Re:Claim Street Festival was a brand new FREE city centre mass participation event featuring music, sports, arts gaming and more. With live performances, activities, hands on experiences and workshops, there was something for everyone on the day.

GO! Southampton, Southampton’s Business Improvement District (BID) team funded the first-time event on September 25^th 2021. This new concept event was designed to encourage visitors and residents back into the city centre to Re:Claim the streets for themselves.

The event will now be seen as an annual event and will become Southampton’s flagship event in their bid to become The UK City of Culture 2025, an award they recently reached the longlist for alongside 7 other UK cities.

IPM members, GottaBe! Marketing was delighted to be selected as the partners to promote the event. With their head office in Southampton, they were keen to help in Southampton’s bid for UK City of Culture 2025.

The team at GottaBe! supported the event through various digital, OOH and multicultural marketing channels. There was a focus on creating a young audience that represented the cities culture and diversity and this had to be reflected in marketing communications. Through creating a stand-out brand and targeted advertising GottaBe! were able to deliver incredible results.

With over 250,000 people reached with marketing activity the event was a massive success. On the day footfall was up 73% on the previous week, with over 22,000 people in the city on the day.

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National BBQ Week returns in early July to celebrate 25 years of better British BBQ.

Sponsored by leading grocery brands, as one of the UK’s top awareness weeks*, National BBQ Week both educates and encourages consumers to become better BBQ’ers and enjoy alfresco eating, as our lifestyles continue to be more home-centric.

In recognition of its Silver Anniversary, this year, National BBQ Week will run for three weeks and will offer consumers a longer opportunity to celebrate better BBQ and gastro grilling and allow them to enjoy long-awaited reunions with friends and family, without social-distancing restrictions. Launching on July 5^th and running to July 18^th, National BBQ Week, will see the return of live BBQ sampling Roadshows, in addition to major events such as Barbi for Britain and the BBQ Baptas, plus brand sponsored competitions. The week will also be supported with a major digital, PR and social strategy – including the launch of a new website, that will act as a ‘go to’ BBQ information resource covering BBQ tips, advice, recipes and BarbiBlog.

The 25^th National BBQ Week is supported by leading grocery brands including:

Wine – Beefsteak Club

Plant Based – Birds Eye Green Cuisine

Beer – Budweiser

Sauce – Bull’s-Eye

Meat- Sainsbury’s Summer Edition

Soft Drink – Shloer

Chief GrillMaster and founder of National BBQ Week, Brian George, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating a Quarter Century of Better British BBQ. BBQ & alfresco eating and entertaining is now the UK’s No.1 at-home, summer leisure activity with now 3 out of 4 households owning a BBQ grill.

We’re also delighted to welcome back our major brand sponsors, all of whom we’ve previously worked with over a number of years. With a dynamic market currently worth around £1.7 billion, we predict that, with the lifting of social restrictions, this will significantly increase, delivering up to 200 million BBQ occasions this year, so we’re thrilled to continue to encourage consumers to be Better BBQ’ers.”

For more information, BBQ facts, tips and advice plus brilliant recipes please visit www.nationalbbqweek.co,uk

*PR Week

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2020 has been a pretty tough year that most of us in the events industry can’t wait to see the back of. But there have been some positives, and with Covid vaccines now being rolled out in the UK, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

The Experiential Activation Community at The IPM is most definitely at the sharp end of live events and has arguably bared the early brunt of the effect of the pandemic.

Steve Simpson, Head of Leith Links at The Leith Agency explains that “Recent developments in vaccine efficacy, availability and planned roll-out to vulnerable groups in the very near future, definitely provides much needed light at the end of the tunnel for the experiential and event industry. Though we’re still looking at April/May for most of the at-risk groups to have received vaccination, it bodes well for the summer and second half of 2021, for clients and agencies to plan with an enhanced degree of confidence. Fans returning to live sport is another positive sign, but that said, we will still need clarity on the return to wider mass gatherings and venues before we can get too excited.”

Micebook, the event planners community asked five agency leaders to share their positives from 2020 and hopes and expectations for the year ahead. Find out what they had to say here.

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Act 1 of The Good Business Festival is fast approaching, and we’re proud to be able to share with you some of the details of how our first event will take shape.

A fully immersive digital event, staged and filmed live from ACC Liverpool with selected guests and speakers, streaming three channels of content simultaneously throughout the day: Centre Stage, Good Thinking and Open Source. Core festival sessions will include:

• WTF Just Happened – focusing on the Covid-19 response globally
• Profit Comes From Purpose – focusing on corporate activism
• Take Me To Your Leader – focusing on leadership in North America and Australasia
• Levelling Up – focusing on the crucial undertaking of reducing regional disparity

Guests confirmed so far include: Lawrence Dallaglio OBE, English Rugby; Gabby Logan MBE, British Presenter, Jamie Carragher, English Football, Chris Grant, Sport England James Timpson, Timpson, Evan Davis, Dragon’s Den, Anyika Onuora, British Athlete, Holly Tucker, Notonthehighstreet;
Caroline Lucas, Green Party, Douglas Lamont, Innocent; Ann Cairns, Mastercard; Nishma Robb, Google and a string of young activists including Camden Youth MP, Athian Akec.

