UK Government - High Profile Live Events
Over the last eight years I have worked on multiple high level UK Government events as the agency held both the tradeshow and ministerial contracts. I was the creative Director on the successful pitches that won the contracts as well as all of the subsequent live projects. Needless to say I have a good relationship with the key client stakeholders along with the DBT brand team. I am fully conversant with the way government processes work which rarely align with an efficient creative process!.. but am adept at balancing both sides of the equation to get a successful creative outcome.
Many of the events I have worked on have taken place in venues that in themselves demand a different approach. These have included the London Science Museum, Hampton Court Palace, Lancaster House
and The Guildhall. Such heritage venues demand some very unique ways of working as well as being 'wow' factors in their own right which, in turn, feeds back into the creative solutions.
Global Investment Summits
Having helped win the pitch to retain the UK Government Ministerial Events contract, I led the creative direction of the subsequent live events. That required an understanding of the political landscape and how each creative solution would be viewed by Number 10 - and by the wider world through inevitable media coverage. I worked closely with key stakeholders and the wider creative, technical and delivery teams to ensure each event delivered on its objectives.
Carrier Strike Group - Mumbai
Definitely one for the folio. First week back in the new year: “We need you in Mumbai by the end of the week.”
A little over three weeks to create a dockside event alongside a Royal Navy frigate, coinciding with a Number 10 trade mission. Site visit done, I sketched out the initial layout in the car back to the UK Government office. Then came contractors, port authorities, the Indian and Royal Navies - even a lengthy discussion about water depth. A creative minefield that moved by the minute.
I wrote the creative brief on the flight home and briefed the team the next day.
Evening Receptions/Experiences
Every government summit has an evening reception for one very simple reason: it’s where a lot of the business is actually done. My creative challenge is to make it relevant to a high-profile audience, create an immersive showcase of UK companies and technologies, while giving guests the opportunity to engage with peers and ministers in a more personal way.
That means influencing venue choice, making the most of the space and adding the right content to create memorable moments - all wrapped in a media-friendly experience that reinforces one message: the UK and its businesses have a lot to offer investors.
