An Office Update

With Christmas just around the corner I for one am as excited as a small child! I love this time of year with all its decorations in bright colours, the music, (Mariah Carey is simply Christmas royalty) and of course the food!! The office is abundant with buttery mince pies, big, stodgy Christmas cake and the occasional festive themed chocolate box. The girls in the office are cursing their diets, (give it up guys - it’s Christmas!) and our spotted four legged friends can’t believe their luck at the veritable feast of crumbs under everyone’s desks.

Secret Santa is also upon us. We have all been out shopping and selected a perfect little pressie for our randomly chosen recipient, and are all now hoping it’s liked! From the more weird, wacky and wonderful gift to a tin of roses chocolates, it’s always a bit of fun in the office!

And finally ... we are all off to Budapest for The Phoenix Partners Christmas do! The city is all dressed up for Christmas, with a festive market and some of the most dazzling decorations around! I am especially excited as this will be my first trip with Rachel and co, and I have been told it really is something special! So now we‘ve all got our fingers crossed that more freezing weather doesn’t get in the way of us getting there.

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow

So, the country is experiencing some of the earliest snow it has seen in decades. Temperatures are at a record low and our office heaters are on over-drive! Some of our team are having to work from home as they can’t get to the office. Others are expressively describing the frozen car horrors they woke up to this morning, and some have been in tailbacks since sunrise! A select few of us, who live at most a 5 minute walk away from The Phoenix Partners HQ, are smiling to ourselves in a way that says, "At about 10 to 9 I popped on my wellies and took a gentle stroll through the snow to arrive at work on time and pretty calm … that’s the life!"

Despite best efforts to keep our team members warm and cosey there are still those of us who, in the search for a grand night out, will leave the gloves, hats, scarves and coats at home in favour of mini skirts and t-shirts! Nowhere is this more apparent than ‘up t’north’ where the geordie lasses are gritting and bearing the frankly barmy minus 12 temperatures! The photos of these very brave party goers in the papers this morning really did make me shiver! However, I am very much aware that as crazy as they may be, I know I will be one of them. With my Christmas and New Year parties looming, I too will ditch the comfort and warmth of my woolly winter coat and opt for a much skimpier Little Black Dress! Think of me as you do the same.

A Right Royal Do

So I’m guessing that some of you, possibly most of you, have read the title and are instantly thinking ‘What now! How much more of the world can this story take over?’

Well I have say I disagree with the general feeling of ‘OK, enough already’ that is surrounding this particular topic, and I think it’s pretty cool.

I continued to listen all the way through the news stories, I ‘Aww-ed’ at the passing down of a mother’s ring and I am definitely excited to hear about the clothes and shoes! Where has all of the excitement gone about a royal wedding? Didn’t the whole world basically stop for Princess Diana’s wedding?

Maybe it’s because I’m too young to remember that one (‘Oh she had to get that in, didn’t she,’ Rach) as to why I’ve thrown myself totally into this one. It’s a real fairy tale happening; a big, frilly, fantastical extravaganza of a bed time story about a Prince and (soon to be) Princess falling in love and living happily ever after (‘we hope,’ Rach)!

Maybe it’s the little girl inside me that has always been told by her Daddy that she’s a Princess and yearned for a fluffy, white wedding of her own that’s got me all gaga over this one? Who knows for sure, but what I am certain of is that despite the office groans of people losing interest and speculation on how long the media can drag this one out for, I will be watching!

I will be reading every Royal Sunday supplement and collecting the special edition magazine covers and probably even the book, when it’s released, and will definitely be drooling over the dress.

You've got to be in it...

We have been very busy with pitching over the last few weeks, putting together proposals for potential clients. Every enquiry is an opportunity for us to couple the best of our creativity and experience to create ideas and strategies that get the clients as excited as we are.

Amongst recent pitches we have put together a brand and communications proposal for BT and event proposals for Barclays, EDF Energy and Rain Communications. We have also pitched for the latest in a series of training packages for Castrol which combines design and copywriting.
Pitching for new business is always exciting and we’ll keep you posted as things progress.

Stand by your beds!

Sam Parker-Sampson has joined The Phoenix Partners as Operations Manager. This is a new post within the businesses and recognises the fact that with a rapidly expanding portfolio of clients we are working proactively to ensure that our levels of quality, creativity and customer service remain high.

With a background in the Royal Air Force he has bravely accepted the challenge, and we know that he will bring new ideas and perspectives which will help us to stay one step ahead of the competition.

