I’m talking about the PrintWeek Awards, in case you hadn’t guessed.

The Awards dinner is always an inspiring evening, but I don’t mind admitting that in the run-up I was a little concerned that this year’s event might be a little bit muted – what with the current economic uncertainty.

I really should haven’t worried.

The assembled 800 or so guests did the industry and themselves proud. The room was humming with positivity. Yes, there may be some challenges ahead, but any passing observers glancing into the Grosvenor’s Great Room last Monday wouldn’t have noticed; all they would have seen was a dynamic industry celebrating its successes.

They also would have sensed a distinct whiff of collaboration, where perhaps in the past they might have witnessed rivals prowling the room avoiding eye-contact with anyone for fear of locking the gaze of one of their many nemeses.

Okay, a tad dramatic perhaps, but there’s definitely a renewed sense of teamwork and collaboration in print and, well, a feeling that we’re all in this together – because we are. It wasn’t only me that noticed, several guests mentioned it too.

And before you ask, the rise of closer collaborations was also a subject that that has been raised in two of our recent round tables – so no, you can’t put it down to just Awards-night bonhomie.

But that was still my real highlight from last Monday, because if we share a common purpose of working together to make print’s light shine brighter, then finding our way out of the potential gloom ahead should be a walk in the park.