Andrew Rae, Managing Director of the IPM explains ‘The Good Business Festival represents so much that is great about our industry. The resilience of the market, the ability to adapt and pivot at the shortest of notice and the sheer ingenuity to, essentially reinvent the manner in which events like this take place. You can see from the breadth of talent signed up that the desire to be part of something as genuinely engaging as The Good Business Festival is tangible and we at the IPM are glad to be supporting it.”

This is just the beginning of The Good Business Festival journey, as we regroup after Act 1 and build towards Act 2, a multi-day, full city region takeover in March 2021.

As we enter the final stretch of our preparations, we want to let everyone know that registration is now open (from Wednesday 9th) and this is only the beginning of The Good Business Festival movement.

Sign up to the newsletter or apply to speak here 

Our official website (REGISTER NOW): https://thegoodbusinessfestival.com/

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Andrew Orr, Client Partner Director at Shared Experience Agency TRO, discusses how brands can support the hospitality sector in a Covid world.

Everything that can be said up to now about the pandemic and how brands and marketing have responded has been well documented.  Experiential, particularly through the lens of physical activation, has had to pivot hard to remain relevant in a Covid world. This very much parallels with another key pillar of the service industry, hospitality: a sector under real pressure, even with easing of social distancing rules. However, it feels there could be an opportunity for each to support the other in the months ahead.

From tomorrow, pubs and restaurants in England will warmly welcome back punters, all of whom will be in desperate need for a cold drink and social interaction. The industry will play its part with all outlet operations limited to table service, with a minimum of one metre between all customers. However, due to the ongoing health updates that being outdoors is safer with a lower risk of catching coronavirus, pubs and restaurants with alfresco spaces will be the ones with the highest demand, with bookings for socially distant seats already full ahead of the restart.

So, whilst doors reopening is a much-valued boost to all, will it favour only the few, and in particular outlets with an existing outdoor set up? We have seen industry voices campaign hard for councils to relax licensing restrictions and allow outlets to operate an outdoor service, space permitting. We are seeing all types of bars, restaurants and hotels quickly adapt their spaces to offer outdoor operations – in car parks, on pavements, fields and more – all to try and compete with established outside terraces, rooftops and gardens.

And it is here where I see an opportunity for brands to support the hospitality industry. Following on from literally zero revenue for the last three months, the majority of outlets have little or no funds available to create a socially distant outdoor space, resulting in the creation of outside areas that don’t feel particularly welcoming or even functional, ultimately driving customers to look elsewhere.

Brands can support the hospitality industry reopening through investing in their outdoor spaces – helping take the financial strain and supporting creating safe and visually appealing spaces. From small outlets needing support with functional items like chairs, tables and gazebos, to more creative space design in bigger locations. This support could also factor in the colder months ahead, breathing continued life into pub terraces and gardens as the summer ends. And yes, brands will benefit from being visible to the punter again, and adding value, during a no doubt very competitive trading period.

Brand activation in pubs and restaurants is not new news, and there have been some brilliant examples of where outdoor spaces have been elevated, and customers delighted, through creative and considered visual experiences. Be it a sea of orange from Aperol, or dare I say it, our own on-trade visibility programmes for various premium brands including Grey Goose and Aspall Cider, that capture and bring alive the brand at the point of purchase through disruptive POS, installations and outlet takeovers.

There are a mass of outlets desperate to be supported this way right now, underpinning their real need to drive footfall over the next few months and beyond, so let’s help them where possible, and get your own brand visible through a sea of colour this summer.

Contact Christopher.booker@tro.com to find out more.

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New research published by LinkedIn, reveals that nearly half (45 per cent) of Brits* would rather be at the pub than spend time applying for a job they want. However, from this week, LinkedIn is showing that it needn’t be one or the other. The world’s largest professional network opened the doors to The Linked Inn – a pop-up pub where punters can apply their social activity to get a new job.

The new local in Shoreditch, London, served up career advice and jobs on tap. Designed to show how socialising with your community can get you closer to the job you want, the pub offered live job opportunities with the likes of John Lewis Partnership, Lloyds Banking Group and LADBible as well as profile advice from LinkedIn experts, and profile pictures taken by a professional photographer.

