Retailers Love Valentine's Promotion in Exeter

WHEN: Saturday 9 February

WHERE: Princesshay Exeter

WHAT: The "Lucky in Love" promotion in Exeter was a hit with stores who donated over £1,000 of prizes, including Carphone Warehouse's latest pink blackberry, jewellery from Beaverbrooks, Hobbs and Carol Anne and vouchers and gifts from ten other shops. Stores also assisted with displays and sampling in an event created to attract shoppers to the speciality boutiques in Roman Walk. A team of five Elizabethan Princesses handed out playing cards throughout the scheme and customers were attracted back to the Valentine's display to see what they had won and enter the free draw for the £1,000 prize fund. The Valentine's gifts were frozen into an ice sculpture which attracted press coverage and the lucky card mechanic made the event as enjoyable for shoppers as it was profitable for stores.

Messages Event Staff go to the dogs

WHEN: Saturday 12 January

WHERE: Romford

WHAT: After a hard year as elves, Santas, modelsearchers and researchers we thought we should have a night out in the fashionable night-spot Romford. With staff from up North, East Anglia, The Midlands, London and the South East we seldom get to be in the same place at one time. It was great therefore that over thirty of our crack team enjoyed a flutter on the dogs at the Greyhound stadium followed by a Chinese feast and Karaoke session. With so many stars in our constellation the mike was well used as the singing talents were showcased as well as the drinking talents.

Christmas Roundup

WHEN: November and December

WHERE: UK

WHAT: It may only come once a year but it certainly dominates retail for a lot longer than the one day holiday! 2007 has been one of our busiest ever. We have launched the season in towns like High Wycombe and Romford working with TCM's and up to four centres. We have also installed Welsh speaking Santa's in St David's Cardiff, turned 300 children into Elves in Uxbridge and created two months of craft workshops in Lakeside.

New ideas have included Santa Dollars - a scheme where shoppers collect a Santa Dollar every time they spend £20 in the stores which can be converted to gifts in the Centre on late night shopping evenings. In Ilford we have run a "Shop at The Top" mini QVC style shopping presentation where retailers have put on a show and special offers to tempt shoppers to level three - On the first day we added a £1,000 jewellery and two prams to the sales roster - proof indeed that promotions can drive spend.

On a more traditional theme over 700 children enjoyed a Carol Service at The Mall Uxbridge.

Supermodel School - Press based Modeling Competition and makeover sessions

WHEN: August to October 2007 with highlights during London Fashion Week

WHERE: The Mall, Romford

WHAT: A sustained fashion and beauty campaign designed to create strong press coverage and genuinely engage fashion conscious shoppers in Essex with a new and unique concept. Donna McPhail, a Romford girl and a previous winner of one of our modelsearch competitions is still only 20 but has developed an international modeling career with assignments throughout the World and shoots for Vogue and Harpers. To capitalise on Donna's success Messages developed a tightly integrated campaign, recruiting 100 potential supermodels and running makeover, styling and hairdressing makeovers for them over 9 days to coincide with London Fashion Week. Before and after pictures of the makeovers are published in the Romford Recorder and the best four models then feature in a Fashion Photoshoot highlighting the Mall Romford fashions store's Christmas collections. Make-up has been sponsored by Gosh at Superdrug and Toni & Guy have provided stylists for all 9 days.

Wardrobe Workout - Retailer lead fashion programme

WHEN: Saturday 22 September 2007

WHERE: Ropewalk, Nuneaton

WHAT: When stores are enthusiastic about their new collections who better to project that excitement than the retailers themselves. In Nuneaton we created a format where with itv presenter Emma Jesson and a full size catwalk the stores putt on their own show. Model teams were drawn from Jane Norman, New Look, Bhs and Autonomy with make-up advice from The Body Shop and eye-wear seminars by Specsavers. Models from our Modelsearch competition demonstrated the other collections and the shows played to packed audiences all day. New Look were so successful they sold out of several items and had to change their routines and all the retailers have already stated they wish to repeat the event in the Spring. Costs were kept down with maximum input from the shops themselves guaranteeing a strong "buy-in" to the programme.