It is hard to come into an industry at a managerial level but Sam is quickly coming up to speed with the what, how and why of The Phoenix Partners. Summing up the challenges ahead, Sam has this to say: “I’m really thrilled to be a part of such an exciting company, to having so many talented, creative people under one roof creates a stimulating and ever changing working environment which I am really enjoying.”

Grand Designs

The Phoenix Partners has recently appointed Matt Stokes to work with Roger Bradshaw in our design department.

Matt has hit the ground running and immediately endeared himself to the rest of us with his impressive, expressive t-shirt collection. Not only that but the Statler & Waldorf-esk double act which Roger and Matt are perfecting is quite something to behold.

Matt has an impressive portfolio, an infectious enthusiasm for all things tech and has slotted in as vice president of the Mac appreciation society seamlessly. Matt says: "It’s great to be working in a full service, creative communications agency where design is recognised as an integral part of so many of our projects. Plus, seeing how my work fits in with larger comms plans is really interesting. I’m really looking forward to learning about every aspect of our work and contributing to the continued success of the business."

Welcome to the team

We are delighted to announce that Belinda Thompson has joined The Phoenix Partners as Head of PR. Bringing with her a wealth of experience and a vast knowledge of diverse industry sectors, Belinda has already made her mark, securing new clients within her first month with us.

Alongside valuable skills and knowledge, Belinda has a drive and determination which will be vital in the continuing development of our PR offering and enhancing its status as part of our total communications package within The Phoenix Partners.

Belinda is settling well into the office and is taking the eccentricities of a creative agency in her stride, saying: “I was previously self-employed so returning to a busy office environment is probably the biggest change for me. That said, everyone has been so welcoming and I am really excited about the future of The Phoenix Partners PR offering - Message Merchants.”

Organising live events or incentive travel

When it comes to organising live events or incentive travel there are always a myriad of details to attend to, and despite what is often a hectic ‘behind the scenes’ the presentation must always be impeccable.

With any group of people, making sure that everyone is in the right place at the right time is a challenge. It is, however point one in ensuring that everyone is safe, well and enjoying themselves. One of the most basic tactics that an efficient organiser can utilise is the head count which remains popular and is easy to master – or is it?
If a group numbers more than 20 there will be inevitable recounts, and the addition of local guides and interpreters often necessitates some basic mental arithmetic, but it should not be too much of a challenge.

Yet this week another story has surfaced of a couple leaving a child at a motorway services in a foreign country – so maybe it isn’t as easy as we make it look.

How’s that for motivation!

In the pursuit of new and exciting ideas for incentivise-me I often have a quick internet trawl to see what the latest gadget, gizmo or motivational trend is. This usually leads me towards something marvellously shiny and expensive which I then source and list with more than a touch of envy.

But today I have stumbled upon a motivational trend that I will not be including.
Nine salespeople in Italy who were attending a motivational day, organised by their employer, to encourage them to overcome fears and seek new challenges, are suffering from minor burns after a less than successful firewalk.

Over and above the fact that any UK employer wishing to do this would probably drown in a Health & Safety quagmire, incentivise-me demonstrates that there are definitely easier ways to get the best from people.

For more non flammable ideas on motivating staff visit www.incentivise-me.com

Summer Placements

Throughout the summer months we will be welcoming two new faces into the office Rob Harriman and Alasdair Bell who are both on 12 week placements from DMU.

Rob is a post graduate who will be working on competitor research and strategic analysis which of course involves him first becoming familiar with who we are and what we do. With a portfolio that includes Event design, production and management, Experiential marketing, Venue find, logistics and management, Incentive travel and motivation, PR, marketing and advertising, Web and new media, Design, Photography, Film, video and audio and Writing services there will be lots for Rob to work on and we look forward to his conclusions.

Alasdair is currently studying Business and Human Resource Management and will be working with Joanne and Nina to identify which sectors of the post recession economy will be most appreciative of The Phoenix Partners services and working to create bespoke solutions for those areas.

Standing out from the crowd

Here at The Phoenix Partners we have rarely been content to run with the crowd and we are always looking for ways to make a lasting impression at pitch time. So we made a film.

So there we were, the excited, the intrigued and the press ganged, behind a petrol station on a spectacularly sunny Sunday giving it our all. Hamming tirelessly under the direction of Rachel Ford Coppola to try and firmly implant The Phoenix Partners in the minds of prospective clients.

There had been quite a buzz in the office as we all visualised ourselves in our Winnebago’s - working on our riders - for the glamorous career that was sure to follow, and I can assure you that glamour is definitely the word.

With off screen highlights that included Marks debut in the (non speaking) role of petrol pump and Rogers ‘doh - nearly!’ attempt at squashing Rachel’s leg under the wheels of his car there would definitely been a market for ‘The filming of…..’
As for the success of the film itself, we have to wait and see.

