What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 29th October

Welcome to another week and what a busy one it is!

Tonight we’re off to the Vue Cinema in The Lowry Outlet Mall, Salford Quays Manchester to join Bil Bungay at a very special screening of his Film, When the Lights Went Out.

Based on supposedly true events that occurred at No. 30, East Drive on the Chequerfield Estate, in Pontefract, this is the story: In 1974, the Maynard family moves into their dream house. It’s a dream that quickly descends into a panic stricken nightmare as the family discovers a horrifying truth – the house is already occupied by the most violent poltergeist ever documented. As the attacks on the family become increasingly violent and terrifying it becomes clear that the exorcism of the poltergeist will be their only chance for survival. Two separate exorcism are attempted… the consequences of which… are disastrous.

Although the film has been out a month or so, the screening this evening will be special as everyone has to dress up as a vicar! We’ll post photos in due course!

Wednesday is the CIPR Northern Conference at The Rose Bowl, Leeds Metropolitan University with a Fit for the Future theme.

The focus for this year will be cantered 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.

Key speakers at the event include Max Clifford, who probably for anyone with an interest in the media will need no introduction. Additionally,  Gavin Forth, Global Marketing Director at ghd and Nicola Green, Director of Communications & Reputation at 02 are also speaking.

There are also three panels and three workshops on the day all addressing different subject matter:

Journalism, will see three of the North's senior journalists from the world of print and broadcasting will talk about how they have adapted to be "fit for the future", how they see mainstream and digital media integrating, and what effect they think Leveson might have on press regulation.

Social media, will see t hree leading thinkers on how social media and digital communications is evolving and changing the role of PR practitioners. They will share their expertise on how we can be 'fit for the future' and claim the social media space as communications, engagement and relationship specialists.

Video Broadcasting will focus on One hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second and over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month. The panel will outline how video is changing the skills required for PRs and explore how you can leverage the medium to support your communication objectives whether that's online or off. 

Kantar Media who are headline sponsors of the event are also delivering a session on “Track to the Future”.  Over the past decade, the client-agency relationship has evolved from a one-lane relay, with clear control procedures to finish the race, to a wider track, where we merge our expertise to complete the race together. In this session, Group Commercial Director of Kantar Media Intelligence UK Dean Wading and Deputy Manager of Media Evaluation, Matt Couchman discuss how much more PR and communications specialists can deliver beyond just numbers to set the track to the future.

And if that wasn’t enough to keep our delegates occupied, there are also three workshops in the afternoon the first of which is Leaders of the future with Professor Anne Gregory.

Running at the same time is  The future of digital communications with Paul Mallett, Digital Strategic Director and Board Director, Brass and Strategic Creativity or 'New School PR' with Andy Green.

So all in all a very very full day for the delegates!

Friday we are in preparation mode for a busy weekend with our clients Beachcomber who are holding an all years “Reunion Academy Weekend” at the Ettington Chase Hotel in Stratford.

Beachcomber Tours have been based on the High Street in Guildford since 1989 and specialise in the paradise islands of Mauritius and the Seychelles.  In Mauritius Beachcomber Hotels were the pioneers of the hotel industry opening the first hotel on the island way back in 1952 so we certainly come with some pedigree.

They certainly know how to look after their clients and their travel agents are in for a cracking weekend, with a treasure hunt around the grounds, a firework display and drinks, three course dinner, a band, entertainment a plenty and something rather special that we have been asked to provide…a candy buffet!

So in addition to doing our bit with registration, table decorations and centre pieces we have also had to source blue sweets (to match their corporate colours of course!) and chocolate which hasn’t been that easy, but should make for a stunning display!

So, that’s probably more than enough for the week

Have a good one everyone!

What’s Floating Around Cloud 9? 22nd Oct

Welcome to another week and it’s busy, busy, busy at Cloud 9 Towers!

Not only do we have two major client events looming, but we are also well and truly into awards and events season so without further ado here goes….

Tomorrow night we are off to the PR Week Awards at Grovesnor House on Park Lane, with our friends and sponsors, Kantar Media. Whilst it’s a few years since we’ve been to PR Week, there are sure to be a few familiar faces around although the shortlist this year looked very London centric!

