Clive Reeves feasts on new food festival

BIRMINGHAM agency Clive Reeves Public Relations will be dishing up PR for the fifth annual Colmore Business District Food Festival, after being appointed for the fourth year running.

The award-winning PR consultancy, which recently relocated to Colmore Row, will carry out PR and communications for the food festival, which is taking place on Friday July 3 and Saturday July 4 in Victoria Square.

As an independent business with a wealth of expertise in retail and hospitality, CRPR is no stranger to publicising food, with festival participants Opus and Cornwall Street and Bar Opus already on its roster of clients.

The Colmore Food Festival will once again be serving up delicious food and drink available from Birmingham’s business quarter, the Colmore Business District (CBD). With 25 venues taking part, this year is set to be bigger and better than ever.

As well as the food and drink, there will also be live cookery demonstrations from top chefs in the district including Aktar Islam from the Lasan group, live jazz music, outdoor theatre and other entertainment.

Clive Reeves, managing director at CRPR, said: “If there’s one thing we love in the CRPR office, it’s food, which is why we’re happy as Larry that we’ve been appointed to work with the Colmore Food Festival again.

“This year, the win feels extra special, as our move to Colmore Row has put us right in the thick of it with the festival on our doorstep.”

Michele Wilby, executive director at Colmore Business District, said: “The CBD is so much more than just a business area. Our vibrant food and drink scene continues to grow, and our annual food festival is a fantastic way to give people a taste of what’s on offer all year round, all within five minutes of Victoria Square.

“Since we started working with CRPR, they’ve really got under the skin of the festival and formed strong relationships with the venues taking part. We’re looking forward to another successful year working with the team and to another busy festival.”

Big Cat helps raise profile of Birmingham hospice

BIRMINGHAM’S John Taylor Hospice has teamed up with creative agency, Big Cat to help raise its profile with a new out-of-home media campaign.
 
The campaign centres around the work of the hospice and the help it gives to parents and families. It combines a mixture of outdoor and ambient media and is the first time the charity has run such an initiative on a large scale.

In addition to creative concepts and design roll-out, Big Cat planned and booked the media campaign, with some activity running until September.
 
The aim of the creative concept is to evoke an emotional response from audiences, with the objective to increase support in areas of the city with lower awareness of John Taylor Hospice. The creative strategy looks to turn hospice supporters into heroes, utilising candid photography to highlight their dedicated efforts and how their contribution has aided the hospice’s valuable activities.

Diane Parkes, media manager at John Taylor Hospice, said: “Time is the greatest concern when a loved one becomes ill, and all our focus goes into making those last moments together a lovely time.
 
“By working with Big Cat, we hope that our messaging will resonate with people – those who want to help us and those who are perhaps considering suitable end-of-life care for a loved one – and we are confident that the campaign will encourage further local support.”  
 
Anthony Tattum, managing director of Big Cat, added: “The charity sector faces many difficult challenges when it comes to engaging audiences.  At Big Cat we work closely with our clients to combat these challenges and develop campaigns which communicate a strong message about the cause, so audiences feel an emotional connection the charity.
 
“John Taylor Hospice has a heart-felt message and we’re delighted to help them reach further into their communities with local stories. The combination of city-wide promotion and highlighting local efforts to inspire others has been a great way to get their message out.”
 
For more information about John Taylor Hospice, please call 0121 465 2000 or visit the website at www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk.
 

IE Design celebates awards recognition

BIRMINGHAM brand and digital agency, IE Design Consultancy, has celebrated after being highly commended in the latest Transform Awards – Europe’s celebration of brand development, reputation management and rebranding.
 
Now in its sixth year, the European Transform Awards showcases stand-out excellence in brand development, reputation management and rebranding.
 
Jewellery Quarter based IE was recognised for Best Use of Copy and Best Use of a Visual Property. The recognition followed its branding work with Aston University Careers+Placements.

Ollie Leggett, managing director of IE Design Consultancy said: “This is the second consecutive year IE has been a finalist at the Transform Awards. We are delighted to have built on last year’s success, and it’s brilliant to see IE’s work with Aston gaining recognition amongst such esteemed competition.”