IMM PR

Project Overview

• Initial ideas and planning
• Project Management
• Emarketing
• Literature Design and Printing
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations

IMM spearheaded an initiative at Kent Science Park to encourage its employees to give something back over Christmas, by creating and decorating hampers for families who will be staying with Demelza over the holiday period.

We handled everything from designing and printing flyers and posters that were circulated to the 1300+ tenants on the site, emailing details of the competition along with weekly reminders for people to get involved, and finally organising the judging itself. In fact, as part of the judging, our Marketing and PR Manager Wesley Horan even dressed up as Father Christmas!

The rules of the competition were as follows: at the start of the competition, each team was given a box, a £5 starter donation and the age range of a person that they needed to make the hamper for. After that, they had free rein to design the most exciting hamper they could, and then fill it with age appropriate gifts. The categories were: under seven, seven to twelve, a teenage boy, a teenage girl and the parents. In total, 20 hampers were created for Demelza.

There were some extraordinarily innovative designs, with hampers created to look like snowmen, skating rinks, sleighs, Christmas trees and Santa coming down the chimney. Some of the hampers even had sections that lit up! After much deliberation, a huge Christmas pudding design was judged as the overall winner.

We created a press release once Demelza had picked up the Hampers and the story was featured in the Kent Messenger.

Project Overview

• Initial Ideas/Planning
• Event Management
• Emarketing
• Media Relations

On Friday 7th December, IMM organised a seminar on exporting on behalf of Kent Science Park. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and sausage rolls, the seminar got underway with presentations from Barclays, Peel Ports and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), all of which were offering advice on the best ways for companies to get started with exporting or develop what they were already doing. There was then a Question and Answer session with all presenters and Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey chaired by Trevor Sturgess, Editor of KM Business. This was an ideal opportunity for a company looking to begin exporting to get the information and make the contacts they need to get started, or for companies that were already exporting to find out how to avoid pitfalls they may have already experienced.

IMM organised all aspects of the event, from arranging the catering, to sending out the invites; from setting up the Kent Science Park lecture theatre and adjoining room for breakfast, to setting up all presentations in preparation for the meeting. The event was attended by around 40 delegates in total. If you would like assistance from IMM in arranging a similar event, please contact us on 01795 506 321.

Project Overview

• Initial Ideas/Planning
• Event Management
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations

IMM made sure that Kent Science Park employees had a devilishly good time at a Halloween themed charity quiz night hosted the 1st November. Organising everything related to the event from the start, in total almost £200 was raised for local charity Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

Our Marketing and PR Manager Wesley Horan once again seized the opportunity to get into costume, and as he was quiz master for the evening he decided the ideal outfit would be to host the event dressed as Batman’s nemesis The Riddler.

IMM researched all questions for the evening and we ran a few games between rounds of the quiz in order to increase the donations for the charity. An event like this is an ideal way to boost staff morale and encourage team building. If you would like IMM to help you to organise a similar event for your staff, please contact us on 01795 506 316 or email wesley@imm-pr.com.

Project Overview

• Initial ideas and planning
• Project Management
• Emarketing
• Literature Design and Printing
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations

IMM helped Kent Science Park celebrate national Liftshare week by running a site-wide incentive to encourage the Park’s staff to share their journey to work on a specific day. Everybody who shared on the 5th October was given a ticket, which was entered into a prize draw to win £250 in cash, with two runners up prizes of £25 each.

IMM ran all aspects of the promotion, including designing all literature and Emarketing in the run up to the event, organising a gate drop to hand deliver flyers to all cars coming on to the site, drawing the winner and then arranging for the winner to receive her prize.

The day was a resounding success, with nearly 200 people sharing their journey to work. This represents 15% of the Park’s total workforce and was a 35% increase in people taking part compared to the previous year.

After the event, a press release was created and circulated locally. The story then ran in the Kent Messenger.

If you would like assistance in running a similar promotion for your business, please contact Jen Francis on 01795 506 321 or email jen@imm-uk.com.

Project Overview

• Initial ideas and planning
• Project Management
• Emarketing
• Literature Design and Printing
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations

IMM helped GoResponse to raise £500 for charity by helping in all aspects of arranging a coffee morning in their offices to raise money for Macmillan. In the run up to the event, IMM helped with Internal Communications to all staff, as well as an Emarketing campaign to encourage local businesses to also get involved. Posters and flyers were also designed and distributed locally.

The event itself took place on Friday 28th September and involved hosting a cake baking competition. There was also a raffle on the morning, with 3 main prizes plus a selection of smaller items. After the event IMM arranged Media Relations and a story about the event ran in the Kent Messenger and several Call Centre industry websites.

If your organisation would like assistance in running a similar event, please contact Wesley on 01795 506 316 or email wesley@imm-uk.com.

On the 21st September 2012 Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey visited Kent Science Park for a question and answer session with local business owners. Chaired by Trevor Sturgess, Business Editor of the Kent Messenger Group, Mr Henderson spoke on a range of subjects, including the reduction of unemployment in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, which has dropped consistently for the last five months.