Thursday is RSViP in Nottingham at eschebeche in  West Bridgford where the food culture of the Mediterranean meets a tapas café and bar, with some of the best beers and wines from Southern Europe. It's all about enjoying great food and drink in a relaxed and sociable atmosphere, with lots of networking and we look forward to sharing an olive or chorizo!

We’ve turned down a couple of cracking invitations this week (we are very lucky at Cloud 9 to be on the radar of some great venues and event hosts) including a host of Christmas Showcases, Hotel Previews and a rather interesting Preview Evening at The Hepworth Gallery  in Wakefield of Barbara Hepworths Hospital Drawings.

This new exhibition will reveal the remarkable series of exquisite drawings and paintings made by the artist during the late 1940s, illustrating surgeons at work in operating theatres within Post-War Britain.

Following the hospitalisation of their daughter Sarah in 1944, Hepworth and her husband, the artist Ben Nicholson, struck up a friendship with Norman Capener, the surgeon who treated Sarah at the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter. Through this friendship, Hepworth was invited to witness a variety of surgical procedures at Exeter and the London Clinic. Over a two-year period, 1947-49, Hepworth produced around 80 works within the series. As well as pencil, ink and chalk drawings, many were executed in both pencil and oil paint on board, and as such can be seen as both paintings and drawings.

With over 30 works on display, including Hepworth’s sketchbook, this new exhibition is the most significant presentation of this extraordinary series to date. The exhibition comprises key loans from national, public and private collections, some of which have never been exhibited previously.

We’ve also had to forgo a rather lovely invitation to join the great guys at Mercure Hotels who invited us to a rather intriguing weekend in Shropshire at the Mercure Albrighton Hall, this coming weekend.

It a truly great venue – very idyllic with a beautiful lake, large meeting spaces and refurbished bedrooms. It’s also got one of the best spa’s in the group complete with squash courts!

However, no one can accuse us of being party-poopers at Cloud 9 as we did have a fabulous time at the Mercure Brandon Hall Hotel a couple of weeks ago where all things chocolate was the order of the day, or should we say night!

Set in 17 acres of tranquil grounds surrounding the 4-star Mercure Brandon Hall Hotel and Spa in Warwickshire, the hotel has 120 contemporary rooms, each with satellite TV and internet access. An elegant lunch or dinner menu can be found at the Clarendon Restaurant, or you relax near the open fireplace or patio or the Berwick Bar. An indoor pool and fitness centre can be enjoyed at the Spa, and the hotel has 10 fully equipped meeting rooms, which can welcome up to 280 guests.

The agents dinner with a Willy Wonka theme was a truly excellent evening and despite the hangover and chocolate high, a great night at a great venue!

We wont be staying in doing our knitting this coming weekend – Saturday night we are all off to support our local community with an Abba Sensation Night at the local Grange Hall, before the challenges of next week when we have not one, but two very important client events – but more of those next week!

We end this week with an invitation! 

Bil Bungay invites to you to join him for an exclusive showing of “When the Lights Went Out” on Monday29th October.

Time: 8.00pm

Venue: The Vue Cinema, Lowry Outlet Mall, Salford Quays, Manchester

Strict Dress Code: Vicar (Black Suit & White Paper Collar)

There might be the odd free drink on offer and whilst you do need to adhere to the dress code to guarantee admittance, it shouldn't be too much effort to pop on a Black Suit with a white collar made from a piece of paper!

Places are limited to the first 225 guests, and you need to register with paula@freshawards.co.uk to guarantee your place, although all are welcome so please pass on the invitation and we will hopefully see you there – and if you would like to see a preview of the film, then here goes..

Have a great week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 15th October

Welcome to another week!

Our current focus is all about an event we are staging - the forthcoming CIPR Northern Conference which takes place at The Rose Bowl, Portland Crescent, Leeds, on 31 October 2012 with a “Fit for the Future” theme. 

The focus for this year will be centred around the changing face of the PR industry and how equipped 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 have the skills, gravitas and confidence to reach the top; the 2012 Northern Conference is one you cannot afford to miss.

There will be a packed schedule this year and a choice of interactive workshops as well as several keynote speakers, all of whom are at the top of their game. Delegates will also be able to enjoy the great facilities available at The Rose Bowl, a stunning prestige building with great views of the City of Leeds.

