Since Michael Jackson’s death last week, the media have likened his influence and musical legacy to that of Elvis Presley and John Lennon.   I’ve been gauging opinions on this for a few days now and have realised that it’s a real conversational hot potato and a very subjective issue.

But, love him or hate him, nobody can deny that Michael Jackson’s death won’t have widespread ramifications.  The UK events and corporate hospitality industry will be hard hit with the cancellation of 50 scheduled concerts over 9 months.  The O2 will obviously feel the immediate impact but, since the tour was selling incredibly well – given the current climate – corporate hospitality agencies, ticket agents and local hotels will surely feel the shockwaves too.

The insurance liability of the tour promoter, AEG Live, is still being debated in most of the papers but given their initial struggle to get full tour insurance and their promise to ‘self-insure’ to get the tour up and running, it looks like the global recession will have been a walk in the park for them to date.

So, whether or not you agree that his death is as significant as Presley’s or Lennon’s in terms of musical legacy, it cannot be denied that he was a truly global megastar who will leave thousands grieving and thousands of others reeling at the far-reaching ramifications of his death.

On a lighter note, my personal Jacko favourites were in the early days with the Jackson 5.  Perhaps because I love the 70’s and the afros, perhaps just because I’m getting old or perhaps because he was just better  before show business got to him too much.  Here’s how I will remember him …………

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYx3BR2aJA4

How about you?

We’ve just been appointed by the UK’s leading supplier of mobility products, Day’s Healthcare, to launch a range of new products through a 4-venue roadshow in July.

The roadshow will target independent mobility retailers as well as journalists and key influencers, such as carers and physiotherapists.  A total audience of around 350 delegates will be invited to learn about the new wheelchair range through a combination of presentations and interactive exhibitions before attending a dinner, hosted by Days.

For the first time, Day’s will also incorporate its annual ‘Centre of Excellence Conference’. This will provide an opportunity for Day’s to strengthen its relationships with existing ‘Centre of Excellence’ trade partners and to encourage other retailers to sign up to the package.

We are providing a complete solution for all four events, from design and technical production to content creation and management of all logistics.

We’re really excited about working with a new client in a sector which is also new to us.

Watch this space for updates on the event and more info….

We were delighted to be appointed by Skandia UK this week to manage their annual IFA roadshow which will take place across 2 weeks in September.

A key event in Skandia UK’s calendar, the roadshow will cover 9 UK venues to which Financial Advisers will be invited to hear about industry developments, new products and business strategy.

Having completed recent projects for both Old Mutual and Skandia Group, working for Skandia UK is an exciting development.  As this was a competitive agency pitch, we were thrilled to win our first formal brief from a new division of this global financial solutions provider with our proposals for a new version of their longstanding event.

We’ll be looking after every element of the event from delegate invitations and on-line registration through to content development and full event management.

The big cheeses from the US and international event and experiential markets made their way to Chicago for the 7^th annual Ex Awards Gala recently to learn who would be this year’s winners in over 30 categories.  The Awards, created by the magazine and on-line publication, Event Marketer (www.eventmarketer.com), recognise excellence in outstanding event and experiential programs in 2008.

We were extremely chuffed to pick up a Gold for the best production of an event for the launch of the new Volvo XC60 which took place over 9 weeks in Gothenburg this Summer.

Click here to find out more about the awards and review other winners or here to learn more about the award-winning Volvo dealer experience.

The O2 have a new attraction in the form of the British Music Experience. It is a permanent interactive exhibition dedicated solely to British music.

With so much exciting information at your fingertips, you barely know where to start. Do you want to check out Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust clown suit, take a peek at Amy’s vintage gingham ‘rehab’ dress or eavesdrop on rock industry legends discussing their experiences of Live Aid?

The O2 Bubble is now your musical oyster. If you are a budding rock star, you can also learn to play the guitar, drums or piano; record a song; perfect your dance moves or DJ using the ultimate [British] record box.

Your Smarticket unlocks the interactive media and allows you to have access to both information and, in our case, humiliating clips of dance moves and attempts to play the bass on MyBME (click here and cringe as we attempt The Twist), a great feature on their website (www.britishmusicexperience.com). We think it’s well worth a visit, especially if you can go with children.

With exclusive use options for private parties and corporate events it adds another dimension to the O2’s stable of event space.

Our ‘5 of the best venues’ series continues with a handful of the most unique dining spots that London has to offer.  When we say delicious, we are not only describing the menu; the setting, the views and the unique status that dining at one of London’s iconic landmarks can lend to an occasion is not to be underestimated.

