| Aggregate Industries & Shropshire Council - Arts & Business Posted: 04 Mar 2011 04:32 AM PST Jaguar Land Rover Award winners for 'Business Innovation (in partnership with Clarke Associates)' Category 2010
The opportunity
Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Public Art Partnership and Aggregate Industries formed a partnership to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin by creating the 'Quantum Leap' sculpture, one of the largest sculptures in the West Midlands.
The nature and scale of this high risk art project was unprecedented in Shropshire, comprising the extremely complicated construction of 31x3.5 m propeller shaped blades which had to be positioned along a 9m high arch.
The impact
For Aggregate Industries, this project gave their employees the opportunity to work on something very different, requiring vast degrees of creativity, teamwork, and technical expertise. It enhanced their profile and relationship with the community.
Shropshire Council was able to showcase the unique landscape and how it assisted in the formation of Darwin's evolutionary ideas. Wider social benefits include the regeneration of the previously unused riverside site while reinforcing Shrewsbury's reputation as a cultural town, and as a location for inward investment.
The Quantum Leap sculpture has been captured on all major media both regionally and nationally, and is passed by thousands of people each day.
"We are immensely proud of our involvement in this unique project and the part we played in the delivery of Quantum Leap. It is a spectacular piece of public art and beautifully encapsulates Darwin's connection to the inspiring landscape of Shropshire. "
Simon Taylor, Director Midlands & North for Aggregates Industry
"Shropshire continues to build a reputation for innovation. There's no doubt that the valuable contribution of Aggregate Industry and the energy of the Public Art Partnership resulted in a far more ambitious project than the Council alone could have created."
Portfolio Holder for Culture & Leisure Cllr Steven Charmley
"Quantum Leap has given our town a lasting legacy that is a most fitting commemoration of the Charles Darwin bicentenary, and the project is a superb example of the many initiatives the Shrewsbury Business Chamber have become involved with."
Simon Airey, Shrewsbury Public Art Partnership
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| Sky Arts & Hay Festival: Hay fever - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:57 AM PST
Shortlisted for A&B Cultural Branding Award, 2009
The opportunity
Each year, thousands people gather together to soak up the literary delights at the Guardian Hay Festival: one of the biggest, best known literary festivals in the world. With Sky Arts as broadcast sponsor, beaming the best of the festival into homes across the UK, the festival had the opportunity to reach a mass audience of over 9 million customers whilst the partnership demonstrates Sky Arts' commitment to the arts. Both partners, committed to climate change, also work together to educate visitors through Hay's charity partner, Global Action Plan.
The impact
Hay has been able to reach more than a million Sky Arts homes and people from across the country have been able to watch the highlights from Hay every day of the festival. SkyArts' experiential marketing activity created a buzz at the festival and encouraged more than 11,000 visitors, including many influential figures, to engage in some way with its brand in relation to Hay. The effective mix of programming, online content, marketing, experiential activity and staff engagement has forged a powerful brand partnership.
"At Sky we want to contribute to cultural life in the UK by bringing the arts to a wider audience; on screen, on stage, online and on the streets. Sky Arts' partnership with Hay is a great way of doing this, and in 2009 we produced over 30 hours of premium high definition content, bringing exclusive and unparalleled daily access to the festival to millions of people's homes across the UK." Lucy Carver, Director of the Bigger Picture, Sky Arts
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| British Sugar & Snibston (Leicestershire County Council): A sweet deal - Arts & Business Posted: 27 Jan 2011 08:44 AM PST The opportunity
British Sugar has helped Snibston Discovery Museum (run by Leicestershire County Council) to preserve ancient timbers that once spanned the River Trent.
Noted for its local and international importance, the Hemington Bridge timbers are rare remnants of the River Trent crossing, which formed part of a major national route: The King's Highway, linking London and the south to Derby and the north. Inspired by the technical challenge of preserving these medieval timbers British Sugar, who have a neighbouring factory, provided in-kind support to conserve the archaeological discovery. Since 1996, they have donated around 70 tonnes of liquid sucrose to maintain the timber for future generations.
