The launch of ‘Brand Academy’

Marketing, P.R. and sales training are all seen as important areas by many small businesses but almost half don’t know where to begin, according to a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses. With this in mind, the Federation have teamed up with Burson-Marstellar, the global P.R. and communications company, to launch Brand Academy. According to an article in PR Week, the development programme will ‘help brands understand the effect that good communications can have on their business’. The program, starting with a range of free workshops, will be available for start-ups and junior marketing professionals as well as small businesses. And it seems there is a need out for there for professional marketing advice. Steve Warwick, Greater London regional chairman of the FSB, said: ‘Our members have told us time and again that they need support in marketing themselves.” To learn more about Brand Academy read the full article in PR Week http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1118964/burson-marsteller-federation-small-businesses-launch-brand-academy/

Gloucester – on the big and small screen

Do your skills link to the film industry or does your career depend on local tourism? If you live in Gloucestershire look out for a film project coming soon to a city near you. The City Council has just signed up to Creative England’s ‘film friendly charter’. The City council aims to welcome all sizes of production companies – helping with locations and other support. City Council Leader Paul James, commented: “Production companies… are important to the city. They encourage tourism and big productions can provide a sizeable cash injection to the local economy.” Filming in Gloucester has included scenes for Harry Potter, Doctor Who and more recently a big Shakespeare production. Stephen Badham, Senior Production Liaison Manager at Creative England said, “This scheme shows filmmakers they will be dealt with in an efficient and friendly manner… which can make the reason to film in that area so much stronger.” Follow the link for the full council statement www.gloucester.gov.uk/YourCouncil/PressOffice/PressReleases/Feb2012/140212FilmFriendlyGloucester.aspx

Designs of the Year at London Design Museum

What do the Kinect for the Xbox 360, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a thousand paper models of birds have in common? They have all been selected for this year’s ‘Designs of the Year’ exhibition at the London Design Museum. The entries are all selected by industry figures and make an eclectic range of areas where the skills of a professional designer are called for – from product design to graphic design, from illustration to architecture. A review including many photos of the exhibits can be found on the Creative Review magazine website.
Some projects are more practical such as the Homeplus Tesco Virtual Store from Korea are or the hospital in Rwanda in the architecture section. Some are more visual such as the ‘Thousand cranes for Japan’ project’ supporting those affected by the tsunami. The exhibition runs until July 15th. For the full review and many images of this year’s designs visit http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/designs-of-the-year-2012

Learning event skills from the Olympics

A letter aimed at organisers of the many events associated with the Olympics this year makes good advice for event planners of any type. The letter written by the Event Industry Forum is discussed in Event Magazine this month. It has been sent to both event organisers and local authorities involved in the summer sporting events.
The Forum is particularly concerned with the use of unproven and unreliable suppliers. It urges organisers to ‘Check out all your suppliers to ensure they have suitable experience and a track record of working in the events industry… check suppliers are members of a reputable trade body and have been in membership for at least 12 months.’ The importance of risk assessment is also stressed. For the full details of the letter and what you may be able to learn for your own event management career see the Event website http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/channel/news/article/1115623/Events-Industry-Forum-warns-dodgy-suppliers-ruining-events-during-Olympics/