Less than a week before the Swale Jobs Fair, which has been spearheaded by Mr Henderson, he discussed with local business people about the reasons for the decline in local unemployment. Mr Henderson commented:

“We have seen unemployment in the borough reduce for the fifth month running, and last month saw Swale achieve the largest reduction in unemployment in Kent. There are a number of factors that this could be attributed to, including the fact that we’re seeing a number of companies expanding locally. As MP, it’s my job to ensure that unemployment continues to reduce, and I hope that the Swale Jobs Fair that I have arranged jointly with Hugh Robertson MP will help to achieve this. There will be around 50 local companies attending, with over 500 jobs on offer.”

Mr Henderson also spoke about his commitment to help businesses on a local level, and the government’s commitment to help businesses on a national level. He discussed a bill currently going through parliament that will help businesses to secure infrastructure loans, as well as the good work he felt the government has already done to reduce the deficit:

“In the two-and-a-half years that we have been in government, we have reduced the deficit by 25%. There are things the government would like to do to help businesses but can’t due to finances. That said, in the same way that I work on a local level to try to help businesses, the government is working to help businesses nationally. The government does not have money to fund infrastructure, but we do have a very good credit rating, making it cheaper for us to borrow money – we want to use this to act as guarantor to private companies looking to develop infrastructure.”

James Speck, Site Director of Kent Science Park introduced this month’s event. He spoke about these quarterly business breakfast meetings held at KSP:

“These regular Q&A sessions with Gordon Henderson at Kent Science Park are of great value to the local business community. Local business owners can speak directly to their MP and receive detailed and frank answers to their questions. Not only does it give local businessmen and women the opportunity to speak to someone who can champion their cause with central government, it also helps our MP to see what is important to the frontline of businesses in his constituency.”

The next Question and Answer session at Kent Science Park will be held on 7th December 2012, and will expanded to include a special focus on Business Export & UK Trade and Investment. Mr Henderson commented on the sessions:

“My regular meetings at the Kent Science Park are extremely useful. They provide the ideal forum for business owners from throughout Sittingbourne and Sheppey to discuss any problems they are facing, and I can then raise these concerns in Parliament. This helps to ensure that my constituency is always properly represented in Westminster.”

Places on the expanded Q&A session on the 7th December can be booked by visiting www.kentsciencepark.com/events or by emailing jen.francis@ksp-uk.com.

ENDS

An employee from Kent Science Park-based Dovetail Services has received an award from the national blood service to mark her 75th blood donation. Sally Jones, of Sheerness, has been giving blood for the last 35 years, and was one the donors to give blood at the Park on Tuesday 11th September.

The National Blood Service had two donation vans operating onsite all day, and collected 74 pints of blood – a new site record. Kent Science Park champions blood donation on the park, with the donation drives taking place three times a year. Over the last ten years, KSP has collected nearly 3,000 units of blood for the National Blood Service.

Sally spoke about how she felt about having made such a significant number of donations:

“Donating blood is a worthwhile thing for anyone to do. I think it is a shame that more people don’t donate, as it’s so simple to do. If someone is able to give blood I encourage them to do it, as they’d be pleased to receive a transfusion if they needed it. I do try and get my friends and colleagues to give blood, but some can take more persuading than others! The main concern I hear is that people are afraid of the needle – I just tell them not to look at it and they will barely notice it going in.”

“I started giving blood when I was 18 because my mother used to do it and have always given blood when I can – I’ve only ever had to miss sessions due to having recent piercings or tattoos! I’m hoping that I might make it to 100 donations before I have to stop!”

Babs Knott, Site Administrator at Kent Science Park, was in charge of organising the day. She has previously received an award from the National Blood Service for her continued commitment to helping people to donate. She commented on Sally’s accomplishment:

“It’s wonderful that Sally has donated blood so many times, and I hope that her achievement might inspire others to donate. Blood donation is easy to do and normally only takes about thirty minutes. Plus, every time you give blood, you walk away knowing you have done something amazing and could have just saved someone’s life.”

“We have a long history of supporting the National Blood Service here at Kent Science Park, and we are continually humbled that so many of our tenants take the time to come and donate. With winter approaching it is important we ensure that blood reserves are high.”

ENDS

On the 21st September 2012 Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, will once again be visiting Kent Science Park for a Question and Answer session with local businesses.

Just days before the Swale Jobs Fair spearheaded by Mr Henderson, which is taking place on the 26th, this is the ideal opportunity for the local business community to put raise any queries or concerns they have with their local MP. This gives Mr Henderson an accurate representation of the obstacles that businesses in his constituency are coming up against and he can raise any concerns at Westminster.

The Q&A session will begin promptly at 9am, and will last for an hour and a half. Attendees are requested to arrive at the Kent Science Park Lecture Theatre at 8:30 for breakfast and networking. Trevor Sturgess, Business Editor for the Kent Messenger Group, will be chairing the session.

