What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 26th March

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 and we start with a cringe!

PR Moment published a great article last week on some of the most embarrassing pitch moments and as much as we like the list, some of the comments subsequently posted are equally as cringe worthy!

http://prmoment.com/965/hacked-off-flacks-most-embarrassing-pitch-moments.aspx

Moving on, our friends at PR Moment are also behind The Golden Hedgehogs, an awards programme to recognise spiky communications campaigns. We are no strangers to running PR Awards as we organise the Fresh PR Awards but we welcome the competition and are always interested in other awards. 

We like to see what they do differently and how they approach the whole event - we might steal the odd idea but hey, that's what keeps us Fresh! Irrespective, we wish every success to the Golden Hedgehogs and those organisations shortlisted for the awards, many of them whom enjoyed success at Fresh PR 2012!

Paul Mallett

Momentum is picking up for the CIPR Northern Conference 2012 and we have all of the workshops confirmed with Andy Green on Creativity, Paul Mallet from the Brass Agency on Digital and Professor Anne Gregory on Leaders of the Future.

Delegates will be able to choose to attend two out of three workshops in the afternoon, whilst the morning sessions will be dedicated to our keynote speakers and three different panel sessions, one on Social Media, one on Video Broadcasting and one on Journalism. Each panelist will offer their own unique insight towards the topic and then invite Q & A from the delegates so there will be much to learn.

Don't forget to check out the details for tickets via Eventbrite where there is an early bird discount available for everyone who books before 20th April.  You can also get a wider picture on the schedule for the day and just what incredible value the event will be this year.

http://ciprnc2012.eventbrite.com/ 

  It's RSViP week on Thursday with a regular monthly social and this time we are off to the Beauty Temple for drinkies and canapes with the elite from Nottingham and its various business professionals.

http://www.beautytemple.co.uk/

 

RSViP is proving to be a useful resource for Cloud 9 and the monthly social networking events a great excuse to meet new contacts. We have always been a little reticent at Cloud 9 to over extend our reach as we don't have the time or resources to indulge in too many new business relationships - we have always wanted to be small and perfectly formed - but we do like the relaxed atmosphere of RSviP and  recommend it to anyone in Nottingham looking to up their contacts directory and make it just that little bit more special http://www.rsvipcard.co.uk/

We are doing some Fresh stuff this week too and spending all day on Friday at the Midland Hotel in Manchester filming as part of the Creative treatment for Fresh 2012. 

 We may have mentioned before that its all about Making Mums Proud in 2012 and McCann's in Birmingham have created a lovely concept for the awards this year.

Fresh 2012 doesn't launch until late April so we wont spoil the surprise and give away too many details but lets just say, its a good job we have so many sporting CD's and their Mums who are happy to support Fresh!

We end the week with a little farewell to Kelly who has been with us for a couple of years and has been an important part of both Fresh and Cloud 9, off to pastures new, we wish Kelly all the best for the future!

Have a great week! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 19th March

Week Commencing 19th March....

It's all about the money this week as we are in full sponsorship and support mode for not one but three different projects! Thankfully we are not targeting the same audiences and we know times are tough, but we really do have some great opportunities up for grabs!

In order of event, then the first is really a double whammy!

Our Royal Ascot Ladies Day Comes to Nottingham event is set for Thursday 21st June and for the very first time in 2012 guests can enjoy the atmosphere, dress up to the nines, browse the stalls and have a flutter at a very special ladies day luncheon.

Greeted with Champagne and Canapés on arrival, guests can show off their hats, whilst taking a gentle stroll in the garden or take a leisurely browse around one of the many stalls available on the day, selling everything from jewellery to jams!

After a sumptuous, three course, waitress served luncheon, which includes half a bottle of wine per person, guests can get a little help on how to have a little flutter (or a big flutter!) from our tote table, and over freshly brewed coffee and petit fours, study the race cards and place a bet.

Inside or outside, we will be showing the Racing live from Ascot and in between Races, sponsors have an opportunity to target the audience on the big screen (as well as by the usual methods of social Media and in print). With an audience of around 250 ladies expected to attend, we are not asking for a fortune from sponsors or patrons, but just £25+vat to target this lucrative guest list in a relaxed and informal setting.

But if sponsorship is not your thing, you might like to help out with a raffle prize in aid of the Charity element of the day, which is in aid of Breast Cancer Care. Again we will acknowledge any supporters of the event both on the printed material and on screen!