The impact
Excited by the unique and fascinating task of creating a solution to preserve the large-scale historical structure, British Sugar invested scientific resources, expertise and time working with Snibston Discovery Museum to pioneer this method. The project encouraged the use of key skills such as; a partnership approach, diligence, innovation, scientific research and experimentation; and benefited enormously from employees' sustained involvement and enthusiasm over a period of 14 years. As a result, the timbers are preserved as a national treasure for future generations and the innovative model has been shared internationally.
"We've had great fun working together on this project and learnt a great deal along the way. The results clearly demonstrate that science and arts can work together to preserve the past for our future generations."
Dr Julian Cooper, Head of Food Science, British Sugar
"There is absolutely no doubt that without British Sugar's support, we would not have been able to undertake this innovative process and preserve these unique bridge timbers. The bridge tells us so much about medieval construction that has hitherto been unknown. We are looking forward to the next project stage, which focuses upon making them accessible to the wider public."
David Sprason, Lead Member, Adults and Communities, Leicestershire County Council
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| Bank of America Merrill Lynch & the National Theatre: New Connections - Arts & Business Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:18 AM PST
Shortlisted for A&B Young People Award, 2009
The opportunity
The creation of new scripts by established playwrights provided a powerful means to motivate and inspire young people in schools and youth theatres throughout the UK and Ireland. The National Theatre's New Connections project was an attractive partnership opportunity for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, given the importance placed by the company on providing local communities - and particularly young people - access to the arts.
In addition to financial support, the partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch has helped The National Theatre broaden the programme's reach to include at risk groups. This has been made possible through the bank's existing relationships with Fairbridge, Barnado's and The Prince's Trust.
The impact Over a two year period, New Connections has reached 6,216 young participants through its 189 productions in 181 organisations across the UK and Ireland. 10 new plays were produced by professional writers, and young people from Bank of America Merrill's Lynch's partner charities created short plays inspired by their own personal stories, which were performed at the National Theatre in July 2008. A Faber & Faber anthology of the plays was sent to 6,700 schools and sold in bookshops.
"Bank of America Merrill Lynch is committed to bringing the power of theatre to young people regardless of their circumstances. What makes this programme particularly interesting to us is its geographic reach and focus on young people who are at risk. This partnership has allowed our company to showcase its strong commitment to supporting the cultural and economic vitality of the communities we serve and we have been delighted to be involved." Rena DeSisto, EMEA head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, and Global Arts & Heritage Executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
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| Seaward Properties and Chichester Festival Theatre - Arts & Business Posted: 10 Nov 2010 08:24 AM PST The opportunity Leading Sussex property developers Seaward Properties have sponsored Chichester Festival Theatre since 2001. The company's Chairman, Barry Sampson, led a group of local companies in pledging three-year support that year, when the theatre was in severe financial crisis and urgently needed committed investment in order to survive. The relationship and the support have continued, with Seaward sponsoring a variety of Festival productions over the years and enjoying great advertising and promotional benefits, and client/ employee entertainment opportunities. Seaward have also given considerable in-kind support through the provision of storage for sets and props. In 2009, Seaward's relationship with the theatre took an exciting new turn. The company commissioned a piece of work from Chichester Festival Theatre's Street Art Company, part of the Youth Theatre, which enables young people to work together to devise and perform interactive theatre in the open air, engaging directly with the public. The imaginative idea behind the commission was to create a new work to celebrate the opening of Seaward's latest property development in the city. The commissioned work, called Neighbourhood Watch, involved 10 young performers inside their own individual homes-on-wheels, processing through the city streets towards the new development one Saturday. The performers gossiped about neighbours and interacted with the public during their lively and entertaining procession.
The impact
It is estimated that Seaward's long-term sponsorship of the theatre has enabled them to reach an audience of over £3 million theatre-goers over the years. Through the project with the Street Art Company, Seaward benefited from a highly innovative and visible way of promoting their new development. The project gave them fantastic exposure through pre-publicity and through the performance itself, which was seen by thousands of people. It also generated more than 100 enquiries about the new development The partnership benefited the members of the Street Art Company in many ways – enabling them to learn how to deal with unexpected responses from the public, and developing their confidence and ability to improvise. Seaward Properties won the Sustained Partnership Award in the 2010 Arts & Business South East Awards, for their long-term, creative engagement with Chichester Festival Theatre. Seaward's Chairman, Barry Sampson said, "I am Chichester born and bred, so I am very pleased we have been able to support the theatre for so many years. We knew it was a very strong short-list for this award, so we are delighted to have won."
