Event Management service for the North East Exporters Awards

The Client

The North East Exporters Awards is the prestigious annual dinner hosted by UK Trade & Investment, ONE North East and the North East Chamber of Commerce, which recognises the efforts of individuals who have helped their companies boost its international sales performance in the North East of England. The event is host to over 300 leading figures from the world of business and industry who join together in celebration of the region’s international trade successes.

The Objective

UKTI looked for an external supplier to assist them with the planning of the this year’s dinner and as the approved marketing supplier to UKTI in the North East, it naturally led to Meridian using their Internal Management team’s skills and experience, to assist with the planning and implementation of each element of the 2009 event, from start to finish.

In challenging economic times we were tasked with attracting not only 300 attendees but also a high number of award applicants that were integral to the evening’s success.

The Approach

The initial stage involved Meridian liaising with the major partners involved to set out an event brief that matched their aims and objectives. This was conducted through various meetings, phone calls and working documents. Once we understood the brief and the requirements of each individual sponsor we set out a project plan which included; the venue, additional sponsors, compere for the evening, speaker selection – keynote speaker and after dinner speaker- , event design, audio and visual effects, event promotion (on and offline), menu selection as well as a host of additional factors that were fundamental in order for the event to be a success.

Planning

Our project plan ensured that all deadlines were adhered to and by holding regular steering group meetings; involving all sponsors and stakeholders, we were able to apply and follow a clear strategy throughout. Meridian acquired external sponsors and funding by liaising with businesses in the North of England; negotiating and providing them with sponsorship packs and representing UKTI professionally and competently.

We also analysed previous Exporters Awards in order to make 2009 a year to remember and we introduced for the first time, a local award winning singer to the occasion (Jamie Lambert), who added a great end to the evening’s procedures. We also brought serial entrepreneur BJ Cunningham to the region from his London based home, who entertained guests with his after dinner speaking expertise whilst Wendy Gibson (of BBC’s Look North) was the excellent compere for the evening. As well as this we introduced a jazz band so that guests were entertained on arrival and that initiated the proceedings in the drinks reception.

Design

We created a design for the event using our marketing expertise, incorporating key messages whilst accommodating the brand identity of UKTI. Our team created a selection of designs that were discussed and then implemented onto distributional flyers, e-shots and mail shots. As well as this we created a website where applicants could find all information in relation to the event, as well as being able to submit their award nominations.

Our close ties with an audio-visual specialist allowed us to incorporate the same design into the staging, lighting and centrepiece on the evening itself; giving the event an extra special ‘wow factor’.

Promotion

Meridian worked closely with local press throughout the run up to the event, ensuring that the awards evening was well publicised throughout the region, both before and after the event. We also created advertisements for business publications and ran various online campaigns aimed with generating awareness and encouraging applications. Using our telemarketing expertise we ran an effective telemarketing campaign to UKTI’s existing database which had three main goals: generate awareness, encourage applicants and sell tickets.

The Result

Through our marketing expertise and pro-active approach Meridian met all targets that we were assigned with and despite the turbulent economic conditions, the event attracted over 300 delegates from key businesses not only in the North East but across the UK.

The North East Exporters Awards 2009 has been taking place for 14 years but the 2009 event was dubbed ‘the best yet!’ The success of the event has been outlined by the fact that Meridian has already been commissioned to organise next year’s Exporters Awards where we will be aiming to attract even more delegates that can join in with the rest of the region and celebrate the North East’s export achievement.

'The UKTI Exporter's Awards in July 2009 were a chance to celebrate what the Region achieves with the outside world, not with the rest of the UK, but with the rest of that increasingly small global market place! In the midst of challenging times indeed, the Awards were very well attended, and there was certainly plenty to celebrate by commerce of all size. HSBC were genuinely delighted to be associated with this event, also building on its increasing link with UKTI, and also to assist in developing and improving trade links for our customers and prospective customers alike. The whole event was a well deserved and well timed 'energy boost' to the local business community

Allan Wilkinson, Area Commercial Director - HSBC Bank