I suspect a few of us arrived home a little later than expected from the Tomorrow’s Customer Retail Dinner, and not just because of the excellent hospitality at The Ivy, courtesy of our partners, Samsung. Our guest speaker, Martin Hayward, gave us the benefit of his extensive experience of customer data to give us a glimpse of what Tomorrow’s customers might expect from the retail experience. He touched on everything from religion to data protection, sparking a wide ranging and passionate discussion about how to get customers in store, and what to do with them once you have.

The 2017 General Election produced a surprising result, confounding politicians, commentators and pollsters alike. As the dust settles what are the main lessons for marketers asks Deborah Mattinson? We live in a divided nation  ...And one that it is increasingly hard to read as a whole. The final result – 42.4% for the Tories and 40% for Labour saw the main parties achieve a combined share that we haven’t seen since the 1970’s. However, this herding sits alongside marked societal divisions that first emerged after the EU referendum and are now even more magnified. They reveal deep, attitudinal differences on social issues like feminism, patriotism and gay rights. These differences are so entrenched that it may be hard for either main party to win an overall majority any time soon – even before factoring in Scotland: effectively a different election driven by different issues. It is tricky for any marketer who aspires to speak to the whole nation.

1. Emailing is still the most common internet activity in Britain. 2. In the 1990s all teachers in North Korea were required to play the accordion. 3. The smallest stars in the Universe are the size of Saturn 4. Girls in Saudi Arabia are to be given PE lessons in school for the first time 5. The design of the sari worn by Mother Teresa - white with three blue stripes - has been trademarked 6. About 10 million Britons may have skipped sleep or made themselves tired the next day because they were binge-watching TV. 7. If Facebook were a religion it would be the second largest in the world (after Christianity). 8. More than eight billion cans of Spam have been sold over the past 80 years. 9. The chairman of a corporation is four times more likely to be a psychopath than the caretaker.

Sat cosily at Morton's in Mayfair, 30 intrepid marketers braved an unseasonal monsoon to hear the rather fabulous Ruth Saunders and her masterclass on being bold in the boardroom. In line with the rest of the Brave series, it was great to see yet another tricky subject being discussed in such an open and honest way. Rarely have 3 of my hours been better spent - I left feeling energized and alarmingly eager to get into the boardroom and try out what I learned. Wisdom like Ruth’s is made for sharing so here is my pick of the afternoon’s top tips; Homework, homework, homework Never go into the board room under prepared. Know your case, have your story straight, and put yourself in their shoes. Thinking about not just what you want to say, but the effect your request will have on the remit and responsibilities of every inhabitant of the room means you will be well prepared for the questions coming your way.