Thorntons brings forward VAT reduction

LONDON – Thorntons, the high street chocolatier, is rolling out the new VAT reduction two days early across its entire estate to attract cash-strapped shoppers.
From Saturday, 29 November, the retailer will have put new systems in place to ensure the VAT reduction – from 17.5% to 15% – is active by the weekend. All prices will be discounted at the till.
Mike Davies, chief executive at Thorntons, said: ‘Christmas is one of our busiest times of year and we want to ensure our customers’ shopping experience is the best on the High Street and that means passing on any savings we can to them at a time when people are watching the pennies.Thorntons will also be running promotions in the run up to Christmas. Currently selected Christmas gifts are on a ‘three for two’ offer.

by Gemma Charles, Marketing 27-Nov-08, 11:40

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Kelly Osbourne ’toons into Virgin Media

Virgin Media has signed up Kelly Osbourne to star in its latest animated cinema advert to promote its on-demand TV service.
The 60-second ad, which breaks in cinemas this Friday, features Osbourne visiting a "celebrity shrink" at a clinic called The Friary.
A pint-sized psychiatrist tells Osbourne that she "sees a lot of you SADOS". Osbourne takes umbrage, until she learns that this stands for Sons and Daughters of Stars.
Osbourne is criticised for her lifestyle choices – including "getting papped" and partying – that come with the territory of living in the celebrity limelight.
The answer, says the shrink, is to "get out of the spotlight and get your kicks with Virgin Media".
Osbourne is then told about a range of shows, such as Friends and Nip/Tuck, that are available on-demand on Virgin Media, which she can watch as part of "TV rehab".
As in the first two ads in the series, featuring Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall and former Spice Girl Mel B, the character promoting Virgin Media turns out to be Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.
Ashley Stockwell, the managing director of brand and marketing at Virgin Media, said that Osbourne was the "perfect choice" for promoting its TV Choice on-demand product.
The commercial has been created by US company So! Animation. The ad was written by Chris Hodgkiss and Pip Bishop at Virgin Media’s ad agency, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.

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Christmas Delight at Covent Garden.

Celebrate the best of the festive season with Christmas Delight at Covent Garden. Following on from the Christmas Deluxe of last year, Covent Garden market now opens its doors for Christmas 2008 for a season of delight for all.

Festive charity
Given that the credit crunch is hitting some of us harder than others, this year Christmas at Covent Garden will make us think of other less fortunate than ourselves. Teaming up with Crisis, Christmas Delight has opened seven separate shelters across London to help out homeless people over the festive period.

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O2 Ski Slopes Tickets

O2 Ski Slopes tickets are the must buy thing for any winter sports fans this year as the O2 Arena invites you to take to the slopes for some super stylish skiing and boarding fun. Whether you have never skiied before or are a serious pro, you won’t want to miss out on O2 Ski Slopes tickets for winter 2008.

The O2 Ski Slopes run from Saturday 22nd November 2008 to Sunday 11th January 2009.

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The North Pole

The North Pole is Manchester’s new festive marquee bar and restaurant. For years Mancs have had to settle for massive sausages and mulled wine at the German Christmas markets, but this year there’s an exciting new option on offer serving a range of winter warmers, from hot cocktails to rich meaty stews. All in all, it offers the perfect break from those hectic Christmas shopping days.

The Last Word
This dome shaped wintery bar certainly brings a modern flavour to the party season. For eight weeks of hot, homemade dishes and winter crumble cocktails, The North Pole is the most charming bar and restaurant you will come across this Christmas.

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PR and web could benefit from economic downturn

LONDON – Public relations agencies could benefit from the economic downturn as more businesses look at increasing their spend on the web and publicity.

However, the research was conducted between September 23 and October 4 across 1,492 businesses, and may not reflect current opinion given the rapidly deteriorating economic conditions.

source

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Event Management Public Relations Online Marketing, Wedding Planning & Project Management

Specialising in practical skills training delivered by industry professionals, the courses are industry recognised & internationally accredited.