You can find out more about these opportunities via our pages on Eventbrite so take a look http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2556510592

Next on the list is a great opportunity to target the PR Community with the CIPR Northern Conference 2012 which will take place at the Northern Ballet Theatre, Quarry Hill, Leeds on Wednesday 4 July 2012 with a “Fit for the Future” theme.  The focus for this year will be centered around the changing face of the PR industry and how fit we are to tackle the increasing challenges that lay ahead.

Whether it is understanding and keeping ahead of the continual changes in the digital and social media sectors, making the leap to being a sole practitioner or starting your own consultancy, or making sure you are mentally fit to face the future of this increasingly diverse industry, then the 2012 Northern Conference is one you cannot afford to miss.

There will be a packed schedule this year with three key note speakers and a choice of five workshops, plus an interactive panel session so delegates will be able to make the most of their time and really benefit from attending, and also be able to enjoy the great facilities available at the Northern Ballet Theatre with great views of the City of Leeds.

Now in its 11^th year the objectives of this high profile event are to provide outstanding learning and networking opportunities for PR professionals through a mixture of challenging keynote speeches and practical master classes and workshops. The event is open to members and non-members alike.

We are offering a range of bespoke sponsorship opportunities and are happy to tailor make individual packages to ensure maximum return and exposure.

Additionally there are discounted rates available for sponsors wishing to commit to supporting the CIPR Northern Conference for a two year period, with the 2012 event in the Yorkshire & Lincolnshire region and the 2012 event being held in the North East.

Last but by no means least for 2012 is the Fresh Creative Awards, set for 4th October at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. Launched in 2003 as a celebration of innovation and creativity in Advertising, Design, Digital and Media and the programme is now widely recognised as a real industry benchmark and highlight.  Independently owned and operated, Fresh does not have to follow the rules of other awards linked to publishers, and our listen rather than lecture policy has ensured the awards have earned the respect of the industry and also its credibility.

As the name suggests, the awards make significant but subtle changes each year and have now evolved into a nationally renowned event with impeccable standards but a fun and funky element to deliver a great night, recognising the talents of the business.

With impeccable standards of judging, and our unique approach to awards, Fresh is both popular and professional and offers an ideal platform for sponsors wishing to target any discipline of the business.

Fresh is lucky and enjoys the services of a different agency each year, to come up with the Creative treatment for the programme. Since the launch, and the talents of True North who designed the original logo, Fresh has worked with Sumo, Love, Rees Bradley Hepburn, BJL, Big, Bray Leino and The Chase to name but a few. For the 2012 Awards, McCann Erickson in Birmingham are devising the creative which is all about “Making Your Mum Proud”.

Fresh doesn’t normally believe in set packages for sponsors, and usually tries to offer bespoke solutions to match budgets and objectives but we recognise it’s a tough climate out there, especially this year. As a result we have outlined three sponsorship options for 2012, which can be used a basis for getting involved in this years awards. We are always happy to add in extra elements and we welcome input from sponsors that can add value to an event.

So whether you are on a budget and want to go Bronze for around £500, celebrate with a Slver for under a grand or go for Gold with a great package for under £1500, then we could help you hit a great audience!

So there you go.....what a great opportunity to target...well just about anyone - ladies, blokes, PR people, ad people, shopaholics...!

Please email for details and we will be delighted to help!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12th March

Week Commencing 12th March...

Well we are late this week as yesterday was a bit of a write off! 

But onwards and upwards for the week ahead and we start with news from the CIPR Northern Conference activity and details of a couple of our confirmed speakers.

Helena Moore, Director of Communications from Bromford is set to be one of our key note speakers and will deliver her take on the way social media has blurred the lines of internal and external communications. This is the story of our journey so far. It’s an honest tale of Facebook, twitter, linkedin, yammer, leadership, trust and a few hairy moments…. And how the discovered generation is merely a state of mind. 

With Q & A sessions this is sure to be an unmissable part of the CIPR Northern Conference.

Also confirmed is  Emma Leech, Director of Communications and Marketing at the University of Nottingham since September 2009. Previously, she spent almost five years as Director of Marketing, Communications and Development at Manchester Metropolitan University.  Emma is Chair of the CIM HE Market Interest Group, sits on the CIM’s Senate and is a former Chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Education and Skills Group. 