Image: Neighbourhood Watch, 2009. Chichester Festival Theatre, Youth Theatre & Street Art Company
Photo: Chris Butler, The Photography Lounge
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| Roger De Haan and culture-led regeneration in Folkestone - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:00 AM PST Most philanthropists will content themselves with supporting a handful of carefully selected institutions. Roger De Haan is a bit different: he is attempting to regenerate an entire town. And the town is Folkestone.
Roger is a lifelong resident of the town. He is the son of the late Sydney De Haan, who created the Saga group. Best known for offering holidays to the over fifties, Saga is Folkestone's largest employer. Roger took over the business in 1984 but sold it twenty years later to concentrate on an incredibly ambitious programme of renewal and regeneration for Folkestone, focusing on the power of culture and the arts to breathe new life into the ailing town.
One of Roger's first moves was to establish the Creative Foundation in 2002, building from what was then the Metropole Arts Centre Trust. Creative Foundation's strategy is to bring together the arts, education, economic growth and improvements to the built environment. Its work focuses on the centre of Folkestone, freshly christened the Creative Quarter, and on the seafront. In the centre, dozens of dilapidated buildings have been bought up and repurposed as artists' studios, galleries and other creative businesses. Out on the sea-front, there are plans for a massive regeneration of the port, designed by renowned architects Foster and Partners.
As one of his nominees, Alan Davey, Chief Executive of the Arts Council England, said "We all theorise about cultural regeneration - Roger has just got on and done it. He's a hero really."
Director of the Creative Foundation, Nick Ewbank, attributes the success of the regeneration of Folkestone to a combination of Roger's personal generosity, his business acumen and the clear vision that he has driven forward in bringing about major improvements in his home town. "Roger has a strong sense of community and he has worked tirelessly to establish a model of arts-led investment in Folkestone that could work equally well in other locations across the country." |
| Hall for Cornwall, Dennis Arbon and Virginia Woolf’s beach - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:00 AM PST The Hall for Cornwall, in the centre of Truro, has been many things over the years – a market hall to a skating rink - but in 1997 it was saved from decay and dereliction when it was converted into a theatre. Today attracting over 180,000 theatre-goers with its eclectic programme mix of music, drama, dance, plays and comedy. But getting the theatre going, and keeping it going, has been no easy task and would not have been possible without the continued support of Dennis Arbon. He first appeared on the scene as a major donor for the initial capital development, then campaigned tirelessly during the public campaign to get the theatre created. In recognition of his efforts the board room was named after him.
But his financial support didn't stop there. Early on in the theatre's life it experienced financial difficulties. When the bank threatened to withdraw its finances Dennis stepped forward with a personal guarantee which kept the Hall for Cornwall from insolvency and closure.
He continues to sponsor performances, educational activities and capital campaigns. But in 2009 not content with the conventional means of sponsorship Dennis Arbon's most unusual gift came when he very generously donated for auction Upton Towans beach that inspired Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse. It raised a fantastic £80,000 for The Hall for Cornwall as well as considerable publicity.
Photo: Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive, Arts & Business; Dennis Arbon; Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter and Tim Brinkman, Director at Hall for Cornwall
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| Dame Vivien Duffield CBE - philanthropist, grant-maker and fundraiser - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Nov 2010 02:59 AM PST Dame Vivien Duffield is clearly a passionate and outspoken supporter of the arts. But she is also an exceedingly generous one. She is the only child and heir of Charles Clore the retail magnate, owner of Selfridges and one of Britain's most generous philanthropists. Following his death in 1979, she assumed chairmanship of the then Clore Foundation, merging it with her own in 2000 to create the Clore Duffield Foundation which gifts the arts £6 million a year..
The Foundation has supported an astonishing range of organisations, from the large, such as the National History Museum to smaller projects ranging from the Alnwick Playhouse Trust to the Victoria Special School. She has also set up the Clore Leadership programme to deliver a vital step change in the quality of arts management.
But her generosity is only half the story: Dame Vivien is also an astute fundraiser, and it is her energy and commitment to the bruising business of actually getting people to part with their money which meant she was a worthy recipient of the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy Medal.
It was Dame Vivien who, in partnership with Lord Sainsbury, raised £100 million for the new Royal Opera House. And it was she who co-chaired the long and difficult campaign to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall.