The Linked Inn follows a LinkedIn study* of 4000 consumers, which shows Brits perceive the job search process to be long and arduous. According to the research, it takes Brits an average of almost six weeks (41.2 days) to land a new job – with long application processes (38 per cent), and even just finding the right role to apply for (36 per cent) among the biggest time drains associated with the experience. In addition, almost a third (31 per cent) admit they find the job seeking process stressful, while 28 per cent claim their biggest barrier to finding a new job is the fear of rejection.

To challenge this perception, LinkedIn highlighted the role community plays in finding the right job. Darain Faraz, Careers Expert, LinkedIn comments: “Our research shows that there’s a perception that the job hunt is a time-consuming process, but it needn’t be. The average person has over 500 social media connections – by making the most of your existing social community and growing your network on LinkedIn you can get closer to the job you want. That’s why we’ve set up The Linked Inn – to show that socialising with your professional community, in much the same way as you would with your friends in your local pub – can help you advance your career.”

The average user spends six hours a week browsing for leisure purposes – during which they’re most likely to be ‘killing time’ (50 per cent), including messaging friends and family or consuming content. This is in stark contrast to the one hour they spend for professional purposes – with just over one in 10 (12 per cent) building their social connections to help further their career.

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Put the kettle on: Independent Venue Week (IVW), the UK’s leading celebration of independent music venues, has announced a partnership with Yorkshire Tea to fuel venues and gig-goers all around the country.

As well as making sure every venue can offer a proper brew across the week, Little Urn, their legendary mobile tea van, will be taking to the road at the weekend visiting The Adelphi in Hull on Friday 1^st February for Novelist and The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on Sunday 3^rd February for Thurston Moore.

The partnership will also see Yorkshire Tea offering VIT (Very Important Tea-drinkers) hampers for a handful of venues and artists.

As part of IVW’s “Where Does Music Take You?” campaign, encouraging gig goers to tour and visit cities and venues they’ve never been to before, Yorkshire Tea is asking “Where will a brew take you?” inviting gig goers to share their experiences of shows they’ve been to across the week on social media, tagging @YorkshireTea. The most adventurous posts will win a special box of tea, limited edition IVW Yorkshire tea towels and pin badges.

Ben Newbury, Senior Brand Manager at Yorkshire Tea said: “We love our music here at Yorkshire Tea and we’re proud to have worked with loads of tea-loving bands and venues over the years. We’re really proud to be supporting Independent Venue Week this year, fuelling venues and artists with proper brews and visiting a couple of Yorkshire-based shows with our trusty Little Urn.”

“Who doesn’t love a proper brew? When you’re on the road touring or in a venue getting bands set up for a show, nothing can beat a good cup of tea – it’s what keeps everyone going. But it needs to be done right – decent mug, fresh milk and most importantly, quality tea” said Sybil Bell, Founder of IVW UK. “The IVW office runs on tea and so this partnership is an absolute treat for us. Proper venues offering a proper brew for proper gigs.”

Independent Venue Week is running, once again, at the end of January giving gig goers the perfect reason to get out and see newly-tipped artists, helping to shake off the January blues and support their local venues. As the project continues to grow, there are plans for much more activity with venues and partners across the whole year which will be announced after the week.

Novelist and Samantha Renke are ambassadors for 2019. Key facts include:

• 200+ venues signed up to take part
• 90 of those venues are taking part for the first time
• Venues in 100+ different villages, towns and cities around the UK
• 55% of the venues are outside of large cities
• 86% of venues outside London

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Etihad Holidays has launched a new website that’s powered by a smart algorithm, to offer holiday bookers the best packages at the best prices, guaranteed. To promote it, the MullenLowe Open team in Abu Dhabi have built a sci-fi, steampunk style machine that will be at London’s Paddington station on January 22nd and 23rd, 2019.

Commuters will be invited to experience the great destinations Etihad Holidays can take them to, plus see how much they can save if they book with Etihad Holidays. During the activation, Etihad Holidays will be giving away prizes to every single person who comes and interacts with the Holiday Machine – from 5% off their first booking, to free holidays to Abu Dhabi.

This activation is the launch of a fully integrated campaign going live internationally throughout Q1. The campaign will include digital, press, social, content, CRM, sponsorship events, and activation.

Louise Roberts, managing director at MullenLowe Open, Abu Dhabi said: “We are thrilled to be working on such an exciting launch, and look forward to using our challenger thinking and creativity to develop the Etihad Holiday’s brand internationally.”

Ryan Dunlap, head of customer engagement at Etihad said: “We know that customers are looking for clear and cost-effective solutions when booking packages for their holidays. In an effort to embody our new Choose Well brand positioning, we’ve recently launched a new Etihad Holiday platform that now gives customers the opportunity to choose the best holiday packages at the best prices.”

“That’s why we are excited to see the Etihad Holiday Machine campaign going live as the embodiment of the ideals we strive to achieve, helping all of our customers make the right choices for their travel needs with Etihad.”

