The new mood in Cannes and Cheltenham

In the aftermath of the Presidents Club charity dinner scandal, the corporate hospitality industry has been working itself into a “heightened state” of anxiety, fearing that it may once more be linked with displays of boorish sexism, says Simon Goodley. Two big tests took place this week: a gathering of the property industry in Cannes for the annual Mipim junket, and the Cheltenham racing festival – both booze-fuelled events at which participants have traditionally let it all hang out. The bookie and race sponsor Sky Bet is attempting to set the tone at Cheltenham this year by abandoning the use of “walk-in girls for promotional uses”. Instead, it intends to offer the Injured Jockeys Fund the chance of walking in the winner in the first race. City firms, meanwhile, “have been warning attendees about their conduct”. The organisers of Mipim have been even more specific, stating “reassuringly” that “under no circumstances does Mipim register prostitutes”. Quite a change from the days when the gathering was reportedly “full of leggy blondes with broken English and not even a passing interest in real estate yields”.