In the words of Michael Lynch, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, "She does what not enough people do: she walks the talk. The hardest part of fundraising is actually asking people, and Vivien is very good at that." |
| Richard Claridge supporting the arts, elderly and community - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Nov 2010 02:58 AM PST In the last three years, Richard Claridge proprietor of Claridge Nursing Homes, has become one of The Courtyard Centre for the Arts' greatest supporters and champions, both in financial terms and for his public support. Under his umbrella group - Claridge Nursing Homes - Mr Claridge sponsored The Courtyard's pantomime and this season has extended it to the Orchestras Live concert series.
The relationship has also helped in unforeseen ways. Richard's support as an attendee, philanthropist and businessman helped The Courtyard's successful bid for funding the position of an Older Person's Arts Officer. Claridge Nursing Homes provided a letter of support explaining how The Courtyard's delivery of ongoing "reminiscence workshops" with residents suffering from dementia had shown very positive benefits.
"Mr Claridge is also a great supporter of the wider Herefordshire community and charities, for example, commissioning a stunning stained glass window for the county's new crematorium last year." |
| Business sponsor to champion - The Spark Children's Art Festival - Arts & Business Posted: 09 Nov 2010 02:32 AM PST Champions for the arts can come from everywhere, even from within your business sponsors.
Kevin Moss and Jim Larkin are Marketing Director and Operations Director of Taylor Bloxham Limited have been the print partners for The Spark Children's Art Festival since 2006. These two individuals however have taken their company's financial and in-kind sponsorship to another level. Offering a hands-on approach to Spark, they have helped the organisation to become more aware of sustainable printing technologies to inviting 60 young people to a tour of Taylor Bloxham as part of a recycling project.
Not satisfied with a factory tour, they developed a programme to inspire the children and impress teachers.
"Even in these turbulent economic times, Taylor Bloxham have continued to support us and their dedication to Spark ensures the children's arts festival thrives". |
| Anita Bhalla securing the future of Midlands Arts Centre - Arts & Business Posted: 08 Nov 2010 09:27 AM PST The Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) is a leading arts venue offering a range of events and activities for audiences from cinema showings, performing arts, visual arts to being the home of the Shout Festival. When it embarked on its £15million capital campaign to refurbish and create purpose-built spaces, they needed strong and influential supporters – so they looked to their Board to provide this support.
As Chair for the MAC, Anita Bhalla OBE recognised the importance of the organisation's Board to financial support the campaign, so she led the way in securing financial support from every single board member. Anita and her husband Ranjit Sondhi CBE also made generous donations in memory of family members. Through her position as Editor of Public Space Broadcasting (a partnership project across the UK with Local Authorities, community groups and LOCOG) and wide network, Anita managed to raise awareness of the project. Consequently she introduced a range of decision makers to the organisation to help with the campaign.
Financial support, raising awareness and bringing in other funds, Anita has been a stalwart support of MAC. Offering advice during challenging times and personal support to members of staff, Anita is the perfect example of a dream Chair. |
| Barber Institute for Fine Arts and Sir Dominic Cadbury - Arts & Business Posted: 08 Nov 2010 09:12 AM PST Everyone knows the Cadbury dynasty. But their business brilliance and social conscious goes further than many may realise. Retiring from Cadbury Schweppes in 2000, Sir Dominic Cadbury was made Chancellor of the University of Birmingham in 2002.
One of the University's jewels in their crown is the Barber Institute for Fine Arts, of which Sir Dominic is President. It has an amazing collection by some of the great artists of all time: Monet, Manet, Renoir, Rubens, Rossetti, Rodin, Degas, Delacroix, van Dyck, Botticelli, Poussin, Turner, Gainsborough, Gauguin, van Gogh, Picasso to Hodgkin (to name a few). The Barber is also home to the University of Birmingham's departments of History of Art and Music, as well as the Barber Fine Art and Music libraries. To harness the enthusiasm of the collection's audience, The Barber Institute wanted to develop a Patrons scheme.
Sir Dominic was involved in the development of the scheme and has been unstinting in his time and support, regularly attending meetings and cultivation events. He helped identify and recruit new members enabling The Barber to reach its target of 10 patrons in the first 12 months.