Our Diploma in Event Management with Public Relations module is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop practical skills in this specialist field. 

This Distance Learning course is accredited by the Institute of Commercial Management. ICM is an independent organisation offering certification in over 130 countries worldwide.   

Course Modules include: Event Management Planning, The Role of the Event Manager, Co-ordinating Events, Marketing the Event, Event Risk Management, Corporate Event Management, Organising Conferences, Exhibition Management, Event Sponsorship & Public Relations. 

For a detailed description on all of our Distance Learning Programmes please visit http://www.eventtr.co.uk/distance_education.php For additional information please find our contact details below. 

We also run Diploma courses in Public Relations, Online Marketing, Wedding Planning & Project Management available by Distance Learning. We are currently enrolling for all of our Distance Learning courses, in order to avail of the above mentioned offer simply call us on thr details below stating which course you wish on enrol on. This offer is valid until 31st January 2009. If you have any queries on the above courses please do not hesitate to contact us on info@eventtr.co.uk  alternatively you can call us on 020 7659 2060

Enroll Now to receive $100 off the cost of any of our Distance Learning Courses!!

Event Management, Public Relations, Project Management, Wedding Planning & Online Marketing

Specialising in practical skills training delivered by industry professionals, the courses are internationally accredited by the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM).

Our Diploma in Event Management with Public Relations module is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop practical skills in this specialist field.

These Distance Learning courses are accredited by the Institute of Commercial Management. I.C.M. is an independent organisation offering certification worldwide.

Course Modules include: Event Management Planning, The Role of the Event Manager, Co-ordinating Events, Marketing the Event, Event Risk Management, Corporate Event Management, Organising Conferences, Exhibition Management, Event Sponsorship & Public Relations.

For a detailed description on all of our Distance Learning Programms please visit http://www.eventtrainingaus.com/distance_education.php For additional information please find our contact details below.

We also run Diploma courses in Public Relations, Online Marketing, Wedding Planning & Project Management available by Distance Learning. We are currently enrolling for all of our Distance Learning courses, in order to avail of the above mentioned offer simply call us on the details below stating which course you wish on enroll on. This offer is valid until 30th November 2008. If you have any queries on the above courses please do not hesitate to contact us on info@eventtrainingaus.com.au alternatively you can visit our website www.eventtrainingaus.com.au

Stage Electrics to install 1,000sqm ice rink in Bristol

Stage Electrics will install the largest outdoor ice rink in the South West this month for Bristol’s Winter Wonderland event, at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.The lighting, sound and stage suppliers will provide complete event management for the attraction, which will run from 13 November until 4 January 2009.

Stage Electrics and The Mall have worked in partnership for three years to provide the Winter Wonderland spectacle. This year’s rink will be 1,000sqm, 50% bigger than last year’s which attracted 30,000 skaters."The Winter Wonderland is a Christmas spectacle that delights all visitors, and this year’s larger rink will please all keen ice skaters," said Stage Electrics live events commercial manager Ian Tregaskis.
"Skating outside is a fantastic winter activity that has grown hugely in popularity in recent years," added The Mall marketing manager Maria Crayton. "It feels really Christmassy and is something that the whole family can enjoy together. Source

Iris Experience takes foothold in Singapore

Experiential agency Iris Experience has opened a Singapore office just ten months after launching its first international office in New York.The new office will allow the agency develop and deliver integrated experiential campaigns, including property creation, live events, sponsorship activation, retail support and corporate events for global clients such as Sony Ericsson and Adidas. It will also benefit parent company Iris Worldwide’s regional offices in Delhi, Sydney and Singapore.

