Hunting for cool stuff? Look no further…..

We love www.thecoolhunter.co.uk which is a visual feast of all that is new and cool in art, culture, events, lifestyle, gadgets, kids stuff, fashion, eco, architecture etc. etc. etc……

It’s your global view on the latest in everything and could make you sound like you really know what you’re talking about.

Apart from all the gorgeous content, the site itself is pure joy. No expansion of miniature thumbnails required; simply scroll down the yards and yards of properly-sized images to whet your appetite for…..well, everything and anything.

And since our own brand imagery has been built on the foundations of the ancient art of origami, we particularly love the incredibly modern 3D digital origami spaces created by Sydney’s University of Technology which you’ll find at www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/art.

5 of the best venues – environmentally sound

Since green really is the new black, here are five venues which we feel prove that you don’t need to compromise in planning sustainable events.

ACC Liverpool

 

 

 

Arena Club Class (www.accliverpool.com) opened at the beginning of this year and is the latest regeneration project set to become a landmark on Liverpool’s waterfront. Designed by the award winning architects Wilkinson Eyre, it houses the BT Convention Centre with facilities including a 1,350 seat auditorium, 18 breakout rooms, up to 7000m² of exhibition space and the Echo Arena Liverpool capable of seating over 10,000 concert goers. With five wind turbines & design features such as rain harvesting from the roof of the building, it is designed to produce half the CO₂  emissions it would without any environmentally-friendly measures.

 

Sheep Drove

 

 

 

The Eco Conference Centre at Sheepdrove organic Farm in Lambourn, Berkshire (www.sheepdrove.com) provides a wonderfully unexpected setting for an event.  It features 5 spaces, the largest of which holds up to 200 people.  The Rook’s Nest is furnished with luxurious sheepskin beanbags and makes a great setting for a creative or blue skies session.  And if the setting itself doesn’t inspire fresh thinking and innovation, the menus, created with the farm’s own organic produce, certainly will.

 

Old Trafford

 

 

 

Machester United are showing the way – their “reds go green” initiative includes the re-use of old tyres and sports shoes for all-weather pitches. Offering 3 suites in which to host conferences and events, the football club (www.manutd.com) offers an exciting location with reassuring green credentials.

 

The Rejuvenation Centre

 

 

 

Designed by a leading Feng Shui expert and conveniently located in the heart of the City, the venue’s (www.therejuvenationcentre.com) five Energy Zones – Earth, Fire, Wood, Metal & Water – are designed to inspire creativity, aid communication, motivate, energise and relax delegates. Not only does it boast a sound environmental policy but also promises to put ‘personal ecology’ at the top of the agenda.

 

Kew Gardens

 

 

This incredible green gem in the heart of the Capital never fails to delight and promises that income generated from venue hire will be invested in their valuable plant conservation & vital scientific research work. The glass houses & summer marquees are ideal for summer or early autumn evening events (www.kew.org/venues).

Experiential Marketing – [still] in search of a definition

Someone, please, tell us what the confusion about experiential marketing is!

Whilst it is obviously an already well-trodden path from brand to consumer, there still seem to be a few misconceptions flying around in various press articles and marketing journals.

Google ‘experiential’ and you’ll find all sorts of definitions, often fairly diverse.  So, here’s the Line Up version just to add to the mix…

The term ‘experiential marketing’ first caught peoples’ attention in the form of sampling and field marketing but that was a long time ago – it has come a long way since then and there is so much more to it now.

That’s not to say that it’s become more complex.  Experiential marketing is, at its most simplistic, the purest form of customer ‘needs and benefits’ driven communication.  To expand on that, the communication to the audience has to be relevant and meaningful and created through using elements (or a single element) of the marketing mix to forge an emotional connection with the person who is being targeted.

Whilst the most widely used application is the live brand experience, encompassing everything from brand trial / sampling through to immersive brand environments, it doesn’t necessarily have to be face-to-face or live.

To be absolutely clear, we believe that experiential marketing is an approach that pervades ALL forms of media – did you see the live Honda ad?  It’s an attitude, it’s a dialogue and, when executed well, it’s arguably the only way to really forge connections between brands and their audiences.

And yes, of course it’s measurable, but more of that in my next rant.