News this week

Bassetts appoint agency to roll-out bigger campaign

Following the success of last October’s experiential campaign for Bassetts Soft & Chewy Daily Energiser, agency iblinkworld is to create another, bigger live marketing campaign as the brand’s well-received UK roll-out continues.

To address a consumer described as ‘Work hard, play hard Penny’, last year’s activity was targeted at office workers in London while the new campaign – appearing nationwide in major shopping centres – will reach the same target consumer during her down-time. Beginning on March 20, the brand experience is headlined by four-strong troupes of professional dancers performing to music on mini trampolines while wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a "Jump out of the slump" message. As the dancers gain the attention of shoppers, other "Team Energiser" brand ambassadors will distribute product samples and leaflets that include a £1 money off voucher and an invitation to win a Wii Fit Plus.

The campaign will appear at the Bullring in Birmingham, Meadowhall in Sheffield, Bluewater in Kent, Cabot Circus in Bristol and the Arndale Centre, Manchester.

Icon has announced its acquisition of event production company, MEI.

Both companies have well established reputations in their respective fields – Icon in branding and signage and MEI in event production - and this new development will give clients access to some of the best creative and technological expertise available in these highly competitive markets.

Commenting on the acquisition, John Francis, managing director of Icon, said: “We are delighted to welcome the MEI team to Icon. There is an obvious synergy between our two businesses and there is no doubt that this new arrangement will bring real benefit to both existing and new customers in terms of the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge we are now able to offer.”

The acquisition comes exactly a year after Icon’s MBO and sees the company fulfilling its promise to look for new opportunities in products and services that will strengthen its offerings to both existing and prospective clients. MEI has already moved its operations and all staff to Icon’s headquarters in Sidcup, Kent, and work is already underway on the redevelopment of a building on this site. This will provide additional design and production facilities to complement those already utilised by Icon for the signage side of its business

Vodka brand chooses apres-ski experiential campaign

Capitalize has been appointed by Eristoff, the Georgian vodka brand, to implement a new experiential après-ski festivals campaign for 2010.

The campaign draws on Eristoff’s association with alpine culture and will promote its layered drink, The Eristoff Icy Black, as the après-ski drink of choice for skiers.

Kicking off with the Eristoff Après Stage at The Brits festival from March 21-28 in Laxx, Switzerland, the campaign moves onto Snowbombing for The Eristoff Party in the Forest in Mayrhofen, Austria from April 5-10. The campaign follows Capitalize’s activity with Eristoff at both the Metro Ski & Snowboard Show and Freeze in London.

Outdoors Show co-locates with International Boat Show

VOS Media's Outdoors Show is to co-locate with the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show to create the largest outdoors pursuits consumer exhibition, its organiser suggests.

The show's move from Birmingham to the South has been prompted says VOS Media by feedback from sponsors, exhibitors and consumers, who recognise the demand for such an event in the capital and the extensive commercial opportunities that it presents.

The event, which will take place at ExCeL, will see London International Boat Show open its doors on January 7, and The Outdoors Show, with the newly incorporated London Bike Show, opening on January 13. Both shows will close on January 16.

Andrew Williams, managing director of National Boat Shows, said: “We are delighted to welcome The Outdoors Show alongside the 2011 Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show. This forms a significant part of our development for the London show, but it doesn’t end there with a whole host of other enhancements planned. The 2011 show will be an immersive, engaging, educational day out for our visitors, with the added benefit of visiting The Outdoors Show over the last four days of the show.”

David Pegler, managing director, ExCeL London, also commented: “We are delighted to be working with VOS Media and National Boat Shows to create the largest consumer show in the UK. This new show showcases our strategy on how we are working with organisers to occupy the entire venue and co-locate shows which add value to the organisers, visitors and exhibitors. This unique event also forms a key part of our preparations as a 2012 Olympic venue, inspiring visitors to become involved in a wide range of active and healthy pursuits."

drpgroup has become the first communication and events agency in the world to achieve accredited certification against the combined ISO 14001 (International Standard in Environmental Management) and BS 8901 (the recently launched British Standard for a Sustainable Event Management System).

drpgroup worked closely with EcoEvents, which specialise in sustainable management solutions designed specifically for the events industry.

