Blown Away to Stornoway....

Jane Watson, Events Director explains how and why she ended up in Stornoway for 3 days in March….

Following the hugely successful British Ports Association (BPA) conference in October 2014 on behalf of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, Morrows were approached in January this year by the Stornoway Port Authority (SPA) who are hosting the 2015 BPA Conference to assist them with event logistics, planning and delivery.  Ports are the lifeblood of the towns and communities in which they are located – importing and exporting supplies & freight, employing local people in operations and transferring ferry and Cruise passengers visiting the area.  This is true right across the UK (and Ireland) – from the southern shores of Dover who host 2016 to the Outer Hebrides where Jane found herself.

“Contemplating my trip to Stornoway focussed mainly on BBC News’ weathergirl Carol for the few days before, who often highlights the Islands in the daily forecast – and as suspected snow and rain was in the picture. (Nothing we’re not used to, no sweat I’ll pack my wellies just in case).  The journey from Belfast was pretty good, after a short de-icer delay in Belfast within 4 hours of leaving the office, including a short stop in Inverness departure lounge (where I mistakenly picked up a bag of Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper crisps and burnt the bake of myself!) courtesy of Flybe and Loganair, I was there. 

 

Flying over the snow-capped ‘Harris Hills’ (separating Harris and Lewis – 2 ‘Isles’ with 2 kings, but no water in between) it was like a winter wonderland but stepping out of the plane reminded me of the last scene in the Bond film – Skyfall – miles and miles of low lying, rustic brown moorland and I even saw two Stags on the roadside (apparently they only come out in the rain, but my host Magda hadn’t seen them very often – really?). 

Magda Choluj is Marketing Manager with SPA, originally from Poland but has lived almost everywhere (she has a motorhome with her Tasmanian partner Bo), but settled in Stornoway for over a year.  Magda had a jam-packed recce planned for us in the space of 48 hours….

The Conference venue is An Lanntair an arts centre and creative gallery space which is fully funded through their commercial activities and grant applications – they have excellent facilities for the BPA conference, and overlooks the Harbour. 

The Cala Hotel group operate three properties on the island - The Royal, The Cabarfeidh and the Caladh Inn and we have already booked out most of the bedrooms on the island for BPA. The Royal Hotel overlooking the marina was my abode for 2 nights – a traditional style hotel which is well equipped with a big telly, plug beside the bed, and wifi on every floor – the breakfast was good too with personal and attentive hotel staff wherever you went. 

During the BPA conference, day trips are planned for guests joining the BPA members – this is really the best way to explore the island which can be done from 1 end to the other in about 4 hours. We’ve planned a trip to a Harris Tweed factory, Whisky & Gin distillery (set up by Village residents), Standing Stones, Black Houses, Beaches, Ancient Churches, Craft Workshops and breath-taking viewpoints. There really is a lot to offer the discerning tourist, cyclist or hiker in Harris & Lewis and you’ll be made to feel very welcome. It’s customary to wave to passing drivers letting you through the single track roads and bridges – Just like you do if you’re from ‘the country’. 

Perhaps the most special part of my visit was squeezed in at the end – after meeting with the Local Council or “Comhairle” – we managed to sneek a peek at the newly restored Lews Castle and Museum Centre which is due to open in July.  Sitting high above the Harbour, the Castle had many former lives including a hospital, school and home to Lord & Lady Mathieson before lying derelict for many years. Approximately 18 months ago Heritage Lottery, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Council funding was agreed and our very own Graham Construction were shipped in (no pun intended!) to restore and rejuvenate the Castle to its former glory.  BPA Delegates will have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Gaelic entertainment at the finale dinner in beautiful surroundings. 

On the way home, my case was over the 20kg limit, but the check-in clerk didn’t seem to mind (it was the wellies and the extra hotel toiletries that ‘fell into my case’!) The hangar style airport and 40 seater propeller jet planes from Stornoway reminded me of the ‘way it used to be’ in Belfast City – who else remembers dropping your bags at the foot of the steps?  I was even offered a free cuppa and a biscuit from Flybe – a free lunch does exist after all. 

SPA are also celebrating their 150 year anniversary in 2015 and hosting the BPA Conference is quite a big deal, so much so that delegates will receive a bespoke gift made from their Anniversary Harris Tweed.   SPA and Stornoway itself are very proud to be hosting the BPA conference and along with other anniversary events this year, it’s set to be the ‘talk of the town’ for years to come.  Our job is to make sure it’s as easy as possible for over 100 BPA members and exhibitors to come to Stornoway, they have a great time and ensure the budget is break-even. 