Tower Bridge

Completed in 1894, Tower Bridge (www.towerbridge.org.uk) was instantly hailed as a London icon and one of the great engineering marvels of its age.   The Walkways offer fantastic views of many of London’s most famous sights, including St Paul’s Cathedral, sky-scraping Canary Wharf, maritime Greenwich and The London Eye.  Great for receptions for up to 250 people or can alternatively seat up to 120.

The ‘Gherkin’ 

The now infamous ‘Gherkin’ (www.30stmaryaxe.com) is one of London’s most unusual landmarks, located in the heart of the City.  At 180 metres tall, it is the second tallest building in the City of London and the sixth tallest in London.  Its top two floors (39^th & 40^th) are available for exclusive hire on weekday evenings, for up to 250 people.

Wellington Arch

First erected in 1826 as a grand entrance from the west to Buckingham Palace, the Arch (www.uniquevenuesoflondon.co.uk/wellington_arch) more recently served time as London’s smallest police station.  Now, one of London’s best kept secret venues, it holds 3 spaces, one of which gives access to the Arch’s exterior balconies.  Perfect for dinners for up to 36 people or receptions up to 80.

Hampton Court Palace

Henry VIII was renowned for his feasting at Hampton Court (www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace)  and the Palace now offers 10 different spaces for exclusive corporate or private hire; the largest seating up to 280 for dinner.

London Eye

Built to celebrate the Millennium, the London Eye (www.londoneye.com/CorporateEvents)  has become one of London’s most popular attractions.   Single capsules can be hired for up to 25 people or the whole London Eye can be taken on an exclusive basis for an incredible and memorable event.

The top spot for us has to be Wellington Arch – overwhelming history and a sense of total secrecy and privacy make it an incredibly special venue.

As Alan Doyle, one of our Senior Event Producers approaches his 2nd anniversary as a Line Up employee, he has been ranked amongst the industry’s rising stars as a C&IT A Lister. Developing his passion for event organising at Trinity College, Cambridge where he organised the May Ball and became head of the organising committee in his final year, Alan is kept on this toes at Line Up looking after events for clients such as Old Mutual, Indesit Company and Volvo. A huge pat on the back goes to him and you can see Alan with some of his Line Up colleagues and industry peers at http://cde.cerosmedia.com/1I49d61d2caaa0e863.cde

We’re delighted to be staging the official announcement of the 2009 British and Irish Lions rugby squad on 21st April at Sofitel Hotel, Heathrow T5. The Lions Tour to South Africa is one of the most exciting rugby events for years so naturally, the rugby fans in the office are very proud to be involved! We’ll be responsible for the set design, staging, lighting and sound and providing audio feeds for over 200 assembled press including official broadcaster Sky Sports who will be transmitting a live one hour broadcast from the event. Watch this space for photos…

It can’t be a huge surprise to anybody that the 2010 British Motorshow has been cancelled.

It has always been the rather poor little brother to shows such as Geneva, Paris/Frankfurt, Detroit or Tokyo which are – and always have been – global industry fairs. By contrast, the British show, held initially in Birmingham before moving to London, was always more of a consumer experience. But the concept of one great big landmark automotive event was a more appealing consumer proposition until the world economy fell apart. People had money and cars were a key purchase -very often part of your remuneration package and, for many, an important part of who you were.

But times have certainly changed and so have attitudes. And whilst one would assume that top reasons not to buy a new car might include job security, lack of financing deals, the cost of new vehicles or general concern about the economy; a recent Consumer Reports study revealed that 39% of respondents simply cited ‘that their existing car was still in good shape’ as the key reason for not moving on.

So has the buying cycle changed forever in this age of financial uncertainty and environmental caution? And if it has, what does it mean for the way in which automotive manufacturers engage their consumers now and in the future. The old way was to persuade consumers to buy your car. Now, it would seem, they need to be persuaded to buy a car at all.

So suddenly a consumer motorshow feels rather complacent (build it and they will come – well, not any more!). Surely now manufacturers need to be reaching further into consumers’ lives and engaging them with broader messages that reflect the wider benefits of the ownership experience. They need to get up close and personal and create new touch points with their brands. Experiential marketing has a vital role to play in rekindling the desire for that shiny new car.

The excitement is palpable in Ireland this week as we head towards the 6 Nations finale and we should know, we just got back from County Wicklow where we’ve been launching the latest range of products from Hotpoint, Indesit and Cannon. 

The event was the first of 2 large-scale launch events for Indesit Company and the first ever staged in Ireland.  200 independent retailers were invited to the Ritz-Carlton for the one-day event that comprised of various multi-media presentations, an interactive product exhibition, one-to-one sessions between retailers and their Indesit representatives and a gala dinner. 

The second event will take place at Battersea Evolution London in Battersea Park where Indesit will host up to 900 customers across three events between 29th and 1st April.  Watch this space for more news of that.