On Saturday 25th June, Team.1888 donned our new British and Irish Lions facemasks, and hopped on the train up to Edinburgh for the weekend to watch them play Japan at Murrayfield Stadium. Our team were lucky enough to secure tickets to watch the game, with the help of some hardworking members of the team. Being able to attend the game meant a great deal to us, as The British and Irish Lions are a brand we work very closely with here at The Point.1888, and members of our team have worked hard on creating Lion’s themed product and merchandise over the past year. The game finished 28-10 to The Lions, which everyone was ecstatic about, and only made the day even more exciting.
It is undeniable that this year has been a tough one for sports events, and in fact, all business. For many members of the team, this was the first time they had properly seen each other face-to-face in a very very long time, and the first time some members of the team had even met, whilst for Murrayfield, it’s doors had remained closed for a long time and fans in the stadium were a new novelty. Therefore, most of the team said that one of the best parts about attending the game was the feeling that slowly but surely we are returning to a new kind of normality, one where we can all enjoy events such as this together again!
Aside from the match, we enjoyed team meals and drinks and had down-time to explore the beautiful historic city of Edinburgh. But there were many highlights of this trip. We caught up with some of the team to ask them what their highlights were. Here is what they said…
“The trip was the coming together of a years’ worth of very hard work from the whole team – and what a way to celebrate with us all together! From jumping on the train with our matching face masks – to cheering on the boys in the stand – to chatting at dinner with brand new team members I’d not met yet – I couldn’t have wished for a better time!
To top it off we are a part of history. The game was the biggest rugby event that has happened in the whole of the northern hemisphere since the pandemic began!”
– Hannah Stevens, Head of Retail and Sports Brands
“We had an all-round amazing weekend in Edinburgh but by far my favourite memory was probably getting to see the masks that I had involvement in the development of with BDA, being worn by every single person in the stadium, including our team. It was a really special moment for me.”
– Sadie Wright, Product Development Executive
Being able to see the product that the team have all worked so hard on creating with The British and Irish Lions, and seeing it live and on sale for customers to purchase at the match was an extremely rewarding experience for many members of the team. It makes all the hard work worth it, seeing the product live and in the flesh, and as you can see, the team wore their face masks with pride!
The weekend was especially exciting for another member of our Product Development Team, Carrie, who got to enjoy her birthday on our first day in Edinburgh. We asked her what her highlight of the trip was. Here is what she said…
“This trip was a great excuse to get to know team members that I don’t necessarily work with on a regular basis. It meant we could finally all socialise together and get to know each other in a fun environment. It was also an amazing way to spend my birthday weekend after not really doing anything to celebrate it for the past few years.”
– Carrie Sharland, Product Development Manager
And finally, Namoi Serradimigni, our Senior Commerical Executive said…
“My highlight had to be watching the Lions! I’ve never been to a rugby game before and really enjoyed it. I absolutely loved seeing all the fab merch that the Product Development team have worked so hard on too! Also, I simply loved spending time with people in the team who I wouldn’t normally have the chance to. I even got to meet some for the first time too! Also, I’ve never actually been to Edinburgh before, so it was amazing visiting a new place and just generally spending time and making memories with the best team ever!”
It’s safe to say that the team couldn’t have enjoyed the weekend more. From getting to see merchandise that they had worked so hard on throughout the year in the lead up to the tour, to appreciating the novelty of being able to stand in a stadium and watch live sport once more, it was a trip no one will be forgetting for a long time.
It also has to be said that there is a massive thank you needed to Olivia Wiggett, our Senior Commercial Executive who organised logistics surrounding the trip in difficult circumstances due to the COVID-19 restrictions, as well as every other member of the team who played a part in making this weekend possible. As a team, we are extremely grateful.
Roll on the next team adventure! We are sure there will be many more to come…