So with the draft programme in place and everyone on the island lined up, the rest is over to us! Best get cracking…..”

    

 

   

 

 

Marketing Excellence!

The Morrow’s event team recently managed The CIM Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards. Now in their fourteenth year, these prestigious awards are designed to recognise and reward the best marketing achievements across business sectors in Ireland and to fly the positive value of marketing to both businesses and society. 

Hosted by broadcaster and journalist Claire McCollum, the gala ceremony took place at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Belfast with the winning companies taking home a bespoke Grainne Maher designed trophy. The winning and highly commended companies can be viewed online at the CIM Awards website. 

New for the 2013 awards was the “People’s Choice” award, where we encouraged finalists to engage with their own clients, customers and staff to vote for them via an online poll! It was a very close competition but the winner this year was The Ulster GAA and The Michaela Foundation with “The Match for Michaela.” A very worthy recipient! 

A special thanks also to the awards sponsors: Invest Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, TotalMobile and Ulster Business School as well as our event partners: Corporate AV Hire, Ramada Plaza Belfast, Northside and Bradbury Graphics, 3Sixty and NIMMS.

It's Time To Celebrate Ireland's Marketing Achievements!

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Ireland is now open for entries.  CIM is calling on all businesses to enter the acclaimed CIM Ireland Excellence Awards 2013 to showcase their successful marketing campaigns.

The CIM Ireland Excellence Awards 2013, supported by Invest NI, provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the positive impact individuals and organisations have had within their particular industries. There are 17 award categories that take into account industry, campaign and individual achievements and CIM is encouraging businesses from all sectors to enter the awards whether private, public or social economy sector and....entry is free.

Dr. Vicky Kell, Director of Trade from principal sponsor Invest NI said, “The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Ireland Excellence Awards 2013 are one of the most prestigious awards in Ireland.  It is essential that companies in Northern Ireland develop effective marketing strategies to help them access new customers and compete successfully in export markets. Previous applicants have stated going through the process of applying helps you review and validate your approach.  Winning a CIM award can help your company stand out from the competition and we would encourage companies of all sizes to enter this year’s awards”.

Winners will be recognised by CIM at a highly anticipated awards ceremony taking place at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 7th November hosted by broadcaster Claire McCollum..

Chair of the Ireland board of CIM Christine Watson said, “Marketing is undergoing a revolution – a recessionary climate and a growing marketer’s tool box that includes new digital platforms, that in themselves are ever-changing, brings both challenges as well as opportunities to our profession. Winning a CIM Marketing Excellence Award means that you have created results that deliver real business benefits.  

Click here for more details.  The closing date for award entries is 27 September 2013.

Morrows Events Team on top of their game at Croke Park.

Morrows event team successfully delivered InterTradeIreland’s Venture Capital Conference entitled “securing investment in 2013” at Croke Park in Dublin.  Now in its 12th year the event is the only venture capital conference in Ireland and is designed to facilitate networking between Ireland’s leading venture capitalists, business angels and start up companies seeking funding.

Over 300 delegates from across Ireland attended the conference which was hosted by former RTÉ presenter and Storyful founder Mark Little and formally opened by Minister Seán Sherlock TD. Speakers also included Paul Adams, Global Head of Brand Design at Facebook (pictured), Johnny Walker, founder of Global Diagnostics and Thomas Davis, Head of Investment at Seedrs. Delegates also heard from active venture fund panellists and the experience of companies that have been through the angel funding process.

Awarding Excellence - Morrow Events win contract with CIM

Morrow Events Team

Morrow Events team have recently secured a contract with The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to manage and deliver the Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards for the next three years.

Our work will include revitalising the awards programme, recruiting entries from companies across Ireland, securing sponsorship and delivering a world class gala awards event later this year.

We are very excited and honoured to be working in partnership with CIM to deliver this prestigious and well respected awards programme. We are currently in the initial planning stages - so watch this space about how to get involved!

Next week, CIM are hosting a seminar in partnership with CIPR on Tuesday 19th February in Titanic Belfast at 12noon - Business Change in a Digital Age - with keynote speakers Múirne Laffan, RTE's Managing Director for digital and Krishna De, an award winning communications strategist, commentator and mentor.

Places are still available to book (from £10 - £20) and is a CPD category 10 event. Find out More. 

Helping to make Belfast a Brighter Place!

