After the excitement of the judging process, all that was left to do was sit back and wait to find out who would be crowned IPSE’s Freelancer of the Year. Returning to business as usual in the garden shed, it seemed like no time at all before National Freelancer’s Day arrived in November, and Paul was heading back to London for the pomp and ceremony of the Awards.
Glitz and glamour
It’s fair to say that IPSE didn’t pull any punches where the award ceremony was concerned. The finalists were all treated to a stay in the Park Plaza County Hall Hotel, where they gathered nervously in their finest attire before heading over to The Hospital Club in Covent Garden.
Here there was a lot of to-ing and fr-oing as they rehearsed walks onto the stage and waited for the guests to arrive, but eventually, the event got underway. Paul sipped champagne (well, Diet Coke… once a geek always a geek!) and attempted to schmooze, unaware of the shock he was about to receive!
And the winner is….
What happened next was a bit of a blur. Speeches were made, applauses were raised, and soon the finalists were on stage as comedian Shappi Khorsandi revealed the winner of the IPSE Freelancer Awards 2015. As she began to read Paul’s bio, not yet announcing his name, our chief frantically racked his brain to recall if any of the other contestants had a similar story…
Apparently not! In total shock, Paul shook hands with Shappi and the other hosts, received his award, and blinked at the cameras and smiles all directed at him. Pitched against nine other successful freelancers, he hadn’t quite dared to dream he would win!
Pizza, anyone?
What was so spiffing about the IPSE Awards was that, despite the finalists going head to head for the title, everyone got on like a house on fire. After another round of schmoozing, hand-shaking and interviews, the finalists all decided it was time for a spot of grub.
Heading into Covent Garden, a late night pizza was just what the doctor ordered to soak up the ‘champagne’, and a great opportunity to debrief on the proceedings. A few of the IPSE PR team came along, making it the perfect end to what had been an unforgettable experience.
Arriving back in Essex with his swanky award and prizes, it took a while to digest the fact that the ceremony wasn’t just a rather brilliant dream. Before long, it was Christmas, and life seemed almost back to normal. However, as we welcome in the new year, we have some exciting plans in the pipeline thanks to the generous prize money and support of the sponsors.
Keep your eyes peeled for more news on how the IPSE Award has helped The Code Guy so far…