Soaring Communications

Posts Tagged ‘Launch’

Communications and PR specialist, Soaring Worldwide has recently been selected by the Harrogate International Centre to take on the management and planning of its PR activities and reputation management.

The PR campaign is aimed at raising the profile of HIC across the business events industry using both traditional PR and social media marketing techniques.

Soaring Worldwide has extensive knowledge of the business events industry and will be helping HIC focus on its core market. HIC is about to undertake a multi-million pound development of its facilities, adding two new flexible event spaces.

HIC, brand manager, Lynne Farrow: “We have chosen to work with Soaring Worldwide to benefit from their extensive industry knowledge and understanding of our market.  HIC is growing rapidly and the launch of the new event spaces will mark a new phase in our expansion plans.  It is the perfect time to start raising our profile and we were keen to work with a team that combines expertise with a love of the destination and venue.”

Soaring Worldwide’s, managing director, Adam Baggs: “Working with HIC is already proving to be an incredibly rewarding experience.  Both HIC and Harrogate have so much to offer and we are truly excited at the prospect and challenge of increasing their profile across a range of media and markets.”

Harrogate International Centre has made two new strategic appointments to strengthen its sales and marketing capability.

Alison Griffin returns as head of sales and marketing on a short term contract and Paul Ashton, formerly with G-Mex (now Manchester Central), is to take up duties as sales manager.

Alison Griffin returns to a role that will see her overseeing all aspects of the venue’s sales and marketing activity, including the launch of two new event spaces which are due to be built over the course of the next year.

Paul Ashton, a seasoned sales professional with considerable industry knowledge and experience, takes up his post in July and his initial focus will be to increase proactive sales in HIC’s core markets to match the venue’s unique portfolio of conference, meetings, exhibition and event spaces.

Harrogate International Centre director, Stuart Quin: “Alison and Paul join at a crucial time for HIC, we are undergoing extensive reviews of our management structure, as we direct our sales and marketing focus to create a greater solution oriented approach to sales and event management.”

“We look forward to the impact Alison and Paul will have on both the team and the future of our business.  Like many other venues, HIC has faced broader industry challenges such as smaller budgets, shorter events and lower delegate numbers during the last year.  Instead of sitting back, our sales team has worked more closely than ever with clients helping them to develop their events through new products and services.”

“Alison has a visible track record in raising the marketing profile of HIC and returns to provide strong management direction and motivation to both marketing and sales teams.  It is really good to welcome Paul Ashton to HIC. His wealth of experience gained in Manchester and elsewhere, and his knowledge of organisers and large UK and international events, should prove instrumental in delivering an increased number of events to Harrogate.”

Win a Nintendo DS with “Samurai Inside” game on Stand B420 at IMEX

Kyoto Convention Bureau member, Kyoto Toei Uzumasa Movie Studios, now offer business event and incentive groups an activity making the most of Nintendo’s DS game consuls and the city’s famous film studios.

Nintendo is based in Kyoto.

“As meetings and technology move closer together, this link between an household name and our city demonstrates that technology can also be used to make excursions and packages even more exciting.”  Kyoto Convention Bureau, international marketing manager, James Kent.

To celebrate the launch of this package, Kyoto Convention Bureau will be giving away a Nintendo DS as part of a prize draw during their visit to IMEX in May 2010.

Each delegate / Nintendo DS user can download the game to play onsite, interacting with whichever part of the studio’s set they are in.  The game takes the individuals on an adventure through the studios, during which they take on the role of Seizo Fukumoto, known in Japan as the man who has suffered more sword deaths than any other actor – but better known to cinema-goers worldwide as the Silent Samurai who trailed Tom Cruise in Hollywood’s 2003 hit The Last Samurai .

Normally users would have to travel all the way to Japan to download the game; however the Kyoto Convention Bureau give-away will have the Samurai pre-loaded!