The Morrows events team recently delivered the Brighter Belfast Environmental Awards and Belfast in Bloom Awards on behalf of Belfast City Council in a glittering gala ceremony for 120 guests.

Now in their sixth year, the environmental awards reward those who are working to improve their local environment and contribute to creating a brighter, cleaner and greener city whilst Belfast in Bloom recognises local residents and community groups who help to improve the visual appearance of our city.

In total 18 awards were presented including Best Hanging Basket, Best Window Box Display, Best Community Group and the prestigious Isobel Bennet Memorial Award as well as Litter Heroes, Business and the Community Together and Education for Change Award.

Local comedian William Caulfield hosted the event within City Hall and entertainment was provided by Swingabella, a 1940s trio performing Andrews Sisters tunes who had the audience on their feet! A fantastic evening that brightened up a cold, wet January evening! 

InterTradeIreland

Morrows events team are delighted to announce that we’ve just been awarded the InterTradeIreland Event Management contract for a second term! We first won the tender for event management services in 2010 and this new contact will see us continue to produce events all over Ireland! Some of our recent InterTradeIreland event successes include:

Venture Capital Conference 2012 - An Oscar Winning Performance!
Over 250 delegates from across Ireland came to Belfast’s City Hall to 'Navigate the Funding Maze' and to build on the experiences of companies that have been through the private equity process. Hosted by the BBC’s business editor Jim Fitzpatrick, the event featured keynote presentations from Danny Moore of Lough Shore Investments (who had funded the Oscar winning production“The Shore”) and Dennis R Costello from Braemar Energy Ventures. There’s more to events than setting tables and issuing name badges - Have a look at this timelapse video that shows what goes on!



Collaborate to Innovate Conference

The Andrews Gallery in the iconic Titanic Belfast was the venue for the recent InterTradeIreland “Collaborate to Innovate” Conference. The event was to highlight and demonstrate the importance of research and innovation in achieving Europe’s 2020 objectives for economic growth and job creation. As a cross border event, the conference was opened by both Arlene Foster MLA and Lucinda Creighton TD as well as featuring a keynote address by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

Young People Making an Impact

 The Northern Ireland Environment Agency together with OFMDFM jointly hosted the second Impact 2012 Youth, Sustainability and Environment Awards in March. The Awards were an opportunity for young people from across Northern Ireland to be rewarded for their activities in sustainable development initiatives and to showcase their projects at a final exhibition and celebration event.

Morrows managed the full event process from managing entries and judging packs; organising and managing 38 project exhibitions; commissioning unique bespoke trophies; booking and coordinating the arrangements for the awards including compere Frank Mitchell as well as entertainers, suppliers and venue management

The day was a great success with 300 attending the awards final to view the innovative environmental projects before being entertained by circus performers, interactive characters, an ariel silk performer as well as up and coming Northern Irish band “The Wonder Villains.” Judges commented that the standard of entrants was extremely high and finalists waited with baited breath as the winners were announced. A great day!

BEST foot Forward....

In May, Morrows organised the final of the BEST (Business and Education through Skills and Training) Awards on behalf of Colleges Northern Ireland. The event showcased and celebrated the creativity and innovation across Northern Ireland's colleges with a particular focus on the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Held in Cookstown, the final was attended by over 100 students from colleges all over Northern Ireland with 75 exhibitions showcasing a wide range of projects encompassing STEM subjects ranging from a “Hydraulically Powered rotavator” to a “One Wheel Wonder.” Competition was fiercely competitive with each of the projects assessed three times by a panel industry experts before the two overall winners were announced at an awards ceremony. Morrows successfully undertook complete event management for this project including exhibition build, venue management, administration – all within a very tight budget!

Legen-Derry – The ‘Plaice’ to be...

The Morrows Events team recently managed the Flavours of the Foyle Seafood Festival as part of the Clipper Homecoming Festival in Derry, on behalf of Derry City Council Tourism Department. The two day event featured live cookery stalls hosted by North West Chefs where visitors could try and buy dishes with ‘Flavours of the Foyle’. A host of family fun and entertainment was on offer including a Loughs Agency touch tank, ice sculpting and ‘fishy’ street entertainers.

Working with our partners – Food NI, we also created a ‘Theatre of Food’ featuring live cookery demonstrations of signature dishes, hosted by celebrity chef Paula McIntyre.

The Flavours of the Foyle Seafood Festival saw over 5000 visitors over the two days – almost doubling the expected figures and judging by the amount of ‘Gone Fishing’ signs at the end of each day – visitors certainly got a taste of Northern Ireland – “Our Food So Good”.