Out of Office

As you may be aware The Phoenix Partners can occasionally be seen ‘out of office’ enjoying a plethora of curry related occasions and it was just such an occasion that has inspired this week’s blog.

The event in question was the Barnados Curry & Quiz Night at Mehmans Restaurant in Rushey Mead an event which we had attended last year. I think a little background would help you here – last year we went along for curry and to enjoy our little selves and, by a process which we did not quite comprehend at the time, managed to win the quiz.

So what does one do when invited back? The pressure to retain our title was there – almost overshadowing the curry consumption opportunity – an entirely new experience for most of us. But what the heck, a good curry is always worth a little embarrassment, so off we went.

A great night was had by all, fantastic curry and the sort of laughter that counts as exercise, and to paraphrase ABBA – So We Win Again.

The Everest Climb continues – sponsor us at www.thephoenixpartners/donate

Eyjafjallajokull

The joy of written communication is often in the avoidance of pronunciation so I am confident in blogging on the subject of Eyjafjallajokull - that most publicity hungry of Icelandic volcanoes.

For a company that organises international events, the areas of tectonic, volcanic and seismic activity are usually at the more unlikely end of the ‘what can go wrong’ scale – but not anymore.

It was an amazing testament to nature and a true reminder that there are still things that we cannot control when most of Europe took the biggest technological back step in history. International flight is taken for granted in the same way as electricity and the suspension of it resulted in chaos. Not just inconvenience or temporary discomfort but actual chaos. It was still possible to travel but as our Head of Live Events Mark Huffington will tell you, ‘Portugal is quite a long drive’.

So while ordinary people were forced into journeys of epic proportion (that I am sure the credit card companies will be celebrating long into the future), The Phoenix Partners are proud to report that by hook or by crook, one international event was successfully delivered.

The Everest Climb continues – sponsor us at www.thephoenixpartners/donate

A Warm Welcome

The Phoenix Partners are excited to welcome Nina Durham into the office, Nina has joined us to help Jo with Business Development and brings with her a wealth of experience and a winning smile.

Nina is excited about her new role and is keen to get to work meeting clients old and new. “I’m working hard to get a real feel for The Phoenix Partners, there’s so much talent and creativity here that the possibilities are endless. The office environment is a little different from others that I have worked in - four legged colleagues are definitely new to me – and to find that climbing Everest is one of my first jobs was something of a shock, but it’s all in a days work at The Phoenix Partners” says Nina.

As we continue our Everest climb...

As we continue our Everest climb to raise money for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People and LOROS, it was with a very tentative mouse click that I chose to read an article informing me that Nepal and China have agreed on Mount Everest’s height.

Was our progress about to be hampered by a growth in the mountain?

Or maybe it had shrunk and we could have a day off?

But all is well, both countries have decided to agree with The Phoenix Partners that Everest is 8848 meters tall. Phew. It is of course an interesting debate, how do you measure a mountain? It isn’t like measuring for curtains. You can’t send your spouse up a ladder with a tape measure only for them to complain that you’re not holding your end properly and it will be your fault when they’re sitting in a draft. Or is it? The height debate has been going on since 1856 and actually seems to hinge on a very similar argument.

But never mind our calculations are correct and we shall climb onwards and upwards in blissful ignorance of the US National Geographic Society who insist that it is 8850 meters.

If you would like to make a donation, in recognition of our efforts please go to www.thephoenixpartners.com/donate

Household electronics as art?

April sees The Gadget Show live descended once more on the NEC. As I’m always looking for new products for incentivise-me it seemed an excellent way of spending a working day.

Now, it has been said, and rightly so, that I can get a little over enthusiastic when it comes to shiny stuff with plugs. So in order to stay professional (and prevent my anorak from bursting with excitement) Rachel came with me.

We spent a brilliant morning revelling in all that is gadgetty and saw some fantastic products and innovations. What struck me most was the move towards household electronics as art, form following style rather than function, there were some truly stunning pieces of equipment that were amazing before you even plugged them in!

So now I’m back in the office, chatting to suppliers that we met and working to get new products onto incentivise-me, it’s all in a day’s work at The Phoenix Partners.

Home again, home again jiggety jig!

With the South Africa team back in the office after a successful event and forays to Alaska and Portugal in the near future it seems that the world is our workplace.

There has been much prediction about the death of international travel – that it would be made obsolete by the internet and real time conferencing – but it seems that those soothsayers missed an important point. People. Anyone who has recently met someone that they have known for a while via email or telephone will know exactly what I’m talking about, rarely does the face match with the voice you’ve been hearing.

