First Friday Club Editors’ Briefings brings together top one per cent industrial influencers for a skills sharpening event at Clays Moorgate
The UK’s longest running media briefing club in the industrial and technical space, the First Friday Club (FFC), welcomed 15 top influencers in the industrial, manufacturing and engineering space, to a shooting event at Clays in Moorgate. As a gathering of editorial and PR members of the Club, the afternoon sharpened both professional relationships and shooting skills in the interactive setting.
The festive event demonstrates the club’s growing community of members and the importance of face-to-face briefings in the wake of deepfakes, fake news, and AI-generated content from non-verified sources. Networking in the same room will always serve to strengthen relationships between industry and the media, while creating an environment for meaningful discussion.
Created in 1996 by a founding group of editors, FFC’s mission has brought together the industry’s most authoritative voices from commercial, trade and government departments. However, the rising tide of AI-generated content is giving the club a new lease of life where audiences demand face-to-face interaction.
Neil Fullbrook, director of the FFC secretariat Cadence, said: “Editors are increasingly telling us that while AI is a useful tool, they don’t know whether they can trust AI-generated content. They value PR relationships built around authenticity and trust. At the same time, we are working with more PR companies to provide them with a secure face-to-face forum to connect their clients with journalists and editors to publish real news for real audiences”.
Long standing club member, Andy Bartlett, director of science and engineering at full-service agency Definition, has championed the club for well over a decade. His involvement reinforces FFC’s position as a collaborative space where PR firms and their clients engage with media professionals on an equal footing and with an equal objective – to promote the truth. He says “I regularly suggest FFC to my engineering clients as it is an incredibly effective way to boost their media profile. FFC is primarily about building relationships and this shooting event was a great festive way to celebrate that.”
At the event, guests connected with peers, celebrating achievements, and recognising new talent. The club’s annual awards programme recognised the Best Newcomer to the Club Award as Oliver Batt, editor of MEPCA magazine. As it enters its 30th year, First Friday Club continues to champion excellence, collaboration, and integrity in industrial communications. FFC remains focused on fostering trusted relationships between media, PR specialists, trade organisations and commercial entities who shape the conversations driving UK industry forward.
Editors, journalists, and communications professionals are invited to join the First Friday Club and become part of a community committed to elevating industrial storytelling.
