Victory boogie continues as Henries Awards are perfect picture of friendly cardie world
Ben Hickman was a perfect picture of the fun and friendship that runs through the greeting card industry as the Brainbox Candy head of buffoonery stepped up to collect a Henries Award.
And he was winging it through a victory boogie which can been seen in the video below embodying the Mardi Gras theme of the awards ceremony last week as 500 industry folk gathered at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.
Although his co-conspirator Mark Williams was unable to make the event on Thursday, 5 October, at the last minute, the pair resplendent in perfect pink catsuits with rainbow-lit wings and feathered tiaras may have been a little too much for event host and musical comedian Pippa Evans who looked rather bemused by the glorious sight approaching – as seen in the video below.
Known for their often naughty humour ranges, A Daily Cloud is a gentler take on the funny theme, and Ben told PG Buzz: “Hearing our name read out for Best Photographic Range was the icing on the cake of such a fantastic evening. We genuinely didn’t expect to win with such strong and gorgeous competition but, obviously, we were absolutely ecstatic.
“I had to do a little victory boogie on the way to the stage and give the old wings a flutter in celebration, mainly to get rid of the tummy fizz. It was very odd not having my right-hand man with me on the night but I shared the news with him straight away and he was super chuffed – so were our mums.
“The celebrations carried on until the very early hours and I’d love to see CCTV of my walk home! Ha ha!”
While many embraced the glitter and sequins of the Mardi Gras carnival theme, The Art File md Ged Mace settled for a smart dj and bow tie, and said: “We were so chuffed that Bear won the Best Cute Range at The Henries. The award means so much to everyone in the company and thank you to all our customers who have embraced the collection. Wow!”
The Best Contemporary Words & Sentiments Range award went to Emotional Rescue, and creative director Jennie Rutter said: “We were extremely proud to win – having won before with Senti, it was fantastic see Emosh winning this award!
“We absolutely love working alongside Paper Salad on these ranges – their bright, fabulous artwork ensure these poems reach a more contemporary audience. Huge thanks to everyone that voted for Emosh!”
Sitting on the same table as the party-loving Ohh Deer team, the gorgeously turned-out Stormy Knight director Sarah Jackson admitted: “I was so shocked when G.F Smith’s Mark Jessett called our name out – there were so many amazing publishers in that category so to hear Stormy Knight and the Bloom Seedstick Mother’s Day range came as an amazing surprise!
“There was a bit of a pause and I thought ‘oh, we’ve run out of confetti cannons!’…before they all went off with a bang!
“It was a bit surreal walking up to the stage, but was so lovely to receive this amazing award from one of my fab suppliers. And to celebrate the success with such good industry friends made it even sweeter. I’m still on a high – even though my voice is still recovering from all the whooping!”
Paper Salad co-owners Karen Wilson and Claire Williams always make an effort for The Henries awards and were definitely on point this year: “We never take winning lightly, as there are so many amazing publishers in the UK, and so to win Best Contemporary Trend award with the same range two years running is an amazing achievement! Thank you to everyone who voted for us!”
And finally, there’s the much-coveted gold award for Best Service To The Independent Retailer, sponsored by buying group Cardgains and voted for by 1,750 indie retailers, where IC&G stepped up their game to come out top, having been pipped into silver award place last year.
“I was overjoyed to be able to accept the Gold Award for service,” IC&G regional sales manager Simon Harper said. “it was amazing to win gold again. It felt like time stood still before the winner for gold was read out!
“Thank you to the team at IC&G for all their hard work and endeavour over the last 12 months in what’s been a challenging retail environment. A huge thank you to all our customers who voted for us and made us gold winners again!”
To view all the photos from the fabulous Henries Awards celebrations and download as many as you wish, just click here. And to really relive The Henries you can watch the film of guests arriving by watching the video below…
Remember, there’s already a date for your diary for The Henries 2024…it’s all set for Thursday, 3 October 2024.