"The landscape is changing in the Asia Pacific market and it’s an opportunity for us to really shake things up and show how effective experiential can be in building longer term emotional engagement with consumers," said Iris Experience global business development director Cameron Day. "Working with Iris Singapore and the other offices in the region we will continue to build our worldwide offering, bringing our unique vision to demonstrate the vital role experiential can play in driving client value to the market." Source

Venturi’s Table teambuilding Christmas bookings is up 67%

Venturi’s Table Corporate Cookery Centre reported a 67% increase in Christmas bookings taken in September and October, despite the current economic climate.Venturi has hosted 2,500 people since April this year. Reasons behind the increase in bookings have been attributed to companies wanting to reward staff and keep staff morale high in these turbulent times."Yearly rewarding staff with a Christmas party is important for us and this year it is non-negotiable," said property development and investment company Helical Bar senior development executive Duncan Walker.

Venturi’s teambuilding packages cost £135 per person and involves groups creating Italian meals with expert chefs on hand to help. Source

Event Salary Survey

Take part in the Event Salary Survey and find out what you should be earning
In order to build up a clear picture of current salary and employment trends, Event magazine in conjunction with ESP Recruitment and researchers Vivid Interface, has devised a survey aimed at professionals at all levels, across all sectors of the events industry.
The results of the survey will provide invaluable information for employers and employees throughout the events industry. To ensure our findings are accurate, we are enlisting the help of people like you, from the heart of the industry, to complete this confidential survey.

The more people that get involved, the more in-depth the results will be, so we would appreciate it if you could pass the survey to your colleagues as well. All completed questionnaires will be treated with the strictest of confidence. Just click here to take part. Source

Sat 1 November Movember Begins

Sunday 2nd London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2006

Wednesday 5th Guy Fawke’s Night

Thursday 6th MTV European Music Awards

Saturday 8th The Lord Mayor’s Show, London

Sunday 9th Remembrance Day (2 minutes silence at 11am)

Tuesday 11th Veterans Day Holiday (USA)

Thursday 27th Thanksgiving Day Holiday (USA)

Sunday 30th St. Andrew’s Day (Scotland)

Segment Marketing Manager/ Direct Marketing/ Campaign Manager, Birmingham – £32,000

Our client has been providing financial care since 1841. They are looking for an experienced Marketing Manager to join their Head Office in Birmingham. Reporting to the Marketing Communications Manager you will support their group brands and business units by planning, developing and implementing cost effective marketing campaigns to secure continued success and achieve growth results.

• To develop content and maintain the companies Expo website and other related web sites.
• To develop processes and create tools to ensure corporate compliance and execution of the Expo format, messaging, content, measurement, reporting and ROI
• To liaise with in-country teams on a regular basis via conference calls, newsletters etc
• To visit and audit on average one Expo event per region per month
• To liaise with Middle Eastern

MTV European Music Awards (EMAs): Liverpool hotel rush begins

MORE than 2,500 hotel room nights have already been booked for the staging of the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), the Daily Post can reveal.It comes just a day after it was revealed the prestigious awards ceremony would be hosted at Liverpool’s new Arena and Convention Centre (ACC Liverpool) in November 2008.The announcement was made in Munich, where this year’s award ceremony was held last night.Liverpool can expect at least £33m of free publicity and exposure from hosting the awards, based on research carried out on last year’s hosts Copenhagen.

Although detailed research into the economic benefits is yet to be carried out, the free publicity and money from hotel rooms are likely to be the tip of the iceberg. Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, said it was a dream for the arena to have bagged such a prestigious event and it should act as a springboard to attracting big names in future. More than 24m people are expected to watch the show live but millions more will tune in for follow up shows.

The most successful names in rock and pop will descend on the city on Thursday November 6, 2008.Although the host and performers are yet to be announced Liverpool can expect the top names to be involved next year.

Over the years, presenters have included Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera and the show is broadcast live on MTV Europe, MTV and most of the international MTV channels as well as online.This year’s event which will be hosted by American rapper Snoop Dog with performances from Mika and the Foo Fighters.The host city changes every year and so far, the United Kingdom has hosted the event twice – once in London and once in Edinburgh.An economic study by independent consultants reported £8.9m worth of direct economic benefit for Scotland when Edinburgh hosted the awards four years ago.

