Last night saw the annual Women in Gaming awards take place in the plush surroundings of the Conservatory room at the Millenium Gloucester Hotel in the centre of the igaming universe, London, as the great work of women in the industry was recognised – and of course CalvinAyre.com and the Bodog brand were out in force at the event.
Walking into the room, we were greeted to a pink champagne reception which made the atmosphere even more welcoming than it already was – even though one of the waiters attempted to juggle with a large number of glasses that were to the brim with champagne. Sadly a number of the glasses smashed on the floor, which I’m sure weren’t part of his trick.
After the schmoozing and reception were done it was on to the awards themselves, when I found myself seated at a table in-between eight lovely looking ladies as we readied ourselves for the ceremony itself. Our very own Rebecca Liggero handed out the first award, the Affiliate Manager of the Year, sponsored by CalvinAyre.com, awarded to Daniela Attard of Betfair, who was the first of many to accept an award whilst completely speechless, to the overtures of the Sugababes “Girls.” Fairly appropriate soundtrack to the evening itself, if I say so myself.
Elsewhere Ladbrokes’ Onika Russell marked ten years in the industry with the inspiration of the year award, and Daniela Caserotto of Unibet would have won the award for being the most surprised, as she was awarded the Star of the Year award, whilst her face was fixed in that shocked, but in a good way, position for the rest of the evening.
Michael Boettcher, after winning the Man Championing Women award, won the accolade for the best speech, during which any men in attendance sunk into an imaginary bunker underneath their seat, Boettcher showering the sizeable female crowd in attendance with praise. The winners in these and all the other categories can be found here.
But, you’d be sure that Becky would be way out in front for the most nicknames to be a given to women in gaming, whether they be derogatory or not, award (just look at them message boards!), and it was surprising this wasn’t introduced on the night.
A gala dinner followed the awards, with complementary wine enjoyed by the attendees, and there was even a raffle for a Spa weekend, drawn out by Becky Liggero – it was a wonder that she even found time to eat dinner!
A live band complete with singer gave the night a telling end. A photo gallery can be seen here, and we’ll look forward to the next event in the gaming calendar, the International Gaming Awards 2011 in January.