Dale Parmenter, drpgroup managing directort: “Without a doubt, sustainability is one of the most important challenges our industry faces.

"As the recession comes to an end and businesses begin to focus on the bigger picture again, sustainability will not only start to become as important as health and safety is, but it will get to the stage where businesses will need to account for their environmental impacts in much the same way as they are required to meet their fiscal responsibilities. Above all, we as an industry have a moral obligation to reduce any damaging effects to the environment our operations may cause."

Toyota appoints P&MM for launch event

P&MM will create a launch event for the pan-European unveiling of Toyota’s new Auris Hybrid model, due to go on sale later this year.

The event, which will take place in Spain, is highly important as this is a strategic model in the Toyota range.

Chris Clarke, P&MM’s director of events, said: “I am delighted that P&MM has been entrusted to help Toyota launch such an important model. Our history of delivering such prestigious events for Toyota goes back over a decade, so, I am particularly pleased that the relationship is still strong after all this time.”

Event managers using social media to promote events

Sixty-five per cent of event managers are now using social media as a tool to promote events and keep communication open with delegates and partners.

The research study from evocos has shown that event managers are using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as part of their event management more than ever.

Thirty-five per cent of respondents stated that they do not yet use social media as part of their event management, a figure which Kate Oxton, marketing manager for evocos says will fall over the next 12 months.

Oxton comments: “Many businesses are just coming round to the idea of Twitter and Facebook as a marketing tool. Some event managers may be daunted by these new mediums or may be unsure as to the relevancy of it to their organisation. However, with more people signing up to Facebook and Twitter every day, it is something that we feel should be considered as part of an event management plan. I feel this figure will fall quite dramatically within the next 12 months.”

RPM is set to launch a specialist corporate division, led by Ian Irving as director of corporate. The new division will be dedicated to providing a bespoke service for internal and B2B engagement briefs.

The launch follows an internal revamp of the agency that saw the creation of a new layer of management, the launch of two new teams and the appointment of Gyro founder Gary Brine to the board as non-executive director.

Speaking of the launch, Ian Irving, director of corporate said: “I will be building a team from the best in class in the corporate communications sector. This team will work within the RPM brand and will be integrated with the various elements of the broader experiential agency as appropriate in order to deliver the most comprehensive and effective service.”

Previously commercial director at Sledge for 11 years, where he was involved in the creation and delivery of some ground breaking experiential work, Irving brings with him a wealth of experience and will work within the existing RPM leadership team.

Hugh Robertson, chairman and founding partner of RPM added: “We view experiential as a way of thinking, and the launch of this new division is the result of seeing a gap in the market where we can continue to provide powerful experiences, regardless of the channel or industry sector. Ian is an industry heavyweight and will bring a fresh approach to the corporate and internal communications market that will be of great benefit to prospects and existing clients alike.”

The new division will also be developing a number of IP rights owned solutions such as corporate and business training as well as a number of unique technical applications

Irving concluded: “I have every belief that this Corporate Division will fit perfectly into the existing powerful RPM proposition. From my past experience I know that there is a huge market for us to tap into; the time is right for taking staff and B2B engagement to the next level.”

This announcement follows an extremely successful year that has seen RPM extend its work for Cadbury, Sky and Diageo and pick up a new brief from Hasbro.

iD puts breakfast on the menu

iD Experiential and Alpro soya have teamed up to create the Alpro soya Breakfast Roadshow.

The campaign, comprising a breakfast bar, allows consumer to sample a variety of products from the Alpro soya breakfast menu. Later in the day, the bar transforms into a "Little treat bar", allowing consumers to try an Alpro soya dessert.

Consumers are also being invited to join the Alpro soya album on Facebook by having their photo taken on the stand. They are given a unique code which drives them online to download their picture and share with family and friends.

The roadshow is set to visit the National Boat & Caravan show and train stations up and down the country.

Planning permission granted to 2012 temporary venues

Planning permission has been granted for London 2012’s plans to use the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich and North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Games.

The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will host the Olympic shooting events and shooting and archery events during the Paralympic Games. North Greenwich Arena will host artistic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics and the basketball finals during the Olympic Games, followed by wheelchair basketball during the Paralympic Games.