Hotel bookings alone were valued at £2.2m.Martin King, director of tourism at The Mersey Partnership, said the organisation had already sourced more than 2,500 hotel room night stays on behalf of organisers for guests, crew and other staff. “When our hotels are that busy we know the economic impact spreads far and wide. There is no reason to believe this event will be any different.” Mr Prattey, who is in Munich to see how the event is staged, spoke to the Daily Post from the Olympia park venue in Munich.“You can’t overplay the importance of this for the arena and Liverpool – it’s absolutely awesome.“It’s a dream come true for the arena, the team is delighted about it.”Snoop Dogg wants to come to Liverpool. RAPPER Snoop Dogg has said he’d love to come to Liverpool for next year’s MTV Europe Awards, if the UK will allow it. The US star, who hosted last night’s MTV awards in Munich, told Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley if the UK lifted its ban on him entering the country he would like to attend next year’s gig at the Echo Arena and Convention Centre.Cllr Bradley said: “I asked him if he was coming to Liverpool next year. He said ‘if they let me in the UK I would love to’.”It’s an ill wind . . .

A FREAK storm almost ruined Liverpool’s chances of securing the MTV Europe Awards, it emerged last night.But chief executive of the Liverpool Culture Company, Jason Harborow, said that executives from the music channel were so impressed by the way his team handled the disaster it helped convince them the city was the best place to host the event.Mr Harborow said executives from MTV visited the city on numerous occasions but a key visit in January was scuppered because of high-speed winds.“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”He said that the Culture Company could not take MTV around the building site at the arena because of the winds.The MTV team were unable to catch a train or a plane because of the winds.“I think we got them the last hotel room in the city.“I went home thinking this has either completely scuppered our chances or the way we dealt with it will help us win it.”“I am delighted that we got it. It’s a huge event with a worldwide audience.” Source

New James Bond movie receives glitzy Chester premiere

BLACK tie suits and glamorous dresses as far as the eye could see dominated a Chester cinema last night (Thursday, October 30) as the new James Bond film received its regional premiere in the city. Cineworld on the Greyhound Retail Park hosted a VIP charity event to mark the opening of Quantum of Solace, the second 007 film to star Chester-born actor Daniel Craig.The star’s father Tim Craig and his wife Kirsty were among the guests of honour who also included former Brookside actor Vince Earl and representatives from Chester City Council and Visit Chester & Cheshire.The event was held to raise funds for the RNLI, a charity adopted by Daniel Craig who sent a message of support to the Chester event, pointing out the work done by this life-saving organisation. Cineworld decided to keep the rest of the cinema open to the public who were filing into some of the other offerings such as High School Musical 3 and Ghost Town as the VIP guests arrived for the Bond premiere.Small groups of hopeful celebrity spotters gathered outside the venue and were joined by placard-waving protesters from the group Extreme Fliers demanding an end to what they call “the boring, serious and corporate James Bond”, hoping to persuade the series producers to bring back the gizmo-laden cars and funny one-liners of past Bond films.A champagne reception was held in the upstairs bar area of Cineworld before everyone filed into Screen 6 for the unveiling of the new film which also stars Ukranian actress and model Olga Kurylenko and rising British star Gemma Arterton.After the screening, all the guests were invited to make their way into the city centre for an after-show reception at Cruise nightclub in St John Street. Source

Glamour lines up host of brands for web relaunch

High street fashion chain Warehouse will be the exclusive advertising partner for the fashion channel on the new website for shopping and style magazine Glamour.The site will launch on 6 November, with channel takeovers and other commercial deals from different brands, including Maybelline, Clinique, Nokia, Burberry, Filofax, Reebok, Mango, Westfield and Marc Jacobs Daisy. Another launch advertiser, Ford Ka, is also taking out a 12-page feature ad in next month’s print issue of Glamour to promote its redesigned model.
Warehouse’s logo will feature on every page of content within the fashion channel, in addition to the use of new advertising formats available within the redesigned site, including MPUs, skyscrapers, double skyscrapers and leader boards.

