Birmingham. His heroic efforts were almost thwarted by a broken mount at the museum. Some say it was Andrea’s fault, but they have no evidence of such a deed – what she did do in true S2F fashion, with a bit (a lot) of cellotape and ingenuity, was save the day and ensure it held up for the much more filming that was to come.
And yes, for those wondering, Antonio did carry that stick around for the entire Away Day! He even had some people smile, wave, and join the shots because they thought he was an influencer!
After the museum, we ventured back outside the big city, knowing we had some time to kill before our next stop. And as we were thinking about what to do next, Warren and Jo heard a few tummies rumble. That meant lunch, and luckily for us, there was a pub just over the road that would accept a big group with no booking. How lucky were we?!
The food was so great; Cameron even ate Satitia’s plate (he said it was an innocent mistake, but do we believe that?). Don’t worry, Satitia did get to eat… eventually.
Well fed and following our team sherpa, we headed towards our next stop: The London Eye. We had an entire bubble-shaped carriage to ourselves, and most of us were shaking with excitement. Satitia, not a fan of heights, stayed on the ground with a couple of margaritas, while Leigh held on tight in the middle seat, praying the pod wouldn’t fall from the sky.
The rest of the team were busy enjoying the views or… were we? That bubble became our own mini studio for a photoshoot: individual shots, team photos, different angles, different views, sat down, stood up, here, there, everywhere – and all of it filmed in the 360° camera that Antonio had set up in the middle of it all. Looks like we were caught! But the photos, plentiful and breathtaking, were absolutely gorgeous – almost as much as the people that appeared in them.
Team selfies are particularly difficult when there are 12 of you and the person holding the selfie stick claims to be 5’2”, but we all know she is not that tall. Andrea, in her true Spanish fashion, struck up a conversation with another Spanish visitor who ended up taking our team photo. Because, of course, she did.
The palace was busy, tourists everywhere, and I am pretty sure we lost Luke at one point, but worry not, we found him eventually. Whilst we did enjoy sightseeing, most of us wanted to do a mini pub crawl. It was 5pm somewhere! In London, as a matter of fact!
We decided to make route towards the restaurant, hitting some calmer and greener spots. We headed over to St James’s Park, where there was a beautiful pond that instilled calmness in a city that is known to never sleep. Cam spotted a pelican in the gardens and confidently announced it was a swan. We’re not naming names (except we are), but let’s just say we’re sticking to marketing, not ornithology.
Along the way, the team turned into a squad of brand spotters, playing “guess the client” every time a familiar logo or lookalike cropped up. There was also a not-so-secret mission underway: Shawn, Warren, Andrea, and later, other members of the team, kept looking out for Illumin8 electric black cabs in the wild. Our cameras were out, our eyes were peeled, and we may or may not have cheered every time we saw one.
The day ended at a London steakhouse, where there was a 2-for-1 offer on the cocktails. The downside is that you had to have them both at the same time, which meant on a table of 12, there were 24 cocktails, wine glasses, and water glasses (because it is important to keep the hydration up). We can guarantee the drinks flowed as freely as the conversation!
The food was delicious and the atmosphere was delightful. We laughed, we toasted, and we raised a glass to 20 years of S2F and the people who make it what it is. The best moment of dinner was when the waiters brought Warren his dessert with a candle on, and everybody (and we mean everybody in the restaurant, too) sang Happy Birthday. Warren was red, giggly, and happy – although we never quite figured out if it was because of the celebration, the drinks, or both!
After dinner, in true movie-montage style, the whole team rushed to the station to catch the last train home, buzzing, exhausted, and maybe a little (a lot) tipsy. That was an incredible Away Day!
As we made very clear throughout May, and as Warren explained in his interview, celebrating 20 years isn’t just about looking back. It’s about pausing to appreciate the people who bring their whole selves to work – ideas, humour, quirks, and all – and then go above and beyond every day.
From makeshift camera mounts to misidentified birds, this Away Day was a reminder that we’re not just colleagues; we are a team.
As we mentioned earlier, Antonio was busy recording every second of our Away Day trip, including a section of the train ride home where, luckily for the team, he finally ran out of batteries!
On top of all that footage, everyone had been taking videos and photos to commemorate the Away Day. What that meant for Antonio is hours and hours of combing through footage to come up with a video that not only showed our day out but also conveyed the happiness and camaraderie that we all experienced. So, without further ado, because two months is enough time to generate anticipation, now you can watch the video below!
We all look forward to what this year and the next 20 will bring forth! We hope to have you here with us!
To request our services, you can email us at info@s2fmarketing.co.uk or call us on 0121 607 1908. And to keep up with the latest news and events from S2F and the team, you can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!
Andrea Gardia
Content Creator
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