News Bulletin 28 March 2006
Site to showcase industry
A dedicated event marketing portal will launch next month, aimed at showcasing the industry to a wider marketing audience.
Eventsreview.com will go live on 3 April and includes profiles of event companies as well as editorial content broadcast using Internet Protocol Television (IPTV.)
Neil Jones, former European managing director of The George P Johnson Company, is content director. He said: “It is a natural progression for this to move into the event marketing world.
“According to research, the early adopters of this type of communication are the telecommunications and IT sectors, followed closely by marketing communities.”
James Latham, former managing director of production firm Interactive New Media (INM), is chief executive of the start-up. During his 15 years at Opex-owned INM, Latham helped pioneer event television for organisers worldwide.
The new website will provide a resource tool for marketers and will include content such as trends in event marketing and corporate case studies. A directory will offer event suppliers, organisers and venues free listings. The site will also be dissected by industry sector.
“This is an event marketing portal but it’s not inward-looking. We need to ensure that all information and data is compelling and interesting and of course that the content is different to what’s been around before,” added Jones.
“Event marketing is still very fragmented. There is a lot of terminology banded around and no-one is sure what it all means. Having spoken to a large number of clients that have spent millions of pounds on event marketing previously, they’ve informed us that there is not one singular resource for them to go to.”
Nine staff work on the project, including journalists and a commercial team.
FOHO handles sampling for live concerts
Agency the Front of House Organisation (FOHO) will manage promoter Live Nationâl™s product sampling during its Summer Nights outdoor concert schedule.
The series features opera singers Pavarotti and Il Divo, plus James Blunt, Westlife, Status Quo, Bryan Adams and Simply Red. Venues such as Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Althorp will host the performances.
FOHO managing partner Brian Wilson said: “The tour of 49 concerts affords companies the exclusive opportunity to promote their products and brands, with an unbridled opportunity of three to five hours both before and during performances to a collective and captive audience of over 500,000 with the backdrop of the most beautiful settings”.
Fashion Week trade show keeps growing
A new-look trade exhibition gave 170 designers a chance to showcase their autumn and winter collections during London Fashion Week.
The Exhibition @ London Fashion Week took place from 16-19 February at The Natural History Museum. The former London Designers Exhibition was renamed to reflect its growing importance as the commercial core of the festival. It ran alongside a series of catwalk shows that began on 14 February and were staged in the British Fashion Council (BFC) tent at the front of the venue.
Organiser Single Market Events and the BFC have grown the trade exhibition section of London Fashion Week from 50 companies since 1994.
First-time exhibitors to this season’s show included emerging designer Wang Wei and label Bodyamr. Thirteen ‘New Generation’ designers exhibited their British and International collections in a New Gen area. And Fifteen, Jamie Oliver’s non-profit-making restaurant aimed at inspiring young, underprivileged people into a catering career, debuted alongside the exhibition and the annual Moet & Chandon bar.
“It’s thrilling that the exhibition continues to gather momentum, attracting such a breadth and variety of exhibitors,” said BFC chief executive Hilary Riva.
Supplier Bandit Lites supplied the lighting and rigging equipment to the BFC tent, which comprised a 30-metre catwalk that hosted four planned shows a day, produced by S2 Events. The BFC tent also staged the final of reality television series Project Catwalk.
Mini car event targets men in Bristol centre
Mobile Promotions has launched a mini motor show concept for shopping centres. Motorshow@ will debut at the Mall, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, from 13-16 July, occupying 4,000sqm of space.
The Bristol retail centre hopes the show will increase its profile among male shoppers. Features will include a selection of car marquees, interactive zones and promotional stunts. Around 200,000 visitors are expected.
Mobile Promotions business development executive Mike Richardson said: “For shopping centres looking at ways to develop footfall, increase revenue and appeal to a certain audience, events and promotions of this kind are key. Our strategy is to work with more centres and brands in this way.”
More features at RSVP show
Organiser Single Market Events has unveiled a host of new feature areas planned for this year’s RSVP show.
The RSVP Screening Lounge, Taste, an Eventspiration point and a Great Days Out area are among the initiatives that will greet visitors to the annual exhibition, held at Olympia from 29-30 March.
The RSVP Screening Lounge will broadcast innovative ideas from exhibitors at the show, while Taste will offer visitors the Vinopolis Experience comprising wine, whisky and cocktail tasting.
There will also be a Petite Parties area, showing miniature versions of themed concepts and a Power of Flowers area with displays by florists such as Mary-Jane Vaughn, Expo Flora and Flourishing Events.
At the front of the show the Eventspiration point will serve as an information area where visitors can search for a stand by product. “Ask me, show me” staff will answer visitor questions and provide floorplans highlighting the location of the product a visitor is looking for.
The Great Days Out area will provide ideas for entertaining clients, such as the Rugby World Cup or cruises on the Thames.
Events that featured last year will include the two-day seminar programme called the Mask Event Talks, plus a revolving stage, supplied by the Revolving Stage Company, on which entertainers and performers such as Abba tribute band Bjorn Again will perform.
The International Special Events Society will again sponsor a lounge where visitors can network and relax.