Cloud 9 has a good relationship with the CIPR (we're members) and staying in the PR industry, the other leading industry body the PRCA (we're members of this one too). So we like to think we know a thing or two about PR, and having run PR Awards for many years, understand the fundamentals of a great PR campaign.

However, our theme for this week is bad PR and some of the horror stories surrounding PR stunts and campaigns that have gone badly wrong. We haven't included how using Social Media as part of your PR can also backfire, as that in itself is worth a dedicated blog on its own!

Just remember to avoid some of these key mistakes that some of the bigger brand names have made in the past-

As PR gaffes go, it certainly wasn't slick. BP chief executive Tony Hayward decided to go racing on his yacht at the weekend while his company struggles to contain the 60,000 barrels of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico daily. Furious US Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel blasted: "I think we can conclude Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR." 

In 2001 Blue were riding high as Britain's most successful boy band - and on the verge of breaking America. Until gormless Lee Ryan opened his trap during an interview in the aftermath of 9/11. "What about whales?" he shrieked. "They are ignoring animals that are more important. "Who gives a f*** about New York when elephants are being killed?" Blue never did crack the States. Funny, that.

The too good to be true free flights promo in the 1990s offered trips to the US for any customer spending more than £100 from Hoover. The company found itself overwhelmed and hundreds took Hoover to court. The firm had to fork out £48million.

The £4.3billion Terminal 5 will forever be remembered for its shambolic opening two years ago. A catalogue of errors saw 216 flights cancelled and 15,000 bags delayed. What made matters worse was the fact that BA seemed incapable of accepting any blame over the fiasco. Later chief executive Willie Walsh finally admitted it was not its "finest hour."

The longest court case in England saw the burger giant sue Marie Steel and David Morris for defamation. In 1997, after 30 months, a judge said McDonald's had, among other things, exploited children with advertising. The firm was still awarded £60,000 damages but did not pursue this money after the campaigners refused to pay.

In order to avoid making major PR gaffes, it is always worth taking the time to do your research, think before you speak and if funds allow, get involved with one of the professional trade associations like the CIPR or the PRCA.

Both offer extensive training and a range of courses and webinars covering a range of communications topics, including conferences to help shape and sharpen your communications skills - especially now that Social Media is so vital in any PR campaign.

 Social Media Conference 2012

The CIPR ‘Share This: Social Media Conference’ takes place at the Microsoft building, London, on 1 November 2012.Featuring sessions on mobile, building campaigns, social media newsrooms and understanding social analytics, you can attend those most relevant to you.Experts in various sectors will cover aspects of social media including the BBC's Director of Communications, Paul Mylrea FCIPR, who will be discussing how the BBC-managed Twitter during the recent Olympic Games; David Bailey from Staffordshire Police will present a case study on social media guidelines; Penny Fox & Elayne Phillips from Defra will be presenting a joint case study on integrating traditional and social media; and Metrica's Richard Bagnall will present the latest thinking on social media measurement. The keynote speaker will be Robin Pembrooke, Head of Online for ITV and Global Radio.Further discussions and case studies will be presented around Networks & Platforms, Mobile and Location, and Understanding Social Media Analytics and Measurement. 

Once a member of the PRCA, many of their excellent courses are completely free including an upcoming event which is a Digital and New Media Campaigns Masterclass. Threepipe present their Ericsson Money campaign along with Azzurri Communications talking through their 2011 PRCA Award winning Connecting for Business Health campaign. Find out how Ogilvy PR London put content at the heart of their campaign surrounding Panda Awareness Week, clocking up more than 2 million views of their video content on YouTube and gaining coverage across the globe from the China Daily to Good Morning America and BBC World.

Yes you need to invest some time and often some money to ensure you deliver effective communications for your company, but at least if you do, you will ensure you never suffer from the same fate as Gerald Ratner :  Surely the most famous (and most costly) blunder of them all was back in 1991. Gerald Ratner wiped £500million from the value of his jewellery company after joking the chain "sold a pair of earrings for under a pound, which is cheaper than a prawn sandwich from Marks & Spencer, but probably wouldn't last as long". He added a decanter was "total crap". Ratner was forced out and the firm re-branded Signet.

Enjoy your week and don't forget to book for the CIPR Northern Conference on 31st October !

You can book via email paula@cloud9em.co.uk or use the booking page on Eventbrite www.ciprnc2012.eventbrite.com

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 8th October

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9!