The Walthamstow Festival - Building Links and Supporting Community Events

WHEN: Saturday 1 September and Sunday 2 September

WHERE: The Mall, Walthamstow

WHAT: A two day programme of seamless family fun at The Mall Walthamstow as part of the annual festival. Because of the need to integrate the programme and ensure there was no disruption to trade on a busy weekend we provided a road crew, modest staging and and event manager. To ensure the activity linked with the profile of the catchment Bollywood Dancers, Steel bands and Tanzanian acrobats were incorporated. To match the musical theme of day two we provided a one man band and musical clown. Alongside the staged events activities were carried into the malls with mix and mingle jesters, Star Wars characters and the Mall Monster.

WHY: rather than just sponsoring the Walthamstow Festival the events over the first weekend in September were planned to attract shoppers into the scheme while enhancing the total impact of the event.

Boardwalk and Lakeside Shopping Centre Summer Campaign - Family and Food Focus

WHEN: 6 weeks July and August

WHERE: Lakeside, Thurrock

WHAT: Six weeks of music and family fun featuring a new theme each week linked to the top Cinema releases from The Simpsons Movie to Shrek, Harry Potter to the Sci-Fi world of The Transformers. Alongside a craft activity area with a dedicated team of promotions staff and special mix and mingle and show based entertainment, there has been a programme of live music and activity dedicated to driving visits to the restaurants and business to the new Hannah Banana family play area!

WHY: The new Boardwalk eating and leisure experience at Lakeside needed to be established in an area at the perimeter of this already massive retail site. A programme was developed to attract attention and drive footfall to the new venture. Restaurants have reported exceptional trade and a free gift mechanism drove family visits to the innovative Hannah Banana kids eating and play operation.

Modelsearch - Beauty and Fashion Campaign

WHEN: Launch Saturday 18 August

WHERE: The Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead

WHAT: To highlight the new Season's fashion offers and the arrival of a major New Look store, we are running a six week fashion campaign with the local Gazette and stores in the Centre. The mechanic involves scouting and casting a team of 24 models in the Centre for a fully choreographed fashion show. Witness to the way Modelsearch can create real model careers was the discovery in Tchibo's window of a fashion shot featuring a previous Modelsearch winner!

WHY: The Modelsearch Fashion show makes fashion stories as relevant to a locality as the pages of glossy fashion magazines and National press. There is a guaranteed interest from key marketing targets in the catchment and strong press coverage.

The Theatre of Food -Two Day Food Festival

WHEN: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 May 2007

WHERE: Grafton Centre, Cambridge

WHAT: Now in its fourth year, the event is launched with a "Radio Steady Cook" breakfast 'cook-off' between the two rival local radio stations and a press competition called the Chef Factor where we look for the next celebrity chef. Run by "Ready Steady Cook" veteran Richard Cawley, the weekend enjoyed the highest customer flow across a two month period.

WHY: A two day activity to attract shoppers and promote the food, catering and cooking equipment business at The Grafton Centre. Strong links have been forged with retailers such as M&S and Debenhams and regional food organisations "The Taste of Anglia."

Valentine's Day - Attention seekers and circulation drivers

WHEN: February 2007

WHERE: Nuneaton / Basingstoke / Bradford / Enfield / Edgware

WHAT: A range of eye-catching events based around melting ice hearts, Elvis appearances and lucky card games.

WHY: The key to our Valentine's events is to draw attention to the gifting opportunity during the week before the event. This drives footfall, increases circulation and generates press coverage before the sales opportunity is cold.

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Who's the Daddy? - Father's Day Challenge

WHEN: Saturday 16 June 2007

WHERE: The Potteries Shopping Centre, Stoke on Trent

WHAT: A fun event to encourage local fathers to try their hand at a variety of tasks and show that they truly are the daddy! The activity was teased with a men's health questionnaire compiled via shopper interviews on the previous Saturday and visits to stores on the Wednesday. Those fathers nominated in the 150 survey were invited to the heats via text, mail and e-mail.

WHY: To raise awareness of men's health issues and Father's Day gifts with maximum participation from retailers. Fourteen stores donated prizes and samples for the event with good crowds watching the three heats and finals.