Day 1(Monday) - London. My buddy, John and I arrived at 1:00 PM, got checked into our airbnb, met our buddy Scott, and without time to settle in, headed toward the STM meetup to get our passes. STM is an internet marketing forum, and we came to work and party. Maybe just party. After checking in, we decided to grab our first round of drinks. Where else? But the Sherlock Holmes Bar of course. A couple of beers and a traditional Beef and Ale Pie and we were feeling like locals already
After that, it was back to the actual meetup. And what a bro fest. There as about 600 people there, and I think I counted 4 girls on the first day. Needless to say, Affiliate marketing is a male heavy industry. After a 2 hour pre event, and 3 hours of speeches, it was time for the after party. It was also time for John, Scott, and I to bail and do our own thing. After 5 hours with all dudes, we needed some breathing room. We wandered the streets to get our bearings in London, hit a couple pubs, and then went back to the place. After a nice round of Laphroaig whiskey, we called it a night.
Day 2(Tuesday) - We woke up early to attend the Voluum Brunch. Voluum is an internet marketing tracking company. These guys put on a really good spread at the London Zoo. Free Breakfast and lots of free coffee. More networking. But the best part was we got entrance to the London Zoo for free. I am not a huge fan of zoos, but it was cool to see all the animals regardless. Gorillas, monkeys, and a tiger. I think I am going to get a pet tiger soon. They just kick a$$.
By the time we got home, settled into the place, and did a little work, it was time for the evening festivities. This night was game night hosted by another company, Adsimilis. Bowling, foosball, and lots of free beers. The discussion of the night was 'FBQueen'. This 24 year old from Hungary put on an interesting speech at STM on day 1, but no one could decide if she is actually making money, or just traveling to all the events for kicks. The jury is still out on this one. After a long night of boozing, we tried to chase down some more parties, but pretty much everything was closed. I walked home and called it a night.
Day 3(Wednesday) - After sleeping in, I finally had to get some work done. I went over to the Timber Yard Cafe to meet a new colleague, Lindsay Martin. If you are ever in London, check out the Timber Yard. I am normally not a fan of taking pictures of food, but this place really does it right. They have fresh fruit, sandwiches, and pastries that will make you foam at the mouth while you are waiting to order. And they server you on cool wooden trays with a big bottle of fresh water. The coffee makes me wonder how I ever tolerated Starbucks in the first place. Well done London.
After a 4 hour grind session, and realizing that Lindsey was about 25 times smarter than I was, I decided to call it a day. I went home, changed up, and got ready for the final evening of STM London. Steve Howe put together a little meetup at the Corinthia hotel. This place was F A N C Y! I ordered a hot toddy and $27 later I realized that would be my first and only drink at this bar. We finished up and grabbed a bite. We went home, John passed out because he's a light weight, while Scott and I proceeded to the final evening;s festivities sponsored by Advidi. This event was by far the best venue. Mellow bar upsatirs, party downstairs. Tons of passed food and free beer everywhere. I met up with my boy EB. This guy is a dominator. I could listen to him tell stories for days. I met Ivo from Advidi and decided I would make a trip to Amsterdam to visit their office and hang out for a few days. Played a game of beer pong against Lindsey and her compratiot. Sank the game winning shot and walked off on top. The boys decided it was time to see some girls and a strip club was in store. We headed to Spearmint Rhino for some fun. HERE IS MY ADVICE! If you are in London, and want to go to a strip club, immediately go to the nearest airport, book a ticket to Vegas round trip, go to the Spearmint Rhino there, and then fly back to London. Because the Spearmint Rhino in London is terrible. That is all. This concluded my STM London 2015. London Part 2 coming soon.