"We are in no doubt that the success of the Scheme is due to Sir Dominic's contribution: his profile and contacts as a businessman and member of the Cadbury family, his commitment to the arts, and his social skills and graces, make him a perfect ambassador for the Barber Institute in Birmingham and the wider region". |
| Port of Tilbury London & Thurrock council - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 09:21 AM PDT Background
Mary-Ann Connolly, a former Tiller girl and cultural project officer for Thurrock council, was having trouble finding somewhere to stage a big, live event 'to bring people in Thurrock together.' When she looked around the London cruise terminal at the Port of Tilbury she knew her search was over. The council approached the Port of Tilbury in 2004, and the latter has been sponsoring the annual 12 days of Christmas spectaculars, and providing a venue, labour and equipment ever since. Working with hundreds of children and converting a 1939's almost empty building partly on stilts, into a temporary theather, has been a huge logistical challenge but the hard work has paid off. Winning the JTI A&B Community Award at the 30th Arts & Business Awards is proof of this, "we're raising aspirations and the cultural bar in Thurrock,' says Connolly. Objectives
• Generate additional revenue through increased use of the historic Cruise Terminal as an event venue and highlight the potential for an under-utilised asset in the community
• Key driver in the regeneration of Tilbury and the Thames Gateway
• Increase self-esteem and aspirations amongst local young people through the cultural and industrial heritage of the local area. Benefits
• As well as sparking the regeneration of the area, the song and dance productions provide a Christmas event for employees of the port, local schools and the wider community in Thurrock
• Last year 1,500 schoolchildren took part, appearing on stage alongside profesional performers giving access to children who can't normally afford to go and see West End shows
• The port gives 300 tickets away to its employees, iboosting morale with ticket prices heavily subsidied." It's a very affordable night out, says Connolly. |
| The Co-operative & Cambridge City Council: The value of co-operation - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:52 AM PDT
Winner of The District A&B Cultural Branding Award and also the A&B Sustained Partnership Award in our East Awards 2010
As the age-old riddle goes 'If a tree falls in a forest and no-one hears it, does it make a sound?'
The opportunity
The world's largest consumer-owned business and ethical champion, The Co-operative Group is very aware that while they're brilliant at what they do, they're "terrible at letting people know about it". Keen to rectify this, the Co-op embarked on a national marketing campaign and the opportunity to sign up for the title sponsorship of one of the most prestigious folk festivals in the world, The Co-operative Cambridge Folk Festival, which ran alongside a TV campaign featuring Bob Dylan's 'Blowing in the Wind'. The sponsorship of the Festival was an opportunity to communicate their environmental, ethical and fair trading values to their target audience. For Cambridge City Council, The Co-operative's support is key to bringing legendary musicians and the hottest young things to the Festival, keeping ticket prices low and developing its own sustainability; recycling, ethical trading etc.
The impact
The Co-operative was not only able to communicate directly with the 14,000 attendees, but to actually demonstrate what they do through popular give-aways and interactive campaigns, adding to the Festival experience as opposed to being an avoidable add-on. The brand synergy was widely appreciated by attendees and press. The Co-op received extensive media coverage through its association with the Festival including branding on BBC 4 TV, mentions on BBC Radio 2, extensive online coverage and £100,000 worth of column inches. The Festival and The Co-op continue to nurture their partnership and support each other's ethical and environmental values for the benefit of the public.
www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk |
| Cranfield University & HAPPEN and Julie Freeman: Nano art facts - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:52 AM PDT
Shortlisted for The Marshall Business Aviation A&B Innovation & Technology Award in our East Awards 2010
The opportunity Nanotechnology. It's a catchy term, we've heard of it, but do we understand it? One man who understands this technology for controlling matter on an atomic and molecular level is Professor Jeremy Ramsden and artist Julie Freeman proved herself to be the person to help communicate this understanding to us, the wider public. Through funding partner Wellcome Trust, art agency HAPPEN, driven by the belief that artists have much more to contribute to society than is currently accepted, created this opportunity for collaboration and development of relations with Cranfield University and initiate an artist in residency scheme. The impact Through 16 artworks installed on campus, 12 lectures and talks delivered by Julie at the Royal College of Art, the Science Museum, Imperial College London, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and the Bangalore Centre for Internet and Society among others and a major exhibition at Cranfield, the project reached 3000 people directly and over 50,000 though the website, articles and radio broadcasts. Breaking down complex ideas into digestible information is essential in our current climate of information overload. Thanks to Jeremy and Julie nanotechnology terminology has been unlocked and the collaboration continues with a series of artworks focusing on self-organisation, nanomedicine, and even nano-food. The Nano-Novels exhibition can be seen in the FRINGEMK Project Space, 1 Midsummer Place, Cental Milton Keynes from 16th March – 5th May 2010.
