The managing directors of five of the six Wieden + Kennedy offices (Kel Hook unfortunately couldn’t make it) spent a couple of days on ‘retreat’ this week at COO Dave Luhr’s condo in Sun Valley,Idaho. A hell of a place to get to but beautiful when you arrive – blue skies and snowy mountains.

Some people in the office suggested that this trip might be a ‘boondoggle’, or ‘management jolly’. Nothing could be further from the truth. We worked late into the night formulating plans for the next stage in W+K’s evolution and laid out radical new strategies that will astonish the world when they are revealed. The events that transpired on the evening on which some of our party were introduced to the subtle charms of Wild Turkey (henceforth referred to only as ‘Night of the Dirty Bird’) must remain secret. As must the meaning of the phrase, ‘I’m only scrimshawing the whalebone.’

The details of the discussions that took place in our work sessions are also confidential but we can announce the decision to have a fog-horn installed in every office. This will be sounded at times of disorientation and confusion in order to lead staff to a place of greater clarity and safety.

(above: Luhr, Tim O’ K, Tom B )

In between working we did also find time to fit in a little ski-ing. Our target of zero fatalities was achieved. While some more experienced skiers explored the more challenging aspects of the mountain, I negotiated the trail signposted ‘easier way down’.

(Above: Neil C)

(L-R: Luhr, Tim O’K, Tom, Buz)

Running one of the world’s foremost creative powerhouses works up an appetite and we ate heartily on the trip. Tim proved himself to be an accomplished chef and treated us to his signature beef stew, followed by bread and butter pudding. Luhr did a mean leek dip. Christie conformed to ethnic stereotype by leaving a tip so small that restaurant staff pursued him out of the building to check if he’d inadvertently made an error. On the final evening we visited a local hostelry, The Pioneer Saloon. This establishment emphasises its authenticity and olde-worlde charm by having a large variety of extremely large dead animals fixed to its walls.

The founder evidently did his personal best to deplete the herds of the west’s buffalos. Here’s Buz about to eat a steak bigger than his own head.

Happy trails.