Business events manager at the Kyoto Toei Uzumasa Movie Studios, Akihiro Miyazaki comments that this provides a whole new angle for meeting planners who charter the set for their event. “What better way to reward people than set them off on an adventure with a new Nintendo DS unit and then present it to them as a prize on successful completion of the mission?!”

Kyoto Convention Bureau will be exhibiting at IMEX 2010 in Frankfurt on stand B420 from 25-27 May.  Throughout the exhibition visitors to the stand will be invited to enter a prize draw to win a Nintendo DS.

Travel Places Events, has been awarded the initial phase of the accommodation management contract for WorldSkills 2011, just a few months after the agency was launched.

Travel Places Events, Gerry Manser: “WorldSkills is probably the largest public sector event taking place in London between now and the Olympic Games. Winning such a prestigious piece of business so close to our launch truly demonstrates the credibility of our team’s experience and ability to deliver. We are delighted to be working together with the management team at WorldSkills to deliver the accommodation requirement for this prestigious and exciting event, and it provides the perfect platform for us to showcase our skills and indeed the city in the run up to 2012.”

WorldSkills provides a means for standards and education (in industrial trades and service sectors) to be exchanged in a competitive format. The four day event will see up to 3,500 competitors, staff, judges and experts gather at ExCel London. The event has already generated significant interest, and is expected to attract up to 150,000 members of the public as visitors.

WorldSkills London 2011 operations director, Ross Maloney: “It was vital the right team handle our accommodation requirements for this event and we have built up a great trust based relationship with Travel Places in the short time since they won the tender. The team is highly skilled, as demonstrated by their success at achieving our two key needs for negotiation – the right prices and the right attrition clauses. It is a demanding task, but Travel Places have clearly demonstrated they are both qualified for and committed to the event.”

Travel Places Events, operations manager, Mark Nevill: “An event of this scale and stature presents unique challenges. The brief required us to source up to 29,000 room nights for stays between one and 18 nights. Different types of competitor and visitor have different parameters in terms of location, access to the event and hotel standard. Just one example was the need for all 1,200 competitors plus the judges and adjudicants to be accommodated on-site (within the ExCel campus) in-case of travel disruptions, whilst support team members need to be within a few miles of the event.”

The London City Selection will be officially launched on Wednesday 24th February at 2pm in the London Bar at International Confex, Earls Court.

The London City Selection is a handpicked group of venues from within the City of London working together to raise the profile of the Square Mile as a world class destination for meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events.  Event planners using the Selection will benefit from greater insight about the quality meetings and events space in the City of London as well as a referral system between members, supporting the event planning process.

The London City Selection will be marketed through a dedicated website due to be launched in time for Confex – www.londoncityselection.co.uk, as well as trade shows, PR and social networking.

The London City Selection is a Barbican led initiative born from the highly successful EC Collective, which has brought corporate buyers to the City for fam trips over the past two years.  The consortium is being chaired this year by the Barbican’s business development manager, Samme Allen.

Visit London, head of event solutions and UK Sales, Zanine Adams commented:  “The launch of the London City Selection is great news for the Square Mile, it will act as a focal point for the destination, bringing together buyers and the Selection’s superb venue and events offering.  The launch of this new initiative at Confex marks a huge step for the team involved, who have worked tirelessly since the original concept for the EC Collective was drawn up two years ago.”

London City Selection chair and Barbican business development manager, Samme Allen:  “This project is a great opportunity for the City of London and there has never been a more important time for us to establish the Square Mile as a destination within its own right.  I am thoroughly looking forward to developing the Selection over the next year and bringing together so many colleagues and venues from the City.”

The launch event at International Confex will be the perfect opportunity to meet the members involved, who include:

•    Apex hotels
•    Barbican
•    CCT Venues
•    Crowne Plaza Shoreditch
•    ETC Venues
•    Ironmongers Hall
•    LSO St. Luke’s
•    Malmaison
•    Museum of London
•    One America Square
•    The Andaz
•    The Brewery
•    The HAC
•    The Hoxton
•    The Mermaid
•    Trinity House

I would guess that very few of our clients and contacts realise that we moonlight as script writers !  I have personally drafted the voiceover for half a dozen sales videos and short films as well as creating huge amounts of other copy.