Live Events ‘live’ for a reason, they serve a basic need for interaction and give people real connections. And they’re good for communication too, key information is delivered fully packaged with its very own aide memoires, sights, sounds and smells that prompt memory recall. The ways the Human mind files information gives us these free reminders with our audience, it would be a real shame not to use them.

With the benefit of hindsight

We have recently been working on our Design Virtual Portfolio and it has been quite exciting to look back on past endeavours and realise just how brilliant we are.

Projects always begin with a sense of excitement about how we’re going to respond to the brief - How can we give it The Phoenix Partners treatment? How can we make it better than the client wants? And they always end with the sort of excitement that comes from both accomplishment and, let’s be honest, relief.

But during a project we rarely get a chance to appreciate just how brilliant the project actually is.

Looking back on our Design Portfolio has given us an opportunity that we rarely have, to view our work in an objective light without the pressure of living it. And you know what, it’s pretty darned good!

Go tell it on the mountain

As I write there is travel in the air, Mark and Rachel are about to leave for South Africa.

Yes, there is a conference to be run but we all know that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ and so an extra couple of days in the sun are very much in order.

Mark gave us an excellent, and somewhat unnerving, example of just how small the world is while out on a recce for the job. He did this by using the office printer to tell us that he could use the office printer. Marvellous.

So what are his aims for a couple of days R’n R? How about a little cloud computing on the top of Table Mountain? Those of us left in the office will look forward to receiving an appropriately spiritual missive!

The Phoenix Partners in Alaska

With some of the most rugged and wild places on earth; there can be only one destination to shoot a film in the style of History Channel’s, Ice Truckers and that place is Alaska.

After sending our initial proposal for their perusal, we have been appointed by BP to produce a 25 minute, gritty programme and our film production team will be touching down later this month to explore Alaska’s landscapes and ecosystems; which will equip them with the dramatic shots they are looking for.

With a great concept and some of our inimitable magic - this has all the makings of an excellent project.

Turning this into that

When we were asked by Canon, one of Europe’s largest Blue Chip Companies; to build a dinner venue for an exclusive conference; we couldn’t wait to get started!

What made this project even more appealing was that fact that we were faced with a challenge on a mammoth scale – to turn something that had no infrastructure into an exclusive dinner venue - and that was not all; this had to be directed from our own offices and the proposed venue was more than 1600km away, on the outskirts of Lisbon in Portugal.

So taking into account all of the above, there really was only man for this job. Our head of live events, Mark Huffington. With more than 35 years of working on live events; Mark simply, as they say ‘worked his magic’ with a vision to set Broadway alight; he liaised with suppliers and specialist contacts to ‘turn this into that’!

Virtually anything?

As the internet, for better or for worse, has become an integrated part of our existence it seems that we are more than willing to tell the world information that we would probably not say out loud in our local pub. We have, almost without realising, become so accustomed to posting information about ourselves that we have lost comprehension of the infinite audience that can access this information.

Our real and virtual lives are often blurred and intermingled and it is not unusual for users to post online information in real time.

This has prompted Dutch developers to spend four hours of their time creating PleaseRobMe. The site is designed to highlight the fact that players in an online game called Foursquare, which is based on the players location in the real world, are telling the world when their homes are empty.

So next time you are tempted to change your facebook status to ‘Justine is packing for Barbados – only three days to go!!!!’ It might be worth thinking again.

Multi- sensory Marketing

Experiential marketing is something of a trendy phrase at the moment so maybe it’s time to look at the substance behind the hype.

How our senses interact has always been of interest to science and as the links become more recognised the effects are, of course, being manipulated in the corporate world.

Several studies have indicated that advertising which mentions a multi-sensory experience directs consumers towards the perception that the product is better. Coffee sellers have always been keen to entice us with the aroma but do these sensory connections work in other ways?

There is a school of thought that all our communication is multi sensory and this opens further questions. We all recognise that we have expressive body language, so does that mean that receptive body language exists – can I hear you with my fingers??

This is, I am sure an area that is going to get a little weirder and a lot more interesting yet and experiential marketing will probably be our first encounter with the results.

A Real Work Experience

It has been quite exciting in the office of late. Work experience is a fascinating concept and an interesting thing to get right and from the feedback we have received it seems that we are doing a decent job of it.

It’s important to remember that everyone who works with us brings something to the business – David came with a real passion for film and some amazing technical insights in to the latest developments, Raj developed his writing style and gave us some exciting ideas about the future of PR and Gemma reminded us all of the splendour of the English language.