Gordon Henderson commented:

“As an MP, I always want to ensure that the views of Sittingbourne and Sheppey business owners are properly represented in Westminster, and I see these meetings at Kent Science Park as the ideal time for local businessmen and women to discuss their issues openly with me. These sessions help me to understand the issues that they’re facing on a daily basis and gives them the opportunity to quiz me on how government policy will affect their businesses. If I don’t have an answer then and there, I will get one for them!”

James Speck, Site Director at Kent Science Park said:

“Kent Science Park is very keen to support local business development, and the regular meetings with Mr Henderson that we host on the park is an important element of this. These meetings allow local companies to give their MP an accurate account of how business is developing in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, so that he, in turn, can continue to ensure our community is represented at Westminster.”

All local business owners are invited to attend the event free of charge, but due to the high demand places will need to be booked in advance. Bookings can be made by visiting www.kentsciencepark.co.uk.

ENDS

An employee on the Kent Science Park has raised over £2,960 so far for Demelza Hospice Care for Children by deciding to lose weight in aid of the charity. Keith Simson, who works for expenses firm Concur, has swapped his lifestyle for a much healthier one, by eating better and visiting the gym three times a week.

Concur is a world leader in integrated travel and expense management. Their Audit Centre is based at the Kent Science Park and employs more than 120 people and is rapidly expanding. The company promised to double what Keith had raised by the end of July, taking the total to nearly £6000. The substantial amount of money raised by Concur is the latest in a string of events being undertaken by businesses on the Park to raise money for Demelza – Kent Science Park’s charity partner for 2012.

Keith was aiming to lose 2 stone in just 12 weeks, originally weighing in at 17 stone 3lbs. His final weigh in proved he had lost a whopping 2 stone 5lbs, finishing with a weight of 14 stone 12bs. Keith is extremely pleased with beating his target, but says he could not have done it without the help of family and friends:

“The hardest part has been getting used to eating less, having low fat or non-fat foods and doing an extra few minutes on the cross trainer with the encouragement of my colleague Darren Herbert. I would like to sincerely thank friends and colleagues for the generous support I have received, especially Concur colleagues for sponsorship as well as moral support – a fantastic bunch of people.”

President and Chief Operating Officer at Concur, Raj Singh, sponsored Keith £1000 of his own money to lose the weight. The company has always been enthusiastic raising money for charity and held a BBQ and Fun Day in Sittingbourne to help towards the total amount raised. Raj commented on Keith’s mission to lose weight and raise money for Demelza:

“We are very proud of Keith’s commitment to healthy living. He tackled the weight loss challenge with the same tenacity he shows at Concur and as a volunteer for the hospice.”

James Speck, Site Director at Kent Science Park commented on Keith’s weight loss:

“Keith has done an incredible job to lose so much weight in such at a short space of time, all whilst raising money for such a worthwhile cause. Concur has always been at the forefront of raising money for charities and we hope that other companies on the park will follow their example.”

Keith wants to do everything he can to keep the weight off and carry on raising money for Demelza Hospice Care for Children. He said:

“Demelza is a great cause. I’m thrilled that Concur will continue its commitment to Demelza with additional staff volunteering and additional financial support.”

There is still chance to sponsor Keith by visiting his Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/Keith-Simson

ENDS

Workers from the Kent Science Park joined over 100 walkers in a hike across Sittingbourne in aid of Demelza Hospice Care for Children. This is just one of the latest efforts being undertaken by businesses and their employees on the Park to raise money for Demelza – Kent Science Park’s charity partner for 2012.

The 12k walk took place on Saturday 21^st July and started out at Woodstock Football Club. It is the third Twilight Walk to take place with people taking part of all ages. From super-heroes to dog walkers, the fancy dress-clad walkers then made their way from Woodstock through central Sittingbourne to Demelza House, Bobbing. The fundraisers were then fuelled with a hot drink and bacon sandwich before setting off on the return journey to Woodstock Football Club. The evening finished with a George Michael tribute act and a party at the Club.

Kent Science Park-based employees Debbie Cameron and Michelle Breeze (Institute of Directors), Babs Knott (Kent Science Park), Emily Brooke and Lorraine Philpot (EcoVillage) have raised just short of £400 so far by taking part on Saturday. Kent Science Park-based employees Debbie Cameron and Michelle Breeze (Institute of Directors), Babs Knott (Kent Science Park), Emily Brooke and Lorraine Philpot (EcoVillage) have raised just short of £400 in sponsorship for the walk.

Babs, Site Administrator at Kent Science Park, is heavily involved with the Kent Science Park charity committee and has helped to organise a number of events to raise money for Demelza. She said:

“It was a Saturday night out with a difference for sure! It was not a walk in the park as I first thought but very enjoyable all the same. Demelza had a great turn out and it was great to see a fantastic snake of red weaving through Sittingbourne for charity! Demelza is a fantastic charity that is involved in very worthwhile work and we are pleased to have them as our charity partner this year. I hope other employees on the Park will follow our example set”.

There is still chance to sponsor any walkers by visiting the Kent Science Park JustGiving Page http://www.justgiving.com/KentSciencePark

ENDS