In fact, as a company, we also write advertising , marketing and web copy for a variety of businesses in all sorts of sectors.

The name Soaring PR is very useful when we want to tell people we offer a PR service but it does have a habit of overshadowing some of our others service. 

So… over the coming months you will notice a few changes, some large and some small. Soaring PR will continue to offer high level, high brow PR campaigns but we will also launch Soaring Words, a writing service supplying all sorts of copy.  From two words to a whole book, script to speeches our team can provide the words to suit any situation. 

In time there will be a website and much more to support this activity.  However, for the moment, if you need anything written just drop us a note or give us a call.

Once again responding to client requests and input, Nexus Collections have completed the research and development on a new range of environmentally friendly bags made from PET and Non-woven Polypropylene.

These products, when placed alongside the jute  bags launched last year, create a range that includes all elements of the sustainability process. 

All Nexus bags have also been upgraded to include an educational label, detailing the environmental benefits of that particular product.

Nexus has also stopped producing a printed brochure and launched an online resource for clients looking to purchase their range of products and services – www.nexuscollections.com

Reduce: The Jute Collection, Nexus’ first environmentally friendly conference bag launched last year, is manufactured using processes with a lower environmental impact thereby using less water, chemicals and pesticides. The collection is also highly sustainable using Jute, a plant and is completely free of any oil derivatives.

NEW – Reuse: Nexus Collections latest range of bags is made from PET, a material manufactured from recycled post consumer plastic bottles . This reduces landfill and the use of natural resources .

NEW – Recycle: Whilst the Jute bags were already recyclable and biodegradable, Nexus has also created a range of degradable and recyclable non-woven polypropylene bags

Educate: In response to clients requests and to ensure delegates understand the benefits of the bags given to them by organisers, Nexus have created a series of woven educational tags for their range of bags. The tags highlight the materials used and their benefit to the environment.

Nexus Collections, managing director, Nick Jones: “Over the last two years it has been our intention to create a truly comprehensive range of environmentally responsible bags, agoal  we have completed with the launch of the Jute, PET and non-woven bags. In response to client requests and our own desire to be a greener business, we have created a unique range that offers an option for every eventuality.”

Magenta Security Services, probably the most environmentally friendly guarding company in Europe, have taken another step in their ongoing sustainability  journey by committing to a tree planting scheme at the Sheepdrove Organic Farm.

Magenta’s Managing Director, Abbey Petkar visited the farm yesterday to plant the first of several hundred trees and hand over a donation to the farm’s Biodiversity and Alternative Energy Manager, Jason Ball.  Magenta already has plans for further carbon offsetting schemes in the near future.

Magenta was the first UK based guarding firm to gain ISO14001 accreditation, as far back as 2001.  Since then they have invested in a host of other environmentally friendly schemes, trying wherever to adhere to the sustainability mantra : reduce, reuse and recycle.

Earlier this year, Magenta announced that they entire fleet of vehicles would be converted to LPG.  So far 75% of their fleet has been converted, with the final vehicles due to be completed by December 2008.

Magenta’s managing director, Abbey Petkar said:  “We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our impact on the environment, tree planting at Sheepdrove not only offsets our carbon emissions, it also helps the farm return the countryside to their natural state, through an ongoing conservation and mixed species planting programme.”

Magenta  plan to organise a team-building day at Sheepdrove later this year – planting further trees and enjoying the superb catering at the Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre.

The Sheepdrove Organic Farm and Conference Centre, located in Berkshire , and owned by Peter Kindersley, is arguably the world’s greenest conference centre and a leader in natural farming techniques. Whilst on-site, delegates and visitors to the centre can truly understand everything the farm has to offer and appreciate the benefits of natural farming and conservation.