The Champions’ League football final between Liverpool and AC Milan failed to live up to expectations but that evening London’s capital markets journalists were treated to an unexpected match between Deutsche Bank and UBS. Deutsche had sent out save-the-date invitations over a month before for a press party on the terrace at swanky restaurant Coq d’Argent.
And although normally the prospect of drinking for free on a rooftop looking across the City on an early summer evening would have assured full attendance from the invited hacks, it was a concern that the German bank had realized that its party clashed with the football only after Euromoney had intervened to tell them about it.
Rather than suffer a low turnout or risk an embarrassing walk-out by reporters (and bankers) seeking out the game, Deutsche moved quickly to assure football lovers that the match would be shown at a venue close by – for some strange reason Coq d’Argent did not think that showing the TV broadcast would offer a fitting ambience for its refined customers.
In contrast, UBS put in some tricky wing play by booking out a quarter of the Corney & Barrow wine bar in London’s Broadgate Circle.