Last night I headed over to Ogilvy's new offices on 47th St. at 11th ave. The hike wasn't bad, thanks to the two wheeled beast beneath me. Likewise, neither was the event, which played host to a hundred or so ad-kids and a number of top level creatives from Ogilvy, Google, BBDO, HWT, McCann, Saatchi, Lowe, Deutsch, TOY and Garfinkel.

The event was the cap on a long series of portfolio nights (this was the 7th year!) held around the world by the ever-fun-loving folks from Canada's ihaveanidea. We spent some time with the crew, namely president Ignacio Oreamuno and chief writer Brett McKenzie. The team has been on a world tour, hosting portfolio events in such far flung locales as Lisbon, Amsterdam, Quebec and more.

The goal for creatives and attendees seemed to differ somewhat. Naturally, the kids wanted jobs. The creatives wanted to critique. That's what we learned from an informal survey, anyway. I asked a few creatives if they'd consider hiring the people they met, and though many said yes they admitted they weren't sure if that was possible. Economy, bla bla.

One thing is for sure though — the kids are all reading AgencySpy.

Among the folks milling about, sapping Coronas and gnoshing on tortilla chips was Bunkspeed's Anthony Duca. He's a nice guy, and we chatted for awhile about the state of the industry.

We also spent some time with IHAI president Ignacio Oreamuno, the Costa Rican Canadian who oozes schmooze. He told me that historically, about 80% of attendees eventually get jobs through the folks met at these events. That seems a bit high to us, but here's hoping he wasn't kidding. He also mentioned that Portfolio Night is a response to the way things were done when he and his cohorts were young(er). In those days, he recalls, creatives were untouchable. With PN, they're made attainable to the eager, willing, masochistic.

Now, what about Ogilvy? Kids and creatives alike spent the better part of the evening in the agency's large community space on the ground floor. It was very Bauhaus, a pallet for creativity (if there's any left in this city!). We've been promised a full tour once the place is done and done, at which time we'll give the building a good look over. I've heard it's aiming for a LEED certification — no small feat. We'll let you know how that goes.

Click continued to see a list of attending creatives.

More: "No Wukkas: For Art Directors Only"

Tham Khai Meng — O&M
Greg Hahn — BBDO
Mark Wnek — Lowe (NO SHOW)
Adam Lau — O&M
James Cooper — Saatchi
Allesandra Lariu — McCann
Steve Hayden — O&M
Susan Credle — BBDO
Carolyn Gargano — Deutsch
Chris Mitton — O&M
Ji Lee — Google
Joe Johnson — Publicis
Greg Ketchum — O&M
Chris Beresford-Hill — Saatchi
Scott Kaplan — BBDO
Tom Godici — O&M
Ron Smrczek — Taxi
Andy Berndt — Google
Chuck Tso — DDB
Tim Piper — O&M
Harvey Marco — JWT
Mike Smith — BBDO
Aaron Griffiths — O&M
Qian Qian — McCann
Nick Spahr — Saatchi
Antonio Navas — O&M
Ari Merkin — TOY
Jeff Gillette — Google
Chris Wall — O&M
Lee Garfinkel Garfinkel Group
Lisa Topol — JWT
Jon Wagner — O&M