Wine glasses were clinked, bread was broken and palms squeezed. It was an opportunity for new contacts and new friendships as dignitaries from Manchester City and Aris Thessaloniki settled down for a pre-match function ahead of Tuesday's Europa League tie in Greece.
Then an Aris official offered Garry Cook a sneak preview of the match programme and it was then, as City's chief executive did a double-take, that it became apparent something was wrong.
Instead of using the official City team photograph the Greek club used a doctored version, with another five rows added to make room for just about every superstar footballer on the planet. Wayne Rooney, Kaká and Zlatan Ibrahimovic could all be seen, resplendent in blue. Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Mesut Ozil were also to be found. It was a 60-man squad, more in keeping with the album cover for The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The City delegation made it clear to their hosts they could see the funny side. But the Aris directors were so embarrassed they decided on the spot that the programme had to be pulped, regardless of the costs.
Aris have since explained that the editorial team, searching the internet for a photograph of the City squad, had instead located a 'Where's Wally?' spoof picture which first appeared as a Gallery entry from reader Andrew Smith on the Guardian's website and did not realise the difference. 'Wally' can be found between Joe Hart and James Milner – just in front of Ibrahimovic. The programme in question is now on the way to becoming a collector's item, with a handful getting into circulation before the message got out. One has already been made available on eBay – for £35.