We’d like to remind you about our free venue finding service again this week and bring you in the second in our series of Destination Guides for events around the UK,

Although Cloud 9 is a Nottingham based company, most of the events we stage for clients tend to be in other parts of the UK and we like to think we have a pretty good handle on most of the major cities and the venue options available.

With new venues opening, refurbishments, change of ownership and a continual changing shift in client preferences, we hope that our daily Twitter post “Venue Tip of the Day” is proving a useful source of information (we schedule it at 12.30pm Monday to Friday) and you can follow us @Cloud9em

This week its Destination Manchester and a few of our favourite venue options.....

The Hilton Manchester Deansgate hotel is situated within the lower 23 floors of the 47 storey Beetham Tower, and presents an iconic landmark on Manchester’s impressive skyline. With 11 contemporary meeting rooms for up to 600 Guests. You can work out in the hotel’s LivingWell, swim lengths in the 20-meter indoor pool with underwater viewing panels or unwind in the poolside whirlpool.

Or maybe just relax and rejuvenate with a range of spa treatments at the hotel’s fabulous Spa 303. You can dine in the Podium Restaurant or choose a cocktail in Cloud 23, located on the 23rd floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offer stunning views of Manchester’s constantly changing cityscape.

We use this venue a lot and it's one of our favourite hotels in the UK.

The Midland has it all. Conveniently located in the heart of the city, this Grade II listed treasure oozes luxury, comfort and style, and enjoys an impressive history. The red-bricked Victoriana that Manchester is famous for is perfectly captured in the architecture of the hotel and the style continues inside, where you’ll find opulent decor, rich fabrics and shimmering chandeliers.

Meeting in Manchester couldn’t be easier than at The Midland hotel.  Located a mere 200m from Oxford Road Station, 800m from Piccadilly Station and neighbouring Manchester Central, when you couple location with swish meeting rooms and the awe-inspiring Alexandra Suite for corporate banquets, you have a great conference setting in Manchester to enthuse all your guests.

The Point is Lancashire County Cricket Club's stunning new £12M conference and events centre at Old Trafford. The Point opened on the 27th June 2010 and complements LCCC's well-established conference facilities and 68-bedroom Lodge. 

Purpose-built to an extremely high specification and incorporating a range of environmental innovations, The Point is a truly state-of-the-art venue. With a capacity for up to 1,000 seated guests and the flexibility to cater for a wide range of events, its certainly a great option for in Manchester.

Boasting 20 screens including IMAX, ODEON Manchester Printworks is one of the UK’s premier venues. Seating up to 564 guests, ODEON Manchester can cater for the largest conference, or offer small state-of-the-art auditoria for business presentations and private screenings. ODEON Manchester also has its own meeting room, ideal for workshops and brainstorming sessions.  

Within the Printworks there is a superb selection of bars and restaurants, and Manchester’s famous shops and evening entertainment venues are all within walking distance. You’ll also be in the heart of Manchester’s local business district. ODEON Manchester Printworks also boasts its own Gallery.  The perfect place to wow clients and impress your guests, the Gallery offers an exclusive bar and licensed auditoria.

IWM North in Manchester is available for special events, parties and location filming.

The iconic building, innovative and dynamic exhibitions create an environment perfect for dinners, drinks receptions, weddings, conferences and meetings. Event organisers can enjoy leading-edge technology in meeting rooms that offer style and comfort. When IWM North is open to the public, guests can explore the museum and special exhibition gallery for inspiration.

One thing we would add, is that although this is a great venue for events, you cannot access the main space for large banquets until after the Museum has closed its doors to the public. But, with all hands on deck, its certainly an impressive space and can be turned around quickly to deliver a unique dining experience.

We couldn't sign off this week without reminding you that its the start of Chocolate Week!

So there is a great excuse to unwrap a bar of chocolate, whatever your preference, and munch away without any guilt..

There are loads of events taking place around the UK all week so take a look at thier website for some inspiration http://www.chocolateweek.co.uk/ and if you can, pop along to one of them. Or, save yourself and indulge at Chocolate Unwrapped which is on this weekend from 10.30am to 5pm, Saturday & Sunday.


