The Most Important Weapon In A Suit’s Armoury

Yep. Time Out. I meant it in a symbolic sense last time round, but this time I’m talking literally. It’s that simple.

Seriously. Do it. Right now. Go here, and get yourself a subscription. It’ll cost you just shy of £70 (less if you sort out a direct debit), and it will immediately make you nearly twice as good at your job as you were. Guaranteed. Or your money back.*

That might seem facetious. But it’s not. Promise. And here’s for why.

As a Suit it is our job, our responsibility, to know what’s happening in the world – to be up to speed both culturally and creatively with everything that’s going on. We need to be going to the theatre, to the cinema, to exhibitions, to shows, to galleries… These aren’t things that are nice to do when we have five minutes to ourselves, these are things that will make us better at our jobs – these should be viewed as professional imperatives by anybody who calls themselves a Suit. (I’ve often suggested, only half in jest, that AEs and AMs should be able to claim for visits to the Tate and the like as a professional expense. It is a suggestion that has yet to meet with much excitement from my employers.)

When I started out, it used to drive me mad that nobody ever did anything. I’d come in to work on a Monday morning having been to the National Portrait Gallery, or Camden Market, or even the bloody cinema, to be greeted with cries of, “You’re so GOOD. How do you find out about this stuff?” I wish I was making this up, but I’m not.

Because, of course, none of these things are secret – they’re not part of some obscure, underground cult, into which you have to be initiated before you can participate. They’re all in Time Out, every week. The people that put them on actually WANT you to go and see them. And all that knowledge will cost you less than you’d spend on sandwiches in a month. Or, to think of it another way, gather up all of the money you’d have spent (wasted) on Advertising/Marketing books this year, and spend it on this instead – and here’s the why:

– It will make you more culturally knowledgeable, so you’ll have more to contribute to discussions with creatives, planners and Clients alike

– Whilst I can’t promise that it will make you more interesting, I can at least promise that it will make you appear to be so

– It will give you a better understanding and a greater knowledge of the city in which you live and work

– It will give you a bigger list of restaurants and bars to choose from when Clients are in town

– It will tell you the best place to get a fry-up the day after you’ve visited those restaurants

– It will make you BETTER AT YOUR JOB.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. Sure, some of these exhibitions are shit (I’m looking at YOU, Pop Life), but even they’re worth talking about – and there’s a hell of a lot of good stuff out there. So sign up, and start making the most of the city in which you live.

So get out there. Go have fun. Go see and do stuff. It’ll make you better.

*Adland Suit does not *actually* offer refunds.