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Virgin Holidays has once more revolutionised its retail experience by opening the first-ever travel agent to feature an operational spa. The brand new store in Milton Keynes offers customers a totally immersive holiday booking experience.

Spas are already a staple in many Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses around the world, but this is the first time the concept has been available in a v-room store.  Now, customers will be able to enjoy a relaxing manicure or hand massage, as they peruse an extensive collection of holiday options – courtesy of experts trained by the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.

The Milton Keynes v-room is designed in the style of a luxurious airport lounge to provide a relaxing environment for customers.  As well as the spa, unique features include a virtual reality rollercoaster, a complimentary bar serving bubbles, a children’s play area and a selection of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class and Premium Economy seats to enable customers to “try before they fly.”

Lee Haslett, VP of Sales and Product at Virgin Holidays, commented: “We’ve been revolutionising the way our customers book their holidays for several years and our latest v-room in Milton Keynes is the next step on that journey.  We know that our customers are looking for something extra than just a standard holiday and our v-rooms are the first step on that journey – whether that’s the instore bar, children’s play area or rollercoaster simulation.  I’m excited that we’re able to bring our v-room concept to Milton Keynes and I can’t wait to see what our customers think of our first ever in-house spa.”

Mark Morton, Milton Keynes Store Manager, added:  “Whether it’s a beach holiday in Antigua, a cultural excursion in Havana, a throw of the dice in Las Vegas or the family holiday of a lifetime in Orlando – we’ve got a tonne of brilliant long-holiday deals for Milton Keynes residents.  The entire store concept is relaxed and informal; we want people to feel as if they’re chatting to a friend over a glass of Prosecco.  If you want to explore holiday options in a welcoming environment you can’t go past this world-first concept.”

In total Virgin Holidays now have thirteen v-room high street stores across the UK, as well as a number of recently opened concession stores in retail giant Next.

Key features of the new Milton Keynes v-room:

• A spa area, allowing customers to enjoy a manicure as they peruse holiday options
• A complimentary bar serving soft drinks, Prosecco and snacks
• A children’s’ play area with interactive screens
• A selection of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class and Premium Economy plane seats to enable customers to try before they fly
• A unique virtual reality rollercoaster experience – taking customers to Las Vegas and back, via space
• Five kiosks with relaxed seating for families to consult with Virgin Holidays’ expert travel consultants

The store is the biggest Virgin Holidays has launched to date – spanning an impressive 1,700 square foot – and was designed by YourStudio and project managed by Resolution Interiors.

The innovative v-room design has recently won a “Gold” award at the 2018 London Design Awards for openings in Cardiff and Norwich, and the Milton Keynes store is the third opening under the new v-room design principles.

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Manchester design agency LOVE has won a three-way pitch to design an immersive Gin Distillery Experience in Manchester for Quintessential Brands–owned, Thomas Dakin.

The distillery, which received full planning permission in 2018, is already under construction with the aim of opening to the public early Autumn, 2019.

The gin distillery will be located in the heart of Manchester between Deansgate and Albert Square, with three craft copper pot stills taking pride of place behind the distillery’s impressive glass frontage.

Alongside the working gin distillery, the venue will be filled with experiential and personalised moments that include a gin bar, an Instagram-enabled event space for hospitality events, and entertainment.

The Thomas Dakin Gin Distillery is expected to become one of the city’s top tourist attractions, with 70,000 visitors expected in the first year.  The experience will create more than 50 jobs and will have the capacity to produce over 1 million bottles of gin every year, ensuring the growing global demand for Thomas Dakin Gin is met.

The new distillery will continue the legacy of Thomas Dakin, the 18th-century visionary who pioneered the development and refinement of quality English Gin and set the benchmark for London Dry Gin in 1761. Inspired by his passion, commitment to craft, and his entrepreneurial attitude, Thomas Dakin plan to add more gins to its collection, combining traditional techniques created by Dakin himself, paired with modern methods to break new ground in craft gin.

Trevor Cairns, CEO of LOVE, commented: “Thomas Dakin has a rich heritage in innovation, but an even more exciting story in its craftsmanship and ambition to become the most desired distillery in the world – which is a great brief to be a part of. Having designed brand experiences all over the world, it’s particularly special to be creating one in our hometown, Manchester”.

David Hume, Director of Thomas Dakin at Quintessential Brands Group, comments; “LOVE have really inspired us with their innovative response to our brief to build an exciting gin distillery experience in the heart of Manchester. We’re looking forward to working with their talented team to bring this to life in their home city.”

LOVE, the multi award-winning agency, has a long-standing track record in designing innovative consumer experiences around the world, from the award-winning Johnnie Walker Houses in Asia, to the iconic Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

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