Chocolate Unwrapped is the grand finale of Chocolate Week attracting over 6000 visitors. The consumer exhibition features around 70 exhibitors, including top British chocolatiers and chocolate companies as well as international chocolate makers from around the world. The Theatre Kitchen will host demonstrations from some of our star chocolatiers with a dedicated tasting area giving visitors the chance to learn more about tasting chocolate.

Have a great and sweet week!

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 1st October

Welcome to another week!

It's Fresh week at Cloud 9 this week with the event set for Thursday night at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and we have around 300 guests all eager to see if their nominations have turned to Gold, Silver or Bronze at the event.

With precious metals being so featured this week, we thought it would make a fitting theme for the week ahead...

Most of the country are still on a semi Olympic and Paralympic high and quite rightly so - what a summer. It might have been wet, it might have been short and it might have been slow to get started, but with the Jubilee and Summer of Sport, there has never been a better time to get well and truly embossed!

But just how much do you know about the glittering gold, the shiny silver or the beautiful bronze? We thought we were reasonably well informed here at Cloud 9 Towers, but a bit of time on Google and its amazing what you an uncover..so here goes, and of course we start with Gold.....and some rather fascinating facts -

Gold is so rare that the world pours more steel in an hour than it has poured gold since the beginning of recorded history and its has been discovered on every continent on earth. Gold is so pliable that it can be made into sewing thread. An ounce of gold can be stretched over 50 miles.

Gold is edible and during the fourteenth century, drinking molten gold and crushed emeralds was used as a treatment for the bubonic plaque. Yuk!

 

The San Francisco 49ers are named after the 1849 Gold Rush miners and the story is that Gold and Copper were the first metals to be discovered by humans around 5000 B.C. The world’s largest stockpile of gold can be found five stories underground inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s vault and it holds 25% of the world's gold reserve (540,000 gold bars). While it contains more gold than Fort Knox, most of it belongs to foreign governments.

 And now to Silver, which is the metal of the moon - apparently!  The name of Silver originated from an Old Anglo Saxon word "seolfor" and it has been used as monetary coins since 700 BC. Silver iodine has been used to in attempts to seed clouds to produce rain and whilst most mirrors are backed with aluminium, for a superior quality finish, silver is used because of its high quality reflective qualities.

Legend has it that silver is a strong deterrent for supernatural beings such as werewolves and vampires and in ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe, silver was often more valuable than gold. In fact,  The Lone Ranger's bullets were made of silver (or so the masked man claimed), and his horse was called Silver !

And now to Bronze. Yes, we all think of the Bronze age, but is there a little more to this metal other than a third placed perception?

Consisting mainly of copper and tin, Bronze is a great quiz question to slip in at your next pub quiz as it has no chemical symbol and its composition makes it especially suitable for use in boat and ship fittings, especially ship propellers and submerged bearings. There us something you didn't know!

Bronze is the preferred metal for top-quality bells and also nearly all professional cymbals are made from bronze alloy. 

Think about that the next time you see a Cadbury's Gorilla or Phil Collins doing their bit!

Trophies of course play a big part of any awards event and perhaps the most famous trophy of them all is the Oscar. So to end the week, here are 10 things to know about the famous statuette!

1. The original design of Oscar was by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. He came up with a statuette of a knight standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader’s sword. The Academy commissioned the Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley to create the design in three dimensions.

2. It was presented for the first time at the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929 to Emil Jannings, named Best Actor for his performances in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh”.

3. Since then, 2,701 statuettes have been presented.

4. The new golden statuettes are cast, moulded, polished and buffed each January by RS Owens & Company, the Chicago-based awards manufacturer retained by the Academy since 1982.

5. Oscar stands 13½ inches tall and weighs 8½ lbs.

6. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. Although the statuette remains true to its original design, the size of the base varied until 1945, when the current standard was adopted.

7. Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the moniker are not clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939.

8. The statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years the bronze was abandoned in favour of Britannia metal, a pewter-like alloy which is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-carat gold.

9. Due to a metal shortage during the Second World War, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.

10. The Academy is not certain how many statuettes it will hand out until the envelopes are opened on the night of the ceremony. Although the number of categories are known in advance, the possibility of ties and of multiple recipients sharing the prize in some categories makes it impossible to predict the exact number of statuettes to be awarded. Any surplus awards are housed in the Academy’s vault until the following year's event.

So there you go!

Enjoy the week ahead and don't forget to book for the CIPR Northern Conference, 31st October in Leeds.