And so it continues – Amy Leong will be joining us soon to experience the world of live events and another new face will surely bring in another new perspective.
Let’s just hope that we can teach her as much as she can teach us!

The HD Challenge

Since the creation of HD the two main milestones for it have been the introduction of Freeview HD and HD versions of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 (adding to the 37 HD channels that Sky already have). It is hoped by HD providers that the World Cup will also be another event in which to expose people to the advantages of the new format, and act as equivalent to the Queen’s Coronation which generated a huge peak in the purchasing of colour TVs.

However, as spectacular as the effects of HD are when viewing of a film or programme, the format itself is not without its downside. The production requirements for HD material are now pretty stringent and require the material to be shot on no less than 50mb/s recording format. If, therefore, businesses want to use HD for their own video productions then they will have to abide by these new guidelines, otherwise they won’t be able to access this new sector of entertainment.

The basis of this issue though really is just an ability to move with the times. At some point, of course, HD will be the standard viewing format and this problem will arise again with whatever the next stage of TV evolution is, but at the moment the lesson is that if you want to do any PR or training stuff in HD then you’ve got to be aware that it takes extra resources to make full use of the format.

David Lewis

An Insight into The Phoenix Partners

My name is David Lewis and I have now been working for The Phoenix Partners on and off during my academic holidays for three years. My first ‘mission’ was to go with Rachel Hargrave to London to help out with and observe a corporate video shoot for BP, since then I have been to BP once again as well as working in The Phoenix Partners office doing jobs for mainly the PR and Video Sales departments.

I feel that the experiences I’ve had here have been more relevant to my own ambitions than a lot of what I learned at school. Geometry can’t teach you how to deal with clients on the phone or in person; Knowledge of when World War Two started won’t show you how to write a press release or sales proposal and even the film course I do now at university cannot prepare you for the constraints of working to a ‘real world’ brief. However, working for The Phoenix Partners has shown me that a decent brain in your head and a willingness to voice your own ideas (when relevant) can take you a long way towards feeling comfortable in these situations.

The company itself had changed and grown a lot since I started both in terms of staff, with some leaving but even more now working here, and workload, with bigger and better projects now on their books. I never feel out of place here and enjoy the atmosphere that is created by people who are obviously more than just colleagues working together each day. The variety of jobs is such that I am still able to have creative input, which is important to me, but it has also shown me that you have to do the hard graft in order to achieve projects that are fun to work on. All in all working at The Phoenix Partners has always been educational, at times challenging, and never dull.

Fit The Best?

You may be aware that we have signed up to climb Everest (by way of our office stairs) as part of our Vantis Corporate Challenge participation. The Phoenix Partners Everest preparations are now well under way and you can rest assured that we will be employing all our skills and expertise to make our assent an event to remember.

It’s funny that as the start date draws closer the numbers involved seem to be getting bigger.

It was only a few weeks ago that climbing the stairs 40 times a day for three months seemed like a good idea. However, despite the intermittent panic being caused by the figures (numerical) there is no dissent in the office that our this endeavour will certainly benefit our figures (physical) and figures (monetary) for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People and LOROS.

If your business is based in Leicestershire and a little bit of charity induced madness appeals please contact us for further details justine@thephoenixpartners.com

10 for '10

I am reliably informed, by the internet, that there are 10 hot destinations for 2010. Las Vegas, Vancouver, South Africa, Malaysia, Munich, Greek Islands, Istanbul, Delhi, Newport and Nepal to be precise.

Some of them are no surprise as they are host cities for the big sporting events of the year. Others are destinations that are hoping to shake off the recession, and yet more are emerging destinations keen to appeal to the global market.

What this means is that not only are there some fantastic deals out there but that these places have been investing in their venues and infrastructure. This is great news for events in 2010 and could well put some of the more exotic destinations within the budget of even the most conscientious event planners.

2009 was the year of the introverted event, and because of this there are some real opportunities for those who would like their 2010 event to definitively mark a return to form. And remember, we are always here to help!

New Year's Resolution

After the excesses of the festive season it is usual for many of us to try and redress the balance and good intentions are as easy to find as socks and toiletries. So while we are all excited about becoming leaner, greener and more dynamic as individuals, how can this help our businesses?

Taking a positive view and plans for improvement into 2010 is always going to be beneficial to your business, but it is important that things don’t go the way of most New Year Resolutions and fizzle into nothing after a few weeks.

Whilst aiming high is not to be discouraged, it is easier to maintain momentum if you identify achievable goals which build on skills and resources that are already at your disposal. So whilst you deliberate over that gym membership form you may well decide that your time and energy would be better spent doing the equivalent for your business.