The plans include temporary shooting ranges and seating stands at the Royal Artillery Barracks and the northern part of Woolwich Common. There will be four temporary indoor ranges and three temporary open air ranges for the qualifying rounds and finals of Olympic events.

During the Paralympic Games the outdoor ranges will be removed and replaced with temporary archery ranges. Work to install the temporary facilities will begin early next year.

Icon has announced its acquisition of event production company, MEI.

Both companies have well established reputations in their respective fields – Icon in branding and signage and MEI in event production - and this new development will give clients access to some of the best creative and technological expertise available in these highly competitive markets.

Commenting on the acquisition, John Francis, managing director of Icon, said: “We are delighted to welcome the MEI team to Icon. There is an obvious synergy between our two businesses and there is no doubt that this new arrangement will bring real benefit to both existing and new customers in terms of the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge we are now able to offer.”

The acquisition comes exactly a year after Icon’s MBO and sees the company fulfilling its promise to look for new opportunities in products and services that will strengthen its offerings to both existing and prospective clients. MEI has already moved its operations and all staff to Icon’s headquarters in Sidcup, Kent, and work is already underway on the redevelopment of a building on this site. This will provide additional design and production facilities to complement those already utilised by Icon for the signage side of its business

Reed post unfavourable results

Visit London has dismissed a report by The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) claiming that the city may not see tourism benefits from staging the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Visit London denied the report’s claims that if London followed the same pattern as Beijing, and other recent host cities of the Olympic Games, tourism numbers were likely to fall significantly. It said:

•Visit London’s own research puts the estimated additional tourism revenues from the London 2012 Olympic Games at £1.5bn over 10 years.

•Comparisons between Beijing and London are not relevant as they are completely different cities.

•Visitors will experience value for money when visiting the capital. London’s tourism industry is the first to introduce a Fair Pricing and Practice Charter to stop people feeling "ripped off" during the Olympic Games.

Visit London’s chief executive, Sally Chatterjee, said: “It’s impossible to compare Olympic cities directly. London is the world’s most visited destination by foreign travellers and one of the most accessible cities in the world. We believe the London 2012 Olympic Games will bring an influx of new visitors to London. Olympic year will be one of the most exciting times in our history and no-one will want to miss out. We’re expecting the London 2012 Olympic Games to deliver nearly £1.5 billion in economic benefit to the city from increased tourism revenues over ten years.”

Reed Exhibitions has recorded a decrease in revenues – £638 million in 2009 compared to £707 million in 2008.

The figures, posted in Reed Elsevier's 2009 results, also show adjusted operating profits of -28 per cent.

According to the company's statement, Reed Exhibitions had a difficult year with customers cutting back on promotional expenditure and the net cycling out of biennial exhibitions. The revenue decline, mitigated in part by substantial cost savings, has reduced adjusted operating margins.

"Significant cost savings were made through management streamlining, operational efficiencies and headcount reductions across the business," says the report. "Sales of exhibition space and ancillary services were lower across all major geographies. There was also a decline in paying delegates at the small number of shows which charge significant fees for participation."

Across the regions, annual show revenues were 14 per cent lower in the US, 13 per cent in Japan, and 17 per cent in Europe.

Whilst 2010 will see the benefit of the net cycling in of biennial shows, bookings going into the year remain cautious with exhibitors committing later than usual and revenues from annual shows are expected to be lower, explains Reed.

Glastonbury to invest in solar energy

Glastonbury recently confirmed that Mendip District Council has granted the festival a new licence until 2016.

Now, its organiser, Michael Eavis, has announced plans to power the event with a private solar panel system. Eavis is set to invest in 1,500 square metres of solar panels.

Over 1,000 panels will sit on top of the barns that are home to the Worthy Farm herd while the festival is on. On a clear, sunny day, the panels are expected to generate some 200kW of power; any power which isn't used on the farm will be exported to the National Grid.

Said Eavis: "It's a very exciting project for us. We first had renewable energy at the Festival in 1979 and we've been trying to increase it ever since. We want the Festival, and the farm, to be as green as they can be. The solar panels will make a huge contribution towards that."

If planning permission is granted, work will begin to install the panels on August 1.