Emma currently sits on the CIPR’s Disciplinary Committee and is member of the Chartered Management Institute’s Marketing and Policy Development Committee. Emma has worked in PR and marketing for 24 years, starting her career in fashion and consumer PR on the agency side before working in a local authority, then in tourism and destination marketing before settling in the higher education sector. A Chartered Marketer and a Chartered PR Practitioner, she has won a string of awards for her work across a range of marketing and PR specialisms covering everything from publications and crisis communications to digital innovations, low budget campaigns, social media projects, internal communications, global marketing campaigns  and events. Her team won the 2011 Times Higher Education Outstanding Leadership and Management Award Communications and Marketing Team of the Year award and she was recently announced as 2011 International Brand Master. She has an MBA and holds a range of marketing, PR and management qualifications.

Tickets for the CIPR Northern Conference are now available at an Early Bird discounted rate so please make sure you book early - http://ciprnc2012.eventbrite.com/

Interest in the Dazzling Table Displays service has been off to a great start with plenty of recommendations from all sorts of suppliers who are interested in hiring some of our great products for their events.

Whether its Feathers or Vases, Sea Shells or Candles, we know that those little special touches can make all the difference to an event and it seems our stock pile of accessories is a good resource for the events industry. Don't forget it next time you have an event! http://www.dazzlingtabledisplays.com

 Whilst Fresh PR might be over for another year we wanted to share a great film that our friends at the Video News Agency produced for the event. Showing a summary some of the winners and highlights from the event, it really does us proud and we cannot recommend the Video News Agency highly enough. Please do take a look!

http://www.videonewsagency.com/media.aspx?ID=10869

We sign off this week with a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of the unsung heroes of both Cloud 9 and Fresh, Paul Havery. We have worked with Paul since both companies started and Paul beavers away behind the scenes providing all of the production elements for our events, be they slides, our books, brochures, you name it, Paul does the lot and is always on hand to help out - especially when us technophobes in the office get stuck - which happens lot!  Paul hasn't had the best start to the year what with one thing and another but we greatly value his work and send him all of our love and best wishes for his Birthday!

Ciao for now!

 

 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 5th March

Week Commencing 5th March 2012....

We are in post Fresh mode at Cloud 9 Towers following the success of the Fresh PR Awards last week at the Hilton Deansgate in Manchester. The fourth annual awards saw over 200 guests celebrating creativity and innovation in communications, and there were a range of great winners in over 20 or so categories.

Collecting the Grand Prix for the best overall entry was Prova PR in the Midlands whose campaign "One Man, One Triumph Motorcycle, One PR Firm, featured comedian Ross Noble.

Other key successes on the night included the Freshest Consultancy Team Winner Man Bites Dog, the Freshest In-House Team Winner Derbyshire County Council and the Freshest Small Team, Smoking Gun PR.

The Freshest Young Professional accolade this year was shared between David Kuczora from Clive Reeves Public Relations and Jenna Vernon of deWinter PR. 

You can view all of the results online via the Fresh Website http://www.freshawards.co.uk

 Our new service Dazzling Table Displays finally has been launched in style with a new website and unbelievably cheap rates for those wishing to hire anything from huge Martini Glass Vases to Peacock Feathers.

Having run a huge variety of events for over 10 years we have collected an impressive amount of truly dazzling table decorations.

Buying decorations for an event can be an expensive business - and once you have used them, its unlikely that you will need them again. You don't want to throw them out so they will sit, boxed up and alone, taking up valuable storage space in your home, never to see the light of day again!With Dazzling Table Displays you can hire everything you need at incredibly cheap rates for as long as you want, and we even offer special weekend rates.  

If creativity isn't your thing, but you still want to impress your guests, then we also have a decorating service which we can match to your colour scheme or your theme. http://www.dazzlingtabledisplays.com/ 

Anne Gregory

Plans are well underway for the CIPR Northern Conference 2012 and as well as the opportunity to purchase Early Bird Tickets at a substantial discount before April 20th http://ciprnc2012.eventbrite.com/

 we have also started to secure some very impressive speakers, including Professor Anne Gregory PhD who is a Director at the Centre for Public Relations Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University. Anne is hosting a session on "Leaders of the Future" as part of the conference which is sure to be both fascinating and insightful. 

As soon as we have other speakers in place we will keep you posted!

We have another office Birthday this week as Carol is celebrating on 7th March (but we are not allowed to say how old!).

Carol is our intrepid accounts manager who keeps all of the finances in check and is often an un-sung hero in the office so Happy Birthday Carol - Cheers! 

Have a great week everyone!