All That Annual Dinner Fuss

Yesterday was our Annual Dinner. The theme was Silver Screen Saturday. It turned out to be more of a scream because most of the best dressed were in outfits that drew the screams. From Freddie Kruger, Darth Vader, The Joker, SWAT and Dracula & many more, this proved to show that there were many talents just waiting to be discovered in Maxis.

Having the Annual Dinner in February can be considered too early. It used to be held in November in previous years. Last year, due to the IPO launch, it was deferred. That is why, we had it early this year.

What really is the fuss about? Annual dinners are held to bring employees together to celebrate the achievements of the year. It's a big corporate party where rewards and recognition are made to individuals and teams that have contributed to the success of the organization. The CEO Award is the highest award bestowed yearly and this year the CEO Award went to 3 deserving areas. They were the 3G Network, the iPhone & the IPO teams respectively. Besides these, commendation awards also went to the ADS and Maxis Service Guarantee teams. Of course on a night like this, everyone is a winner and here's the reason why.

When you arrive at the venue, the KL Convention Center, you have to be registered first. This was done by identifying yourself at the many counters set up to do this. Once you have done that, you received Parkson vouchers worth RM500. What a good start to the Annual Dinner! Then, you enter the foyer area where mini stages were set up for free tattoos, hair-dos, make-up, etc, so that you look immaculate when you walk into the dining hall. At the foyer is where you gawk at those who are dressed to the hilt for the occasion. What a sight to behold with cameras clicking away.

The dining hall was elaborately decorated to reflect the theme and it looked sparkingly beautiful and the emcee for the night, Adibah Amin was hilariously delightful as well. The night began with a speech from the Chairman followed by the CEO and then the opening gambit by a dance performance moving to the tune of 'Hollywood Hollywood'. Then dinner was served, first round of lucky draws drawn, best dressed awards presented followed by CEO's Awards and then Comedy Court, the duo who poked fun at local politics & politicians. This was followed by the highlight for the night, the Showtime and I left before it started.

Walking out at this time seemed a bit awkward but from 7pm to 11pm was like a full marathon already. Throw in another hour of Showtime would add up to 5 hours! As for me, this was my third annual dinner in Maxis and after a while, it was just another ritual. Having said that, how can we turn this ritual into an exciting event with eager anticipation in future? How can we make a difference? Learning from the Grammy & Academy Awards which have been going on for decades, how do we inject freshness into our Annual Dinner? The challenge is to package it in such a way that it becomes the most talked about Event of The Year. Anyone out there who wants to take the challenge for next year? Lets start the ball rolling as tomorrow begins today.