Smirnoff Manchester United

I'm sure many of you reading this would definitely be confused as to why I am writing about football. Well my friends, it's not just about football - it's about Smirnoff and football. I love Smirnoff expecially the Green Apple flavor but that's not what this post is about.
Smirnoff recently hosted a series of activities when Manchester United was in KL. I wasn't all that excited becoz I'm not a fan of that sport to begin with. But I must share that, even when you couldn't care less about a sport but when you do come face-to-face with a legend or a celebrity, it is exciting especially if you had the chance to have a beer with the legend alone.

Now, I didn't stand along the lobby of the hotel to take this picture. I was responsible for ensuring that Bryan Robson, the Ambassador for ManU and the Ex-Captain of the team, reaches the Media Conference and the Spirit of Champion party on time. My colleague trusted me in doing this because I was the only one in the office who really didn't care about the sport and so I would carry out my duty as planned without any hiccups :)

But let me tell ya - it was exciting meeting Bryan and Phil Townsend - the Director of Communications for ManU. These guys are really nice and very down-to-earth. Not a single drop of arrogance or ego.

So, after that beer with Bryan and Phil, we headed over to Menara Hap Seng where the Media Conference was schedule to happen at the Hakka Republic Restaurant upstairs. When we arrived, there were fans waiting already. Amazing that even an ex-player still has the same pull as a current player.

The presence of the EPL Trophy made it even more exciting and when the officials reveiled the trophy with bodyguards on standby next to it, media went crazy with their camera's and the fans went nuts. Here you see Bryan with the iconic win!

Of course, part of my job scope was to entertain and ensure that people were comfortable and had a good time and never had an empty hand. Smirnoff cocktails were flowing free-flow - which is always a good thing given that it was a Friday and the next day is a non-working day - at least for me it wasn't :P

This is Kristina Knight from Iris Singapore who is responsible for all the creative work that Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker represents across the region.

The emcee for the evening - my man Joey G! I've got nothing much to say about him coz everyone knows him and nothing I say, could possibly be new-news!

Bryan seen with Ashu Kaul - Marketing Director for Diageo Brands, Riche Monde Malaysia.

Of all the fans that were there to get autographs from Bryan, she was the hottest man! I got her ball signed and Bryan signed it with pleasure.

As part of the evening's agenda, Joey G engaged Bryan and Phil on some Q&A about their role and what it feels like to be part of ManU. Phil and Bryan were quite obliging and took on questions without hassle.

The ball signing ceremony.

After the Media Conference, everyone proceeded downstairs to party at Metropol where regular consumers get to meet Bryan Robson and Phil Townsend. The Media Conference was a closed-door function.

Here we see Zolton ensuring that all Smirnoff cocktails were prepared with perfection.

To keep guests entertained (as though drinking alone isn't entertaining enough), the organizing had some games going on such as football puzzles, football cubes, interactive X-box football console games, and foosball tables, which had attractive prizes, such as SMIRNOFF Red, and original Smirnoff – Manchester United Jerseys, Caps, and Bar Mats for the winners.

Of course the main attraction was the fuss-ball table where everyone thought they were Rooney and Giggs.

Remember I said my job scope was entertaining, this is part of it. What can a guy do when women just wanna take pictures with you?? :)

These are my colleagues - party animal Cheryl on the right and simply subtle Joo on my left. For awhile, we were living the Charlie's Angels life - very short period though!

Again, Joo and I with our favorite Smirnoff vodka cocktail. We drank that very slowly coz we know what vodka can do.

Riche Monde Malaysia at it's best!

With another colleague of mine - representing all the way from Penang! She didn't drive so the streets are safe.

Now, this girl was one of the promoter girls working that night for the event. Everyone was taking pictures with this girl and to be honest, she was the hottest amongst all the girls there. But me being me, decided to take another approach - posed with the "I don't care" look but didn't quite work la.
Enyr or now known as Anya, an ex-colleague joined the celebration and just like me, she was soooo not dressed for the theme.
Ashu with Melvin (left) and Sylvia (left). Both are from Penang and none drove.

Overall, the event was great. Turnout was good and the organizers did a real good job at managing expectations. There were some minor hiccups with the bar service but nothing is ever smooth in life.
Just speaking to the organizers, the party was part of the brand’s continuous effort to bring about new and exciting Manchester United experiences to their Asian consumers throughout the partnership. At the same time, this breakthrough partnership has also provided a powerful platform for SMIRNOFF® to take the lead in promoting and communicating the responsible drinking message under the theme ‘United against drink driving’.
Bottom line - next Smirnoff party - count me in + 50 pax!!