in-particular.net/
www.happen.org.uk
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| thecentre:mk & FRINGE Milton Keynes: Centre of the fringe - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:52 AM PDT
Shortlisted for The Marshall Business Aviation A&B Innovation & Technology Award in our East Awards 2010
The opportunity
Milton Keynes is certainly fresh faced. In fact, with an average age of 26 years and under, it has the youngest demographic in the UK. In the fall of 2009 FRINGEMK International Arts Festival burst into the consciousness of centre:mk shoppers and this youthful digital savvy population with its month long programme showcasing combined arts practises. centre:mk seized upon this opportune partnership with FRINGEMK, introducing creativity and international, experimental and digital media into the shopping centre to attract new customers, drive sales and energise its public perception. FRINGEMK aimed to bring the best of contemporary arts practises to vast audiences, free of charge.
The impact
By engaging over 150 artists and organisations, curating 10 solo exhibitions, promoting new media and innovative technology, the Festival generated audiences of over 8million and greatly increased the city's media profile. Among the combined PR, operational and financial benefits of the partnership to centre:mk was an increased customer base of 11%, media attention of 40% and increased skills, confidence and creativity among staff gained mainly through working with artists. The actual monetary return on investment was excellent and brand new digital screens with Bluetooth servers dispersed throughout the city centre provide a digital legacy to the Festival and further promotional opportunities for both partners. Together they changed the city's attitude to the arts.
www.fringemk.com
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| John C Taylor Ltd & Matthew Lane Sanderson: A brief history of the Chronophage - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:52 AM PDT
Winner of The Marshall Business Aviation A&B Innovation & Technology Award in our East Awards 2010
The opportunity
Ever notice how fast time goes when we are running for a bus or how slow when waiting for one? Inventor Dr John C Taylor's obsession with time's relativity brought about a most exciting partnership and piece of art; the Corpus Chronophage, an exquisite sculptural clock whose time eating grasshopper devours minutes and controls passing time while blinking its beautiful mechanical eyes at the passing public. John brought together a talented team of inventors, designers, engineers and Matthew Sanderson, the goldsmith to learn new skills from each other, work on a large scale commission and create a masterpiece. In it they expertly combined 300 year old technology, cutting edge contemporary design and a wicked sense of humour.
The impact The Chronophage inauguration by Stephen Hawking generated world-wide publicity and it's now one of the top tourist sites in Cambridge, on display at Corpus Christi College. The clock has made a serious impression online as well; 'Wow, absolutely genius!' and 'What a fantastically beautiful device for showing time both literally and metaphorically' are just 2 of the 1,463 comments from over 820,000 YouTube views. The positive publicity has been of great importance to the development of John and Matthew's, and Joan Mackerell and Huxley Bertram's reputations and subsequent commissions and activities.
www.johnctaylor.com
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| Countryside Annington & Colchester Borough Council: Pride of place - Arts & Business Posted: 13 Oct 2010 08:52 AM PDT
Winner of The Cambridge University Press A&B Community Award in our East Awards 2010
The opportunity
Some call it 'plop art', others call it art litter. But when it works, when it really works, public art does much more than just add 'character and visual interest' to an area. It provides a reason for a community to come together and a source of pride and inspiration for generations to come. This was the case when developers Countryside Annington joined forces with Colchester Borough Council to commission artist Richard Layzell to engage the local Colchester Garrison community and produce a piece of public art together.
The impact
In embracing the public art project as a key part of the development, Countryside Annington created a space for the community to explore local issues such as schooling, anti-social behaviour and dealing with a family member at war in Afghanistan. Over a period of 9 months Richard organised talks, tours and workshops involving school children and the final artwork itself was hand-crafted and painted by the community. 800 people gained hands on experience with the creative project, a deeper understanding of development and construction and ultimately a say in shaping their own environment and the positive sense of place and pride that goes with that. Countryside Annington enhanced their relationship with the local authority and community and received positive local media coverage.
