Pelikan has been facilitating the annual Hubs event since 2014. Friday, September 22nd marked the 8th annual gathering due to a hiatus in 2020 and 2021 brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event has grown exponentially since its inception, now counting well over 6,000 participants annually and this year continued that trend. Similar to last year, Hubs were selected in roughly 220 cities spread across 47 countries. That accounts for about a quarter of the nations in the world today. Amongst the selected cities, the United States played host to 76 of them with my local city of Philadelphia once again being chosen. Unfortunately, this year’s registration was rather abbreviated, with Pelikan only providing a two week window for entry, leaving some fans on the sidelines. Every Hub needs a leader and I have had the privilege of helming my local hub for four stints as Hub Master, most recently in 2022. Given the challenges inherent to the role, I happily stepped aside and Frank Limper, now a three time Hub Master, once again took up the position. Our local Hub was in a new Philadelphia location this year, held in a private room on the second floor of Drinker’s Pub, located near Rittenhouse Square. The space accommodated our gathering nicely and allowed for food and drink which was very welcome after a hard day’s work. Read on for a look back at the night’s activities.