MeCo Ball? More like mEgo ball

USyd’s MeCoBall is always a self-indulgent night for us glorified Arts students, hiring a venue, photographer and decadent props to celebrate the relatively small but v  self important cohort.

This year’s theme, the Logies, was an apt description of those in attendance — many big fish in a tiny MeCo pond (BFIMs, if you will). Nevertheless, the industrial chic  and mid-way-through-renovations décor of the Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills was a great backdrop for the society’s night of nights.

This year’s event also saw the Media and Communications Society’s inaugural awards for both society and non-society members. The categories were appropriately named after some B-grade media banter — Hamish and Andy Duo, Daily Telegraph’s most sensational(ist), Fairfax Pay No Tax award. Alleged drama ensued, votes may or may not have been stacked, Meco egos were burst, some people were even seen storming out room of the room upon announcement of their loss… Certainly, this loss did not quash the woes of diminishing employment in the media industry.

This year’s winners did however include Haydn Hickson, Abbey Lenton, Millie Roberts, Sean Goodwin, Remy Numa, Sophie Fisher, Alana Callus, Jack Crossing, Swetha Das and yours truly.

The society's president, Lachlan McKirdy, also picked up an award on the night - an apt thanks from the people for organising the stellar occasion.

The space, though a bit cramped, accommodated a messy DF fuelled by dirty dirty club bangers and sensational 90s anthems harking back to a better time when there were more jobs at Fairfax. Everybody knew the photographer’s name by the end of the night, as various MeCo personalities yelled for a snap, dabbed for the meme, and posed for a gram because if they weren’t photographed, they weren’t there. Despite the event’s capacity of just over 100 people, it is arguable that the ratio of Instagrams to those in attendance may have trumped any other society ball - because, you know, Personal Branding.

The bar tab’s G&T’s and Screwdrivers were enough to send a few Karl Stefanovics home early even though the staff and security were a friendly bunch. A few more house wines down and more people started to lose their phones. Another couple down, and the couches quickly became a refuge for heel-clad ladies or those who had found some romance during the night. By the time the bar tab had exhausted, the night was winding down, and left some to kick on to other venues like Frankie’s or for the more shameless, Maccas.

The night was pretty good, but most importantly, unlike the actual Logies, people actually enjoyed the night.