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| Graham's The Family Dairy & Edinburgh International Book Festival - Arts & Business Posted: 01 Oct 2010 10:09 AM PDT The opportunity
The Edinburgh International Book Festival takes place each summer in the world heritage site of Charlotte Square Gardens. The largest literary festival in the world attracts 200,000 people from across the UK and around the world to over 700 unique events.
Graham's The Family Dairy, Scotland's second largest independent dairy company, celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2009 and as part of its marketing and promotions activity for the year was looking for an opportunity to increase its brand awareness across Scotland. Its cash and in-kind sponsorship of the Book Festival provided it with excellent sponsorship benefits around a high profile children's author event and a linked 'on the farm' workshop where children were able to browse and be inspired by a book produced by Graham's and sold in aid of the children's charity CHAS.
The impact
With a matching Scottish Government New Arts Sponsorship Grant the Book Festival was able to promote Graham's to Major Sponsor level and to offer them a special Graham's The Family Dairy Book Reading event in its party pavilion where it could offer samples of Graham's milk to the audience after lunchtime storytime every day of the Festival. Graham's received appropriate branding and acknowledgements throughout the Festival, as well as opportunities to distribute branded activity sheets for children in the children's tent, complimentary tickets for client entertainment, one free use of a hospitality venue and invitations to the press launch and opening party. Through its link with the Festival, Graham's enhanced the company's reputation with audiences and clients alike. Thanks to this partnership, the Book Festival was able to augment its children's programme with relevant, entertaining and educational activities for children and their families. Graham's also sponsored on pack advertising for the Festival on its milk cartons that helped the festival in reaching out to a wider Scottish audience.
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| Thinktastic & the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - Arts & Business Posted: 01 Oct 2010 10:05 AM PDT The opportunity
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an iconic Scotland event, which takes place each year on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle as part of Edinburgh's summer festivals. Musical performances and displays from massed regimental pipes and drums, highland dance displays and band performances from an international cast of military and civilian performers create an unforgettable experience attracting large audiences each year. As part of its programme, the Tattoo offers first class hospitality to a wide range of corporate clients.
In 2009, the Tattoo secured an in-kind sponsorship from Thinktastic, an Edinburgh-based creative agency. Thinktastic provided a free-of-charge creative service in the form of designing the Tattoo communications materials including its corporate hospitality leaflets. In return, the company received advertisement in the printed Souvenir Tattoo programme, logo acknowledgements and hospitality packages.
The impact
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo involving 1000 performers over 25 performances attracted a live audience of over 200 thousand people. The event was seen by 5 million UK TV audiences and over 100 million global TV audiences.
The experience promoted Thinktastic and its services to the Tattoo's broad corporate audience and increased the profile of the company while enabling the Edinburgh Military Tattoo improve their corporate hospitality offer and network with potential customers.
" Would you be interested in being an Edinburgh Military Tattoo Sponsor?" The question put to Thinktastic 18 months ago. It took just five seconds to agree. We were right not to hesitate. What's happened since has exceeded all our expectations – exposure to top decision makes, our brand seen and heard by more than 100,000 people and a corporate hospitality that surpasses any I've experienced. "Best corporate hospitality ever." "Awesome, Spectacular.""...been telling everyone I know in London about it – the best ever." So said our blue chip guests. What has it meant to Thinktastic? A massive boost to our new brand, our sponsorship attracts match funding from Arts and Business – doubling the immediate benefits. 25,000 visits to our website within three months, business sustained through a hard year and our hospitality guests backing their loyalty to the brand with lucrative contacts. The best investment I have made in years."
Mike Stevenson, Managing Director, Thinktastic
"The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo would like to thank Thinktastic for their kind sponsorship for our 2009 season. The benefit of working with such a professional company as Thinktastic helped us develop a whole new look to our Corporate Hospitality point of sale which enabled us to sell our corporate hospitality packages in a very difficult financial climate. This sponsorship helped us to achieve our target of being sold out for the eleventh season in a row which we think is a bit of an achievement in these difficult times.
We were also introduced to some of Thinktastic clients who, after having a great time having the "tattoo experience" will become clients of ours in their own right in the future." Mark Gardner, Sponsorship Development Manager, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
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