The first major relaunch of Glamour.com since its inception seven years ago aims to place more emphasis on fashion and beauty, promising to make the site less celebrity-heavy. Scope targets donors with chain reaction campaign Scope is launching a direct marketing campaign to encourage donors to support an inclusion scheme, which aims to create a future in which the lives of disabled and non-disabled are integrated. Created by Flourish, the campaign features the true story of four-year old Amelia, who has cerebral palsy and needs round-the-clock care, and her mother Angela, who became so exhausted by caring for her daughter that she nearly had her adopted However, Angela was introduced to Scope Inclusion, a service that enables disabled people to be part of the community and which means that Amelia is looked after by a professional nurse through the night, on one day per week and during every other weekend.

A direct mail pack is being sent to Scope’s supporter base, encouraging them to send messages of support to disabled children by writing on the back of one of a set of paper chains included in the pack, then mail it back with a donation to help extend the Scope Inclusion service to other areas of the UK.

All the chains that are returned to Scope will be linked together to form a giant paper chain that will act as a symbol of support for disabled people at Christmas. Recipients are also encouraged to use the remaining paper chains to decorate their homes.

Flourish has also devised a test-email element to the campaign, targeting supporters on the Scope database who do not tend to respond to direct mail or face-to-face marketing.The email will encourage recipients to visit a microsite, which goes live on Monday, where they can add a message of support to a virtual paper chain. Posted messages will then be added to the main chain.

Flourish has also designed a Paper Chain Appeal logo, which will appear across all campaign communications. Karen Barnes, Scope’s head of individual giving, said: "Flourish has provided us with stand-out creativity which we hope will captivate the hearts and minds of supporters, raise valuable funds for Scope Inclusion and extend our message of equal rights for disabled people beyond our existing supporter base

"Nikki Ingram, account director at Flourish, added: "This mailing is a first for Scope in terms of integrating both offline and online media and extending one message across its entire warm supporter base, whether cash supporters or committed givers." Source

MARKETING EVENT NEWS: B2B events attract biggest spenders from overseas

B2B events in the UK generate more revenue from overseas visitors than any other type of business event, according to latest figures from Visit Britain.Attendees of trade fairs spend an average of £732 per visit, whilst delegates of conferences and large meetings spend an average of £691 per stay, compared to just £494 spent by attendees of other business events in the UK. According to Visit Britain’s strategic partner, the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), the figures show that B2B events are now a "staple" of the events marketing sector compared to a decade ago."B2B events are too often are lost behind higher profile consumer shows, but these government figures put real numbers and value to the contribution of what people used to call the trade fair industry," says Trevor Foley, group chief executive of the EIA. "Marketers’ increasing use of live event marketing, where brand experiences and direct engagement with clients is a reality, has led to a renaissance in the B2B events sector in recent years, with industry events unrecognisable today from just 10 years ago."Visit Britain’s findings coincide with newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics which claim that in the past five years, spend by overseas business visitors on events in the UK has risen by 56 per cent. By comparison, visitors’ spend when coming to the UK for other business activities has risen by only 28 per cent – half the rate of the event attendees. Overall, the number of attendees to business events has risen by 49 per cent to 1.4 million. Meanwhile a recent survey by the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) revealed a 27 per cent increase in the volume of corporate events in the UK over the past 12 months. "The dramatic rise in the number of corporate events adds grist to the mill in our efforts to raise the profile of this powerful marketing medium," says Foley.Overall, overseas business visitors drawn to the UK by the events sector now add £1 billion to the UK economy, concludes the Office for National Statistics. Source